Originally published on MSP Today

Today’s fast-paced digital landscape has proven incredibly turbulent as disruptive technologies permeate every industry, invalidating previous designs or providing significant upgrades over legacy solutions. With so many options available to businesses, it is imperative that decisions are taken carefully, with cost-efficiency and effectiveness as key metrics when allocating company resources.

However, within these competitive markets, every choice matters, and making decisions across every facet of your business can prove insurmountable without the appropriate knowledge and tools. As the digital age continues to usher in more complex cloud structures and solutions, these issues are unlikely to dissipate. Successful modern organizations must be familiar with up-to-date cloud technology as it is released, which can be provided by Managed Service Providers (MSPs).

MSPs are trusted partners focused on providing support for businesses navigating the complexities of new technologies. As the reliance on cloud-based solutions grows, MSPs are expected to be fully equipped to efficiently manage and optimize diverse cloud resources for their clients, sometimes managing this area in its entirety on behalf of the company. Today, 98% of MSP clients are using the cloud in some capacity, with 76% having shifted more than half of their workloads to the cloud. This has been a significant increase from 50% in the previous year, according to the ‘Datto Global State of the MSP Report: Looking Ahead to 2023’.

“MSPs are growing as a whole, and those who have strong tools and an understanding of the benefits of cloud optimization are taking the lead, given the dependence of SMBs on the cloud for nearly every or for every business application,” said Ben McGahon, founder and CEO of Kalibr8, developer of an AI-driven cloud optimization platform designed specifically for MSPs, including the security and partitioning features that allow MSPs to serve multiples of their clients on a single automated platform. “Now that we have sophisticated, algorithm-enriched tools, the manual labor associated with managing the cloud, or multiple and hybrid clouds, is dramatically reduced, saving time and money for MSPs and their clients while also gaining the benefits of data analytics that can be used for continual improvement and planning.”

For many businesses prepared to outsource to an MSP, the main objective is to streamline and enhance the preexisting cloud infrastructure, which has been overloaded with a plethora of inefficient applications and devices. Kalibr8 created its platform with the precise intent to combat this problem; leveraging automation and advanced analytics, the Kalibr8 solution enables MSPs to proactively identify potential performance issues, optimize resource allocation, and ensure maximum cost-efficiency for their clients.

“We intentionally designed it for the distinct use case of MSPs and the distributors who support those MSPs, with a multi-tier model that contributes to the profitability and strength across the supply chain – from the distributor to the MSP to the end client,” McMahon explained. “Our platform is easily integrated into any MSP portfolio to manage multiple customers using multiple clouds, subscriptions, and resources, either individually or collectively.”

One of the most significant advantages of Kalibr8 is its ability to provide real-time insights and analytics to MSPs. Gaining invaluable visibility into their clients’ cloud infrastructure, MSPs can assess resource utilization, cost trends, and overall performance. Assisted by this comprehensive data, MSPs are equipped to make informed decisions, proactively address potential bottlenecks, and allocate resources effectively. Moreover, the built-in reporting feature helps MSPs showcase tangible improvements in performance, security, and cost optimization, thereby exemplifying the value they bring to their clients.

“As the demand for cloud-based services continues to surge, MSPs must ensure that client infrastructures are scalable and flexible enough to meet ever-increasing requirements,” McMahon said. “With comprehensive insights into cloud usage trends and forecasting future resource needs, access to a hyper-intelligent software platform empowers MSPs not only to streamline their present operations but also to plan for the future growth of each client proactively.”

Effective utilization of tools like those Kalibr8 provides improves performance, enhances scalability, and negates excessive cloud costs, allowing MSPs to devote their energy to delivering exceptional services and driving client success.