Developing a Novel Offering Leveraging Cisco’s ThousandEyes: Guidance for Managed Services Providers

In this piece, I investigated the ways in which Cisco ThousandEyes enables Managed Service Providers to deliver exceptional customer experiences by providing unparalleled insights into network and application performance. As MSPs navigate the process of developing or refining a service offering centered on ThousandEyes, this blog aims to provide guidance, structure, and best practices to consider for maximizing its potential?

The importance of DXA cannot be overstated, as it has revolutionized the field of bone density measurement. According to a comprehensive survey and assessment conducted within the industry, a significant 40% of IT leaders and professionals believe that fostering a positive community impact can have a direct influence on enhancing both customer and employee experiences, ultimately driving forward innovative digital business strategies. Moreover, three quarters of these leaders intend to roll out tools within the next two years that offer seamless, real-time visibility across multiple community domains from a single, unified console. Despite current limitations, only 65% of organizations currently possess end-to-end visibility across community paths, including web and cloud networks, while just 39% enjoy restricted or comprehensive visibility through multiple consoles, enabling seamless interactions among customers, devices, applications, and businesses.

The lack of transparency in community environments, coupled with increasing complexity, highlights the pressing need for comprehensive digital experience architecture (DXA) solutions that provide seamless navigation and optimal user experiences. By tackling these hurdles, managed service providers (MSPs) can position themselves as trusted guides and essential partners in their clients’ digital metamorphoses.

As the market landscape becomes increasingly competitive, DXA development offers an attractive opportunity for managed service providers (MSPs) to gain a strategic edge. By delivering reliable experiences across devices, platforms, and industries, managed service providers (MSPs) can set themselves apart from the competition. As nearly four in ten respondents expect their digital expertise to be underpinned by AI at some point, it’s evident that there is a pressing need for innovative solutions that truly deliver.

ThousandEyes, renowned for its robust observability features, empowers Managed Service Providers (MSPs) with the indispensable tools to deliver exceptional services and expertise. The solution enables various critical applications in modern businesses, encompassing community engagement, software performance tracking, customer insight, and safety standards compliance monitoring. Through ThousandEyes’ comprehensive visibility and actionable efficiency metrics, managed service providers (MSPs) can anticipate and address issues promptly, maximize community performance, and elevate overall customer satisfaction. By minimizing downtime and operational disruptions for clients, this strategic approach not only ensures business continuity but also enables the managed service provider (MSP) to establish itself as a pioneer in delivering exceptional digital experiences.

To effectively integrate ThousandEyes into their service offerings, MSPs must first understand the key licensing components of this powerful tool. ThousandEyes’ licensing model is organized around different types of brokers and their associated consumption patterns. The initial licence types encompass Cloud Brokers, Enterprise Brokers, and Endpoint Brokers, each catering to distinct surveillance requirements.

• These globally distributed brokers, managed by ThousandEyes, are preferred for monitoring external-facing purposes and companies worldwide. Their appetite for models is fueled by the sheer volume and regularity of exams conducted.
• Deployed within a corporation’s private network, these brokers provide insight into internal community performance and software delivery. Unit consumption for Enterprise Brokers is determined by the number of brokers and the volume of exams conducted.
• Brokers embedded in end-user devices offer unparalleled insights into consumer behavior and expertise from a granular endpoint perspective. They are particularly valuable for monitoring remote workers and dispersed teams. The consumption pattern depends on the number of endpoints and types of tests performed.

ThousandEyes utilizes a tiered unit consumption model, empowering Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to seamlessly scale their monitoring capabilities in accordance with customers’ evolving demands.

Each check sort, equivalent to HTTP server exams, web page load exams, transaction exams, and community exams, consumes a specific number of models. The frequency and complexity of these exams further impact unit consumption. More frequent or complex assessments will consume additional resources.

