With the current global economic crisis, companies face a tough climate in which they must try to survive and prosper. Even the most optimistic forecasts predict that this situation will continue throughout 2009 and into 2010. Unsurprisingly, this has led to most organisations looking at ways to cut costs. The credit crunch has reminded all business owners that “Cash is King” and the financial burden of CapEx (capital expenditure) to deploy and maintain an in-house IT infrastructure has encouraged many to look at different ways to achieve the same result.

Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud computing and Managed Hosting, provided by a Managed Service Provider, are essentially the same thing. Moving to a Managed Hosted IT solution can give you the latest solution and the flexibility to manage your costs. Services are provided on a “pay-as-you-use” OpEx (operational expense) basis. There is no need to budget for the substantial upfront investment required for the purchase, installation, setup, maintenance and management of an in-house solution. You only pay for the resources you actually use, bringing you the advantages of convenience and cost-efficiency.

However, although cost is the main driver for the growing adoption of Managed Hosted IT solutions, there are a number of other points to bear in mind when deciding whether to choose this IT delivery model. This whitepaper will not only consider the cost advantages offered by Managed Hosted solutions - including CapEx-free IT - but will also take into account the particular business needs of different organisations when it comes to their IT infrastructure.