Cloud transformation can help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) achieve the productivity, security, resilience and scale of their enterprise counterparts. As a managed service provider (MSP) or managed intelligence provider (MIP), you have the power to get them there. But first, you need the right infrastructure strategy. Read on to learn how you can reduce technical debt, unlock efficiency and create new recurring revenue opportunities as an MSP delivering infrastructure services.
1. Get Trained, Get Support, Start Assessing
First things first: Your staff needs to be up to date on their knowledge of how to build and deploy cloud infrastructure. Not doing so could lead to problems like cost overruns, security vulnerabilities and client dissatisfaction. To help partners on this journey, Pax8 provides infrastructure consulting so you can build resilient cloud infrastructure for your clients.
Something else you may consider is deploying cloud services for your own business, if you don’t have them already. Not only can you gain the benefits of the cloud, such as greater compute power and cheaper maintenance, but you’ll learn about the nuances of cloud infrastructure by hosting certain workloads in the cloud. This gives you experience without jeopardizing client environments.
Next, you’ll want to conduct cloud readiness assessments to see where your clients currently stand on their cloud journeys. This involves assessing your clients’ current IT infrastructure and the applications and data they use to identify their cloud requirements, including computing, storage and networking resources. You should also set KPIs with your clients to ensure there’s agreement on what a successful migration looks like, such as cost savings, performance, reliability, security, compliance, operational efficiency and user adoption.
If you don’t have the bandwidth for training and conducting cloud assessments at the moment, we get it! Pax8 also helps partners simplify the complexity of cloud infrastructure via Pax8 Professional Services. We help partners assess where clients are on their cloud journey and provide server and data migration services as well, acting as an extension of your existing team.
So, you’ve got a few options to get started right off the bat — or even combine these approaches for whatever makes the most sense for your MSP or MIP:
- Hone your skills and knowledge at Pax8 events or learn at your own pace with on‑demand sessions through Pax8 Academy to build or refine your cloud delivery model.
- Begin conducting cloud assessments on your clients and review IaaS vendors through the Pax8 Marketplace to find the best fit for your business and your clients.
- Use Pax8 Professional Services to conduct cloud assessments and design reliable environments for clients migrating off aging on‑prem systems.
2. Implement a Strong Security Baseline for All Infrastructure
Security is foundational to any infrastructure strategy, so aligning with security best practices will help you protect client environments with secure‑by‑design principles. Failure to do so could mean your clients face data breaches, ransomware attacks and compliance issues.
Implementing solutions centered around the industry standard of the CIS Critical Security Controls is a great place to start. And Pax8 helps you do that by aligning Pax8 Marketplace offerings to the 18 different CIS Controls. You can even see where your clients have gaps in their coverage and sell accordingly by using Marketplace’s Opportunity Explorer feature.
Pax8 also offers detailed guidance on baseline protections for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, including MFA, conditional access, Defender for Office 365 and secure workstation configurations — all mapped to CIS Controls to help partners implement technical safeguards that strengthen infrastructure posture.
3. Build a Resilient, Scalable Infrastructure Layer
Once you have your training and personnel in place, you’ve assessed your clients’ current position on their cloud journey and your and your clients’ security measures are aligned to industry best practices, it’s time to select and deploy a solid infrastructure layer. Pax8 offers deep enablement to help partners choose, deploy and manage the right platform.
- Use the Azure Kickstart Program or AWS partner guidance to build out your infrastructure services.
- Review the AWS Well Architected Framework to learn best practices for infrastructure services.
- Leverage Pax8 services to help with the process, such as Azure and AWS Infrastructure Solution Consultants as well as PSA billing integrations to streamline consumption‑based cloud billing.
4. Standardize Backup, Recovery and Data Resilience
Reliable infrastructure goes beyond computing capabilities. Strong data protection is a bedrock of resilient architecture that can withstand the worst. Data recovery, backup and device protection are essential components for secure cloud foundations that are aligned to CIS Controls like data recovery and secure configuration.
When you’re ready to deliver infrastructure, be sure to also deploy automated backup and disaster recovery solutions across all workloads. Using Microsoft 365 Business Premium or E5 features like Defender and Cloud Configuration can also create a unified baseline for endpoint and data protection.
5. Build Infrastructure Governance Through Assessments and Continuous Improvement
Infrastructure isn’t a “set it and forget it” solution. You should be conducting risk and operational assessments at least annually — and more often for heavily regulated industries like legal and medical.
Platform governance tools available in the Pax8 Marketplace can help automate ongoing management of your clients’ cloud environments, helping you evaluate client security posture and close infrastructure gaps across tenants. Pax8 also can help with recurring tenant reviews to proactively address risk and modernization needs.
Continuous learning in the form of infrastructure sessions and Bootcamps help ensure you can implement, manage and evolve your clients’ infrastructure on an ongoing basis. Pax8 Academy is continually updating its curriculum with live and on-demand classes that can keep your staff sharp and up-to-date.
Taking the Next Steps
Becoming an MIP that can deliver infrastructure services to clients takes some preparation, and going it alone can be daunting. But we’re here to help!
Pax8 offers just about everything partners need to get started with infrastructure as a service (IaaS), from training and cloud assessments to implementation help through Pax8 Professional Services. Schedule a call with one of our infrastructure experts to begin conducting infrastructure environment assessments for cloud readiness. You’ll be on your way to bigger margins and next-level business growth as a trusted partner capable of delivering the transformation your clients need to succeed in the cloud economy.
