Cisco Cisco Virtual Managed Services 2.0 백서
The Expanding Opportunities Within Virtual Managed Services
White Paper
Cisco Public
© 2016 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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Greater visibility into the state of the network and
security services
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Ability to add and upgrade services using a self-
service portal
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Remote monitoring, repair, and maintenance
What Informs the Conservative Approach
to VMS
There are four primary questions that managed
service providers need to address when working
with customers toward a VMS solution:
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Will it be prohibitively expensive?
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Will it be secure?
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Will it be reliable?
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Will it leave an enterprise locked in to a service
provider, whether or not the solutions continue to
deliver best-in-class services as business needs
change?
Although the respondents liked the proposition and
potential of VMS, it represents a major change, and
they will take a cautious, phased approach. The
transition to VMS has a great deal of similarities
to the shift years ago from TDM networks (the old
telcos) to Internet Protocol (IP) networks, and similar
wary behavior should be expected now.
These questions in no way undercut the potential
benefits of VMS. It can be said the average
respondent to our survey was enthusiastic about
the destination, but harbored concerns about the
journey and troubles that might arise along the way.
In a general sense, this is a familiar juncture.
Businesses had to negotiate similar transitions with
older technologies, from time-division multiplexing
to IP networks. VMS services come with distinct
advantages and challenges, but the root question
for businesses remains the same: “Will this new
solution cause any damage or affect operations
before its benefits kick in?”
It also is important to note that the transition to
virtual services is already under way. Because VMS
components are not entirely new, these services
have already overcome some barriers to adoption.
The Opportunity: A Conservative Customer
Base Can Still Be Motivated When Presented
with the New VMS Spend Potential
Their reasons might vary, but the study’s
respondents showed a clear intention to move
beyond the traditional managed service models:
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Based on the definition of VMS services, 81
percent of the customers polled were interested
in a “VMS-like” service.
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Among North American respondents, between
32 and 44 percent declared themselves “very
interested” in adoption.
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The customers also demonstrated motivation in
terms of time: 78 percent were ready to act within
a year of a VMS solution coming available.
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In the United States, 31 percent of customers
would adopt VMS “right away.”
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Respondents want to buy multiple add-on
services in security and other managed network
services. (See Figure 8.)
Providers should note that “adoption” might
extend well beyond basics. Our survey presented
a selection of “extras”—including security features
(such as antimalware, firewalls, and email security)
and other managed services—and asked the
decision makers if they would consider buying other
components from the same provider.
In each case, the percentage of respondents who
were “likely” or “very likely” to bundle services
represented a strong majority (see following
sections). There is significant potential for increases
in the customer spend.
Customers Want a Greater Degree of Control
Motivation aside, customers are interested in
discovering VMS capacities on a timetable that
allows for a careful approach to service changes.
Although a minority of respondents were open
to wholesale replacement, most preferred to
create VMS “testbeds” at low-risk sites or begin
transitioning to new services as the old ones
become ready for renewal or replacement.
There is also a clear preference for self-service
portals in the VMS structure. Customers want greater
visibility, but they also desire a means to test features
and services on their own schedule and chosen
circumstances. The “try and buy”’ approach was
important to companies of all sizes, with the exception
of the largest (10,000 employees or more).