What is ITaaS? The Ultimate Guide to IT as a Service

Published 23 May 2023
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To stay in business, companies need developed and reliably functioning IT departments that provide support and ensure the continuity of all crucial processes. However, maintaining internal IT departments is not an easy task. Fortunately, there is an alternative – managed IT services.

The increasing popularity of managed IT services

So far, many enterprises of all sizes have been relying on IT departments on-premises, which traditionally take care of data and infrastructure administration and deal with maintenance. Now, more companies are incorporating other solutions, such as various kinds of managed IT services.

This solution is constantly gaining popularity. A study conducted by Deloitte shows that the percentage share of managed IT as a service use in companies is increasing. In 2020, 75% of respondents said that more than half of the IT department in their company was based on ITaaS, while in 2018 this had increased to 71% of respondents.

What is more, the number of companies that rely on XaaS to a much greater extent has increased significantly. In 2018, XaaS-based solutions handled more than three-quarters of IT services and processes in only 16% of companies, while in 2020, the number of such companies has increased to 25%. Research shows that, within two years, the number of respondents who relied on XaaS-managed IT services for more than three quarters of their requirements jumped by more than 150%.

What is ITaaS?

IT as a service is an operating model of comprehensive supply with personalized and individualized enterprise IT services, ranging from IT hardware to databases, software and support.

The ITaaS delivery model does not change the actual technologies that are used, but only the approach to providing IT services. It belongs to a wide group of XaaS (everything as a service) solutions and allows the utilization of cloud-based IT services that are available on the market. With models such as IaaS, PaaS or SaaS, companies can move to a model of delivering IT services by third-party managed service providers.

The form of such collaboration is based on individual customer needs, as well as infrastructure, technology roadmap and solution requirements. This allows customers to define their needs precisely, from the scope of services to their duration.

The main competitive advantage of using ITaaS is that the company is not fully dependent on internal IT systems. This means that the organization does not have to worry about the development and maintenance of IT department. What is more, the provided IT solutions can be flexibly developed and adapted to new requirements.

IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS

IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS are the most popular managed IT services in this field. What exactly are they, and how do they differ?

IaaS

Infrastructure as a service – is the most flexible and primary of these models. The service provider delivers cloud computing services, servers, computing power, and data storage systems to the customer.

This solution is the closest to IT on-premises. The end user who is responsible for the operating system, data, applications, and their duration.
Examples of external providers of such solutions are Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

PaaS

Platform as a service is a complete or almost complete infrastructure to work for the client's team. This business model is used to develop in-house software. The customer receives a set of tools and solutions needed to support this platform.

The PaaS model has operating systems, databases and framework.
Developers do not need to focus on these aspects of the work environment, and can focus on software development itself.

SaaS

Software as a service is a model in which the supplier provides everything. The IT department in the customer's company, can be reduced to a bare minimum.

Services in the cloud are accessible with an application or a website.
Every functionality of the IT infrastructure is delivered by the ITaaS managed service provider.

XaaS – the operating model of the future?

Anything as a service (XaaS) is a term describing the way services are delivered to customers. It's a flexible service model where customers only pay for what they need. XaaS includes not only managed IT services such as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, but also a huge variety of other services, such as:

Framework as a service (FaaS)
Hardware as a service (HaaS)
Cybersecurity as a service (CaaS)
Mobile device as a service (MDaaS)
Technology as a service (TaaS)
Artificial intelligence as a service (AIaaS)

Many other services can also be provided in this model. Thanks to this strategy, companies do not have to worry about implementation, and can start using ready-made solutions.

Xaas allows entrepreneurs above-average flexibility. The main goal of the entire model is to tailor the solution perfectly to meet the customer’s business needs first, and provide them with continuous and uninterrupted support with the possibility of development and modification.

Benefits of ITaaS

ITaaS is a solution used by more and more companies. It allows them to achieve many benefits and has many unique features that make it great for many sectors. Here are the key benefits of using ITaaS:

1. Cost savings

Using ITaaS supports your budget in two ways. First, as a customer, you no longer have to invest in the development of in-house IT department. Second, you choose the range of technology services you use and pay for, and you can expand it if necessary. You do not have to pay for the services that won’t be used.

2. Scalability

When a business is expanding, its needs are growing too. In order to serve more customers, you need to process larger amounts of data. Managed IT services models allow scaling of resources. You can increase them when your business starts to grow, or decrease them when seasonal fluctuations occur.

3. Faster implementation and time to market

In a dynamically functioning industry, the rapid delivery of new solutions, products, and services to the market is one of the key factors. ITaaS providers have experience in implementing new solutions as quickly as possible.

The rapid deployment of any given managed IT service helps to respond faster to market needs, which will make it easier for the company to gain an advantage over direct competition.

4. Support, performance, and reliability

Thanks to ITaaS, entrepreneurs no longer have to worry about the risk of the hardware or software failure. In this cooperation model, continuous performance is ensured by specialized external service providers, who have industry experience and are prepared for many different scenarios.

Services provided by ITaaS providers

The services delivered by ITaaS providers range from hardware solutions, through systems and frameworks, to sets of procedures. Their most significant feature is flexibility and the main goal of the ITaaS model is to be adaptable to the needs of many clients both at the beginning of cooperation and during its duration.

What's more, the ITaaS provider's role is to maintain the security of the computer infrastructure and data, and to guarantee compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Here's what you can expect from a collaboration with a professional ITaaS provider:

Backing up the data

Uninterrupted access to sensitive data is a prerequisite for the functioning of business. Customers should be protected from data loss in a multiple ways. In order to achieve this, IT as a Service providers should implement strict procedures and data backup policies.

Cybersecurity

The role of the IT as a service provider is also to guarantee the security of the customer's data center and IT departments which are the most critical element of to business. To achieve this, the service provider not only delivers the necessary software and IT system solutions, but also provides customers with the necessary procedures which improve the security of their data.

24/7 IT support

Critical business infrastructure simply cannot suddenly stop working. A managed services provider not only ensures continuous functioning, but also uninterrupted support in case of unforeseen accidents at any time.

Professional support and expert knowledge

A survey conducted by Deloitte shows that as many as 82% of respondents believe that cooperation in various XaaS models would be better if IT service providers were also available as strategic planning consultative partners.

That's why the managed services provider should not only deliver services, but also offer advice to help customers in choosing the most effective solutions.

Flexible contract duration

Each client has individual needs that result from the specifics of running a given business. In order to meet their needs, the duration of each contract should be adjusted depending on the project, business goals and expectations.

How Comarch can help

As an IT service provider, Comarch has experience in rapid and effective implementation of solutions in this model of supporting companies. We offer a full set of managed IT services that are easy to integrate with other corporate systems and meet strict SLAs (service level agreements).

How can you benefit from using our services?

It will take the excessive workload off your internal IT department, so your employees can work on strategic tasks, and you better utilize your specialists’ experience.
Your company will be constantly provided with the highest level reputable IT architecture, including software, hardware and a set of procedures to help operating the system.
If necessary, you will be able to flexibly scale your IT infrastructure, adapt the scope of services to your needs, and quickly add new, necessary functions.
Your IT systems will always comply with the latest cybersecurity guidelines and applicable laws.
You'll save money by paying only for services you actually need.

So far, we have been trusted by such clients as Heathrow Airport, Valeo Germany, JetBlue Airways, and Nicols. Join them and take your IT solutions to the next level.