A managed cloud services provider (MCSP) helps organizations run some or all of their cloud environments. This can include moving systems to the cloud, monitoring and maintaining them, improving performance, managing security tools, and helping control costs. MCSPs typically work across public, private, and hybrid cloud environments.
Organizations decide which parts of their cloud environments they want the provider to handle and which parts they want to keep in-house. In most cases, the company and the MCSP share responsibility. The provider manages day-to-day operations and tooling, while the organization stays accountable for business decisions, data, and governance.
Choosing an MCSP is always an unnerving experience, says Brent Riley, MCSP VP of digital forensics and incident response for North America at cybersecurity consultancy CyXcel.
“So much trust is placed in their ability to perform to the level promised in their SLA, but it can be tough to validate whether they’re being met until there’s an outage or cybersecurity incident that reveals issues,” he says. “At that point, the damage is done. MCSPs are even more challenging to evaluate and select as there’s no physical infrastructure to inspect, and no visible work being done within an on-premise infrastructure.”
Benefits using an MCSP
Reduced operational burden: MCSPs can take on day-to-day cloud management tasks, reducing the need for large internal cloud and infrastructure teams. This is especially helpful for organizations that don’t have deep cloud or FinOps expertise in-house.
Faster problem response: Most MCSPs provide 24/7 monitoring and support. When issues arise, their teams can respond quickly, often before problems significantly impact users or applications.
Support for disaster recovery and resilience: MCSPs help design, manage, and test backup and disaster recovery setups. While customers still define recovery goals, providers help ensure systems can be restored quickly if something goes wrong.
Ongoing platform management: Cloud platforms change frequently. MCSPs help keep infrastructure components current and compatible, reducing the risk of outdated configurations while allowing customers to control when major changes are introduced.
Security expertise and tooling: Cloud security requires specialized skills in high demand. MCSPs bring experience with identity management, monitoring, compliance tools, and security best practices. Security remains a shared responsibility, but providers help strengthen day-to-day protection.
Improved reliability and performance: With experience running large and complex environments, MCSPs can help design and operate cloud infrastructure that’s more stable, scalable, and resilient.
Integration with existing systems: MCSPs help connect cloud resources with on-prem systems, applications, and identity platforms. This makes it easier for users and applications to access cloud services without disruption.
More predictable operations, not always lower costs: While MCSPs can reduce internal staffing and tooling costs, they don’t always lower overall cloud spend. Their value today is more about operational efficiency, expertise, and speed than cheaper cloud pricing.
Key considerations when choosing an MCSP
As organizations move toward more autonomous, AI-driven services, MCSPs play an important role turning automation into something that actually works every day, says Manny Rivelo, CEO at ConnectWise, a provider of IT management software.
Rivelo says one thing matters more than many teams realize: operational transparency. Organizations need a clear view into how their cloud environments are designed, secured, and managed, as well as how agentic AI monitors systems, makes decisions, and takes action so nothing important happens behind the scenes without their knowledge.
“Operational maturity matters more as autonomy increases,” Rivelo says. “This includes disciplined data governance, strong physical and logical security, and well-defined incident response processes that balance automation with human oversight. While agentic AI can detect issues, correlate signals, and respond at machine speed, humans remain essential to set policy, validate outcomes, and make judgment calls when conditions fall outside expected patterns.”
It’s also important that the MCSP fits well with the managed services model and the broader ecosystem around it, according to Rivelo. The right provider should use automation and AI to make things simpler. After all, when automation is done right, it backs up the people doing the work, brings more consistency to operations, and gives teams more time to focus on what actually matters, not manage another set of tools.
One factor that often gets missed when choosing an MCSP is how flexible pricing really is, says Jon Winsett, CEO at NPI, which helps enterprises get more value from their software licenses and navigate audits from vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Cisco. The risk with an MCSP is usually not paying more at the start but losing negotiating power over time without noticing it.
MCSPs can be a big help for smaller teams or organizations still building cloud experiences, he adds. By combining cloud spend and packaging services, such as migration support, rightsizing, and cost controls, they can cut down on waste and make the cloud easier to run. For organizations without strong cloud or FinOps skills in-house, those benefits can be worth the tradeoffs.
“As cloud environments grow, pricing often becomes less clear,” says Winsett. “MCSPs add their own markup on top of Microsoft or AWS pricing, up to 8% for basic spend and more when services are bundled. That managed layer is how MCSPs reach profit margins of roughly 30 to 40%.”
