In today’s complex technology environment, it’s tough to know how to fill your gaps.
Are you facing one specific challenge?
Or do you need ongoing, flexible support?
The answer will help you determine whether you need IT consulting, managed IT services, or both. Here’s everything you need to know.
Key takeaways:
- IT consulting helps with a well-defined challenge or project, while managed IT services provide ongoing support across multiple functions.
- Most MSPs (managed service providers) offer IT consulting, but not every IT consulting company offers managed services.
- The smoothest transition from consulting to managed services occurs when you use a single provider for both phases of your journey.
What is the difference between managed IT services and IT consulting?
Managed IT services are ongoing, proactive IT support services delivered by an MSP (managed service provider). IT consulting is a one-off initiative centered on a specific technology system or business objective. In other words, managed services cover long-term IT requirements with consistency, while IT consulting addresses a distinct pain point or challenge.
Here’s how the two types of services compare in detail.
| Aspect | Managed IT Services | IT Consulting |
| Primary Focus | Ongoing IT operations and support | Strategic planning and technology advisory |
| Engagement Type | Long-term, subscription-based | Short-term, project-based |
| Services Offered | Network monitoring, cybersecurity, backups, helpdesk support, proactive maintenance of all systems under management | Needs assessments, SWOT analyses, advisory services, digital transformation, cloud migration, compliance audits |
| Goal | Ensure smooth daily operations, minimize downtime, and support business goals through right-fit technology | Define the right IT strategy, systems, and projects to support business strategy |
| Cost Model | Monthly fee (best providers, like Corsica Technologies, offer 100% predictable monthly pricing with unlimited service consumption) | Hourly, per-project, or time-and-materials billing |
| Best For | Businesses needing continuous IT management | Organizations needing expert guidance for change |
How do I decide between managed IT services and IT consulting?
The choice between managed IT services and IT consulting depends on the nature of the challenges that your organization faces. These challenges typically fall into two categories that align broadly with one type of service or the other, although they often overlap both categories.
Here are the categories and the types of challenges that our customers commonly face.
Ongoing IT support requirements (choose managed services)
Business technology requires ongoing support. Our clients choose managed services when they face one or more of these challenges.
- They have no internal IT resources to provide support.
- They have internal IT resources, but the team lacks specialized skills or bandwidth to cover all their support needs.
- They aren’t taking a programmatic approach to cybersecurity.
- They need help with a specific technology like Microsoft 365, EDI, AI, or data integration, and they want to achieve cost savings by bundling this support with other services.
Specific challenges related to strategy or systems (choose IT consulting)
Strategic or operational challenges often highlight the need for a new IT strategy, system, integration, or process. Our clients choose IT consulting when they face one or more of these challenges.
- They need to transition one or more on-premises systems to the cloud.
- They need to review their existing cloud strategy and reduce cloud costs.
- They’re opening a new business unit, branch, or location, and they need to build out their IT systems and capabilities to support the new entity.
- They’re launching a new product line or entering a new market, and they need to support that endeavor with the right IT systems and capabilities.
- They need to launch a new ERP, CRM, or EDI system (or upgrade or replace an aging system).
- They need to integrate one or more internal systems, such as EDI, ERP, CRM, SCM, or WMS.
- Their wireless network can’t support the current needs of the business, and they need to evaluate a refresh.
- Their existing business phone system isn’t meeting their needs, and they need to evaluate new options like VoIP (voice over IP).
Which business sizes benefit most from IT consulting vs. managed services?
Businesses of all sizes can benefit from both IT consulting and managed services. That said, different-sized businesses often realize certain benefits from both types. Here are the benefits that our clients typically see.