This tiered approach empowers Managed Service Providers to select a service level that best suits their clients’ needs, ranging from basic monitoring to comprehensive, enterprise-class solutions. By grasping the flexibility of this licensing framework, managed service providers can effectively manage pricing, tailor their services to meet specific customer needs, and deliver bespoke solutions that yield high value for clients.

Establishing a brand-new ThousandEyes-managed company involves numerous crucial milestones and considerations. To facilitate MSPs’ understanding of the service creation process and its attendant cognitive processes, let’s dissect the methodology at a high level:

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  • ThousandEyes enables companies to identify gaps and explore alternative strategies for improvement.
  • Analyze the client base, along with business challenges, services combined, and distinct goal buyer profiles.
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  • Design innovative workshops to integrate cutting-edge capacities and customer-centric results into the product offerings.
  • Develop a “Trio-Tiered” strategy to effectively engage diverse market segments by prioritizing the Good, Higher, and Greatest opportunities.
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  • Tiered Service Model: Enhanced Customer Experience through Strategic Segmentation

    As the industry evolves, customer expectations and preferences shift towards personalized and tailored interactions. To address this demand, we introduce our Tiered Service Model, a strategic framework that categorizes customers into distinct segments based on their value, behavior, and needs. This multi-tiered approach empowers us to deliver exceptional experiences, increase loyalty, and drive long-term growth.

    **Tier 1: Premier**

    * Priority access to exclusive services
    * Dedicated account management for high-value clients
    * Enhanced support with real-time response times
    * Complimentary premium features and benefits

    **Tier 2: Preferred**

    * Priority queuing and expedited resolution
    * Access to specialized teams for specific needs
    * Regular communication and pro-active issue prevention
    * Discounts on premium services and bundled offerings

    **Tier 3: Standard**

    * Standard support channels with response times
    * Access to self-service portals and knowledge base
    * Limited priority access to Tier 1 and 2 benefits

    **Tier 4: Essential**

    * Basic support through standard channels only
    * Limited access to resources and information
    * No priority treatment or premium benefits

    By categorizing customers into these distinct tiers, we can:

    * Tailor our services to meet the unique needs of each segment
    * Provide value-based offerings that drive loyalty and retention
    * Enhance the overall customer experience through personalized interactions To offer a range of models (Important, Benefit, Premier) catering to distinct buyer preferences and price points.

  • Each tier should offer increasingly superior choices and support.
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  • Develop a dynamic token allocation framework that empowers prospects to strategically accumulate and redeem service tokens, facilitating flexible access to various services on demand.
  • Tokens can represent a greenback’s value or unit of labor, serving as a component of the monthly expense.
  • The service catalog should clearly outline the token requirements for various actions, enabling customers to budget for one-time tasks without the need for purchase orders or requisitions.
  • This streamlined approach optimizes service delivery, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and comfort.
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  • The organization’s IT infrastructure is poised to undergo significant transformation in the pursuit of enhanced efficiency, scalability, and reliability. To ensure seamless integration and optimal performance across all levels, we propose the development of a comprehensive Enterprise Case, accompanied by a Service Responsibility Matrix (SRM) tailored to each service tier.

    To establish a clear understanding of the proposed solution’s scope, objectives, and benefits, we present the following enterprise case:

    **Enterprise Case:**

    * **Objective:** Develop a scalable, secure, and highly available IT infrastructure capable of supporting the organization’s evolving business needs.
    * **Scope:** Design and implementation of a tiered IT architecture, comprising data center, network, and compute layers, with integration of cloud-based services to ensure seamless scalability and flexibility.
    * **Benefits:**
    + Enhanced operational efficiency through automated workload management and optimized resource utilization
    + Improved security posture via multi-layered defense mechanisms and real-time threat detection
    + Scalability and flexibility to accommodate growing business demands and emerging technologies
    + Reduced costs through optimized energy consumption, minimized hardware replacements, and streamlined maintenance procedures
    * **Assumptions:**
    + Existing IT infrastructure will be upgraded or replaced as necessary to support the new architecture
    + Organizational stakeholders will participate in the design and implementation process to ensure alignment with business objectives
    + Phased rollout approach will minimize downtime and ensure minimal disruption to ongoing operations

    **Service Responsibility Matrix (SRM) for each service tier:**

    **Tier 1: Core Services**

    * **IT Operations:** Responsible for monitoring, reporting, and resolving infrastructure-related issues.
    * **Security Team:** Oversees security configuration, vulnerability assessments, and threat response.
    * **Networking Team:** Manages network architecture, device provisioning, and connectivity.

