Today, finding a way to manage IT infrastructure and operate at full capacity isn’t optional for a federal agency. But you don’t have to do it alone.
Partnering with a managed service provider enables your team to offload responsibilities to experts and makes more room for growth. Explore the core principles of federal managed services and determine if it’s the right move for your organization today.
What is a managed service provider?
Managed service providers, or MSPs, are third-party organizations that manage a client’s systems, workflows and IT infrastructure. Designed to replace the traditional approach of waiting for things to break before fixing them, managed service providers use monitoring tools to proactively detect, alert and resolve issues before they disrupt operations. In letting an MSP take control over day-to-day technology operations, your organization can focus on what really matters.
Why should federal agencies work with managed service providers?
Organizations in every industry are facing increased digital demands, and the federal government is no different. Designed to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and ensure high levels of security, federal managed services enable agencies to achieve critical objectives.
Benefits of federal managed services:
- Mission focus: Offloading day-to-day IT operations and programs enables key personnel to focus on accomplishing core mission objectives and goals, rather than spending time tending to network maintenance
- Enhanced security: Gaining access to inner knowledge of ransomware mitigation, compliance and continuous monitoring, reducing the risk of data breaches
- Government IT modernization: Facilitating the transition from legacy systems to cloud-native services, resulting in increased operational resiliency
- Cost prediction: Subscription-style pricing for federal managed services reduces overhead, helping agencies manage tight or fluctuating budgets
- Access to talent: Resolves the skill-gap issue, as specialized team members are difficult to hire or retrain for similar services
What is the difference between commercial and federal managed services?
While any organization can invest in MSPs, the needs for commercial organizations and government agencies differ. Federal managed services are tailored specifically to ensure agencies meet the strict regulations and security standards, such as FedRAMP, FISMA, and NIST.
Commercial or civilian MSPs are more flexible, focusing more on rapid technology adoption and innovation in the private sector. The aspects focused on in federal managed services can vary agency to agency, but all are designed to improve efficiency, reduce costs and offer scalable support for IT systems.
Types of federal managed services:
- IT infrastructure: Includes data center management, router monitoring, server management and cloud hosting
- Cybersecurity: Covers proactive threat monitoring, firewall management and incident response
- Business functions: Outsources non-essential admin tasks such as finances, contact center operations and grant management
- Data analytics: Utilizes AI, machine learning and technology to drive digital transformation and governmental IT modernization
- Communication services: Manages secure IP VPNs, mobile computing and VoIP to ensure agency connectivity throughout disruptions
How to choose a federal managed services provider
If you’re in charge of finding the federal managed services provider for your agency, it’s important to approach it as more than outsourced support—it’s a partnership. Not all MSPs can promise the same level of expertise and understanding. When it comes to your decision, understanding how to evaluate a potential MSP is vital.
5 signs of a high-quality federal managed services partner:
- Demonstrates agency-specific expertise: Your MSP needs to understand your technology and industry inside and out to anticipate challenges and work with compliance requirements. During initial discussions, inquire about their history with the technology and regulations your agency relies on.
- Provides a proactive approach to cybersecurity: A good MSP monitors for vulnerabilities and maintains a robust security posture to catch any failures or attacks before they become widespread issues.
- Runs with a partnership mentality: The MSP you choose should fit in with your agency’s existing ecosystem, rather than acting as a separate, hired-out vendor.
- Offers fast response times and availability: MSPs should offer 24/7 support, 365 days out of the year. This expectation is typically outlined in your service level agreement (SLA).
- Prioritizes transparency and communication: An MSP should be able to procure detailed documentation and real-time reporting on system status and government IT modernization efforts.
MSP red flags to avoid:
- Cannot provide documented experience in the federal government
- Agrees to the goals and wants to win the contract without question
- Does not offer 24/7 support
- Fails to communicate in a timely manner
- Hides fees and additional costs in invoices
- Claims they have a “one-size-fits-all” MSP model
- Treats cybersecurity as an afterthought
Why CGI is the best federal managed services provider for you
CGI has a worldwide reputation as a top-tier federal managed services provider. Our consultants are trained to focus on long-term relationships with each client, delivering predictive and high-quality services that improve citizen experience and inter-agency flow. With decades of experience serving federal agencies, CGI is well positioned to deliver the high levels of service and support needed to drive operational excellence.
Our specialty-designed solutions, such as Momentum, address the complex financial, HR and procurement needs unique to the federal government. Many cases are operated out of our unique onshore delivery center model (approved by FM QSMO) in Virginia, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin and Maine. These centers, which have become a cornerstone of our service, provide agencies with proximity-based support and a secure, yet low-risk, environment for housing sensitive data.
CGI’s federal managed services include:
- End-to-end IT management covers the entire spectrum of an organization’s IT needs, including financial, infrastructure, application, cloud and network, to ensure everything is optimized for performance and reliability.
- Enhanced security and compliance protect your IT environment from external threats and regulatory issues, focusing on cybersecurity, compliance management and risk management.
- Optimized operational efficiency improves delivery and reduces costs by automating processes, monitoring performance and optimizing resources.
Partner with CGI’s federal MSPs today
Outsourcing is the best way to move your agency towards resilience, growth and efficiency. At CGI, collaborating with clients to tailor the perfect federal managed services plan is our priority. Connect with us and explore how our MSP services can benefit your agency.
