Written by Cisco Senior Marketing Manager Wayne Cullen and Cisco Marketing Manager Melissa Zelyez

Enterprise demands for fast, adaptable networks are at an all-time high. Some service providers are struggling to keep pace. So how can you ensure you're not one of them? The answer is simple: virtual managed services.

Consumer tools and behavior have had a profound influence on business. Consider the impact of smartphones, tablets and mobile apps. Businesses everywhere are using them.

And now companies are in a rush to shape new business and operating models based on digital skills. They want IoT, data analytics, and bespoke applications on-demand. In short, they need network solutions at the speed of strategic thinking.

But there's one big problem. Most service providers (SPs) aren't ready for all the new demands that CIOs and CTOs are making. Your infrastructure, processes and people are struggling to keep up. Your development cycle is slow. Your costs are high.

So what's the answer? Virtual managed services (VMS) in the cloud. All based on a programmable network that can turn on a dime.

A service creation hub for the digital business

Programmable networking ideas were introduced back in the '90s but they didn't fully coalesce until 2010.

Then Software-defined networking (SDN) standards were established. Network functions virtualization (NFV) was embraced. Open APIs, automation and orchestration helped pave the way. And now programmable networks are here.

Combined with the cloud, this type of network is a powerful service creation and delivery hub for SPs.

Why is VMS such a great option for you and your business customers?

• They're easy and fast. You can provide new services in minutes instead of weeks. Customers can order services themselves from a self-service portal. Orchestration and automation make it all so simple. And you can modify or turn down other services with a few clicks.
• They're flexible and agile. SDN and NFV reduce development, testing and operating complexity. But how? By abstracting the software from the infrastructure. Open source application programming interfaces and software development tools encourage new thinking from developers inside and outside your ranks.
• They're cost effective. CapEx and OpEx go way down with infrastructure in the cloud and plug-and-play customer premises equipment (CPE). SDN and NFV make processes simple and reduce the cost of deploying services by 78 per cent. That's according to one study by ACG Research. They include the automation of service provision and self-service ordering.
• They're lucrative. Your ROI goes up with the operational efficiencies provided by virtual managed services in the cloud. With the option to launch new services simply and at pace, you can tap into the$47 billion global market opportunity forecast by 2019, according to an AMI-Partners study, March 2015.

Easy. On-demand. In the cloud.

Imagine offering bespoke and secure new services from the cloud to your enterprise customers. Now these can be ordered through self-service portals.

A CPE is shipped to your customers for low-cost rollouts with less business risk. Devices connect to virtual services with zero-touch provisioning. The service is deployed in minutes instead of months.

You can host the service yourself. Or if you want to speed-up time-to-revenue, just have a company do it. It's your choice. VMS lets you reduce operational costs. And they let you help move your customers closer to their digitization goals -fast.

So why not bridge the gap between what your enterprise customers want and what you can deliver today? With VMS you can.

Find out more

Virtual managed services are helping to shape the next generation of services for enterprises. Learn more about the awesome benefits they could offer your business and your enterprise customers here.