    **Tier 2: Application Development and Maintenance**

    * **Development Team:** Responsible for designing, developing, testing, and deploying applications.
    * **Quality Assurance Team:** Conducts unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing.
    * **IT Operations:** Provides infrastructure support and monitoring for deployed applications.

    **Tier 3: Business Services**

    * **Business Process Owners:** Define business requirements, provide input on application functionality, and participate in testing.
    * **IT Operations:** Provides infrastructure support, monitors performance, and resolves issues affecting business services.

    Note: SRM will be expanded to include additional service tiers as necessary.

  • Develop a tiered structure that precisely categorizes services to cater to diverse customer needs, thereby ensuring seamless scalability and satisfaction.

Below is an example of customizable service tiers for a ThousandEyes-managed company, serving as a starting point to tailor services according to specific goals.

• : Primary CloudApp availability monitoring, customary synthetics (Net-HTTP & Community-Server), automated notifications of service degradation, and 60-minute testing frequency.
• Provides comprehensive support with key features including real-time user monitoring for a single website or application, seamless agent-less deployment, automated alerts for unusual activity, and timely expert assistance during regular business hours.
• Comprises a comprehensive suite of benefits, including customised application monitoring, integrated wellness checks, advanced support, root cause identification, end-to-end workflow instrumentation, and real-time dependency observability for third-party integrations.

Key service features should incorporate customer interaction, scalability, seamless integration with existing customer infrastructure, and robust support options such as a dedicated 24/7 support team and comprehensive technical assistance.

What businesses are poised to maximize their digital performance with our proactive monitoring and optimization solutions? We’re seeking organizations grappling with network complexity, latency issues, or frustrated end-users. That’s where we come in – ThousandEyes’ managed services empower IT teams to optimize digital experiences, ensuring seamless customer interactions. Effectively communicate the distinct value propositions of each service tier, recognizing the imperative need to equip the sales team with a deep understanding of the novel offerings’ unique features and benefits, empowering them to seamlessly differentiate the new service provision from existing solutions. Several additional conventional instruments, real-time monitoring capabilities, and existing service options.

Ultimately, focus intensively on refining and advancing the service through sustained accumulation and meticulous analysis of customer feedback to drive continuous improvement. Continuously track and analyse crucial performance metrics (KPIs) to ensure the service aligns with customer demands, refining and enhancing it through constructive feedback and data-driven insights.

MSPs can effectively create and deploy a novel ThousandEyes-managed service provider by employing a systematic approach, thereby catering to customer demands and driving additional revenue streams. ThousandEyes enables organizations to take a significant leap towards adopting digital enterprise assurance, transforming reactive, infrastructure-centric operational models into forward-thinking, data-informed businesses that proactively manage risk and performance. Managed observability provides unparalleled visibility into customer journeys by synchronizing telemetry data, yielding transformative business results of immense value to the enterprise. MSPs that grasp buyer demographics and desired outcomes can craft tailored alternatives boosting current earnings, thereby unlocking added value for customers while situating themselves to leverage the burgeoning observability market’s growth potential.

Engage with the Cisco account government, as well as the government and gross sales enterprise growth supervisor, in a collaborative endeavour through the service creation process.

:

• Cisco Accomplished Managed Provider’s web site hosts archives of past Master Session Voice and Video (MS VoE) training sessions.
• What are the best alternative options to Managed Providers for MSPs seeking scalability and reliability?

What assumptions do you want to make? #CiscoPartners Are you looking to elevate your business strategy? Ask us how we can help!

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