Disadvantages to working with an MCSP
The biggest disadvantage using an MCSP is loss of control, according to Ryan McElroy, VP of technology at tech consulting firm Hylaine.
“If you get discounts for various licenses, but you’re locked into contracts and have to overbuy, then you may not be saving money,” he says. “And an MCSP adds to your organization’s attack surface area. While Microsoft and other large cloud vendors train their MCSPs and provide guidance, if you read the root cause analysis reports produced after major cybersecurity incidents, you’ll find it’s a worryingly common vector.”
Anay Nawathe, director at research and advisory firm ISG, says that while working with MCSPs has many benefits, there are also risks.
“Your MCSP shouldn’t be the main voice of architecture in your organization,” he says. “Architectural decisions should be owned internally to maintain key systems knowledge in-house, reduce vendor lock-in, and mitigate architectural bias from a provider compared to market best practices.”
Additionally, he adds that MCSPs don’t always feel the same pressure to manage costs as the companies using the cloud. In the end, enterprises are the ones who feel the impact of overspending, which is why many bring FinOps roles back in-house to take direct control of cloud costs, he says.
6 top MCSPs
There are dozens, so to help streamline the research, we highlight the following products, arranged alphabetically, based on independent research and discussions with analysts. Organizations should contact providers directly for pricing information.
Accenture
Accenture offers its managed cloud services to customers worldwide, backed by teams and centers in most major regions and markets. It helps organizations design, run, and maintain their cloud environments, and supports everything from initial cloud setup to ongoing operations, including monitoring, maintenance, and security. Accenture also works across major cloud platforms, such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. Instead of managing complex cloud systems entirely in-house, companies can use Accenture’s services to handle routine operations and technical oversight. This includes monitoring systems, addressing issues as they come up, and keeping cloud environments updated. Overall, Accenture manages the day-to-day cloud infrastructure so organizational in-house staff can focus on key business priorities.
Capgemini
Capgemini provides managed cloud services worldwide and supports multicloud environments across all major regions, with much of its work centered in Europe and North America. The company works closely with industries such as manufacturing, retail, financial services, and insurance. Capgemini helps organizations run and manage applications on major cloud platforms, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as specialized enterprise clouds. Its managed services cover both infrastructure and applications, including monitoring, backups, and technical support. Capgemini also helps companies decide which workloads make sense to move to the cloud, migrate those systems, and manage them over time. The firm is best suited for large enterprises and complex environments rather than midsize organizations.
Deloitte
Deloitte provides cloud services to customers around the world, with much of its work focused on organizations in North America and Europe. It works heavily with industries in financial services and insurance, government, and healthcare. Deloitte supports multicloud environments and works with platforms including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, VMware Cloud, and Oracle Cloud. The firm helps companies plan, build, and operate cloud environments tailored to business goals. A key focus is cloud transformation, including identifying where cloud tech can improve processes and operations. Deloitte is best suited for large enterprises pursuing digital transformation, and while consulting remains its core business, the firm continues to expand its managed services offerings.
HCL Technologies
Managed cloud services from HCL Technologies are offered globally, and supported by teams and centers around the world. HCL helps organizations move their systems to the cloud and keep them running smoothly over time. It works with major cloud providers, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud to design and set up cloud environments that match each business’s needs. Once everything’s in place, HCL handles the daily operations, including around-the-clock monitoring, performance management, and fixing issues as they arise, and also uses automation and AI tools for routine IT tasks. Overall, HCL helps organizations maintain reliable cloud systems across industries like banking, manufacturing, and healthcare.
NTT Data
NTT Data delivers managed cloud services to customers globally. It supports a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and insurance. NTT Data takes a multicloud approach, with managed services customers running on Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and AWS. NTT Data also helps companies move applications to the cloud, modernize aging systems, and move away from legacy tech, as well as draws on expertise from across the NTT Group to offer services like identity and access management, networking, and managed security, helping customers build cloud-based systems that better support their businesses.
Tata Consultancy Services
TCS works with organizations worldwide, but most of its cloud and managed services customers are in North America and Europe. The company has strong experience in industries such as financial services, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, and retail. TCS supports multicloud environments and works with leading cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and AWS, with some support for IBM Cloud. TCS has dedicated teams for its largest cloud partners and helps large enterprises plan cloud migrations, move existing systems, and modernize applications for the cloud. The majority of this work is focused on large enterprises, with limited emphasis on midsize organizations.