The History of Business IT Services: An Evolution Through the Decades
Since the late 1980s, IT services for businesses have undergone a remarkable transformation.
In the early days, organizations primarily relied on purchasing support contracts directly from computer manufacturers like IBM, Wang and Apple as these full service contracts handled the majority of IT issues that would arise.
These IT support services were limited to companies only maintaining their tools and software.
The 1990s: The Rise of Outsourced Break/Fix IT Support
As businesses increasingly adopted a hodge-podge of personal computers, networking equipment, and industry specific software IT consultants emerged, offering hourly break/fix IT support to handle the assortment of IT needs.
Companies could now contract external specialists for network, server and computer support rather than purchasing support contracts directly from the software or hardware providers.
Most IT support was done on-site but soon remote tools were installed that allowed for quicker response times and reduced costs.
The 2000s: The Managed Services (MSP) Revolution
The new millennium saw the rise of managed IT services companies (MSPs), where providers proactively monitored and managed a businesses’ IT infrastructure with RMMs (remote monitoring & management).
The benefit of this MSP model, was that IT providers now had created goal alignment with their clients.
In the 90’s, IT Consulting companies were paid to fix things that were breaking, and were not incentivized to have 100% system uptime
With this new preventative MSP model, IT support companies aimed to keep ticket creation at a minimum and would do their best to keep computers and networks running smoothly
The 2010s: The Great Cloud Migration
By the 2010s, cloud computing has become mainstream, transforming how businesses managed their data, software and email systems
IT services companies moved systems out of house and up to the cloud, colloquially known as the SaaS (Software as a Service) model
With the rise of cloud, came simpler scalability, predictable costs, and a decentralized operational model that allow IT service companies to easily implement a one-size fits all model that usually incorporated Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
The 2020s: AI and Cybersecurity Take Center Stage
In the 2020’s, IT services have become more sophisticated, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced cybersecurity monitoring for the signs of a major business breach.
Businesses now need proactive Cybersecurity services to prepare for major IT disasters, like ransomware, and avoid business crippling events that have become commonplace across all industries
Modern MSPs now rely on Ai and 24×7 SOC (security operations centers) to detect malicious behavior because rudimentary tools like Anti-Virus and RMMs cannot detect a hacker walking in through the backdoor.
The shift to AI-driven monitoring solutions and 24/7 round-the-clock SOC vigilance underscores an emphasis on minimizing risk, protecting investments and maintaining business continuity in an increasingly interconnected world.