1. IT consulting – Benefits by business size
| Benefit Area | Small Business | Midmarket | Enterprise |
| Strategic Roadmapping | Establish a foundational IT roadmap aligned to budget; prioritize quick wins and risk reduction. | Formalize multi-year IT strategy tied to growth, M&A, and product expansion. | Optimize multi-domain digital strategy across global units with governance and portfolio management. |
| Cost Optimization | Avoid over-buying tech; choose right-sized tools and licensing. | Consolidate vendors and platforms to lower TCO and simplify ops. | Rationalize complex estates; drive enterprise architecture standards and spend visibility. |
| Cloud & Modernization | Migrate low-risk workloads; leverage SaaS to replace legacy tools. | Hybrid-cloud patterns; re-platform critical apps; automation for scale. | Multi-cloud strategy, FinOps discipline, containerization, and platform engineering. |
| Cybersecurity & Compliance | Baseline security (MFA, backups, patching) and basic policy. | Risk assessments, security architecture, and audit readiness (e.g., SOC2/ISO). | Zero Trust strategy, advanced threat modeling, regulatory alignment (e.g., SOX, HIPAA, GDPR). |
| Process & Change Management | Lightweight process design and staff enablement. | Cross-functional change programs with training and KPIs. | Enterprise change management, operating model redesign, and adoption at global scale. |
| Vendor & Tool Selection | Shortlist practical, affordable solutions with quick ROI. | Structured RFPs, proof-of-concepts, and integration mapping. | Enterprise procurement, reference architectures, and contract optimization. |
| Data & Analytics Strategy | Define key metrics; deploy simple dashboards. | Build governed data models and BI; deploy MDM and/or MAM; start ML pilots. | Enterprise data platform, MDM and/or MAM, AI/ML at scale with responsible AI guardrails. |
| Project Delivery & PMO | Lightweight project planning to hit immediate goals. | Stand up/augment PMO, stage-gate governance, and portfolio tracking. | Mature enterprise PMO, benefits realization, and global program orchestration. |
2. Managed IT services – Benefits by business size
| Benefit Area | Small Business | Midmarket | Enterprise |
| 24/7 Support & Monitoring | Always-on helpdesk without hiring a full team; faster issue resolution. | Scalable coverage across locations and time zones. | Global SLAs, follow-the-sun support, and dedicated service delivery managers. |
| Predictable Costs | Fixed monthly pricing stabilizes cash flow. | Tiered services for different business units; better budgeting. | Custom SLAs, chargeback/showback models, and TCO transparency. |
| Security Operations | Basic managed security (AV/EDR, patching, backup management). | MDR/SIEM, SOC as a service, vulnerability management, and compliance reporting. | SOC integration, incident response playbooks, and threat hunting at scale. |
| Device & Endpoint Management | Standardized setup, patching, and asset tracking. | Lifecycle management, image standardization, and self-service portals. | Enterprise endpoint engineering, zero-touch provisioning, and compliance baselines. |
| Network & Cloud Management | Proactive WiFi/ISP oversight and simple cloud admin. | SDWAN, hybrid-cloud management, and performance optimization. | Multi-cloud landing zones, policy-as-code, and SRE-style reliability practices. |
| Backup & Disaster Recovery | Automated backups and basic recovery testing. | Tiered backups, DR runbooks, and RPO/RTO targets. | Geo-redundant DR, regular failover tests, and regulatory-grade resiliency. |
| Scalability & Flexibility | Add/remove services as you grow—no heavy upfront investments. | Rapid onboarding for new sites/teams and seasonal scaling. | Elastic capacity, M&A integration support, and standardized service catalogs. |
| Compliance & Reporting | Simple reports for stakeholders and insurers. | Audit-ready logs, policy enforcement, and evidence collection. | Robust reporting aligned to frameworks (e.g., ISO, NIST) and executive dashboards. |
| Focus on Core Business | Owners avoid IT firefighting; more time for sales & ops. | Free internal IT to focus on innovation rather than maintenance. | Internal teams focus on business platforms while MSP handles run-state. |
Who provides managed IT services as part of their technology consulting offerings?
Most MSPs (managed IT service providers) offer IT consulting as well as managed services. However, not every IT consulting company offers managed services.
As a leading MSP, Corsica Technologies provides both consulting and managed services for every type of technology, function, and process that our team handles. This includes:
- Managed IT support
- Managed network services
- IT helpdesk services
- Cloud system management
- Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace management
- Managed cybersecurity services
- Digital transformation
- Regulatory compliance
- AI strategy and solutions
- VoIP and telephony solutions
- EDI and data integration
- ERP and CRM systems
Which MSP or IT consultancy is right for you?
Use these two in-depth resources to narrow down your list:
What is the pricing structure for IT consulting and managed services?
IT consulting is usually billed on an hourly basis or on a per-project basis. It’s not a recurring cost, but a one-time cost associated with a specific project.
Managed IT services are billed on a recurring basis. Most MSPs use a billing model like per user/per device, with certain scenarios and needs excluded by contract language. Here at Corsica Technologies, we offer 100% predictable monthly pricing and unlimited service consumption for managed services. A customer’s monthly cost will never change for the duration of the contract, even as they consume more or fewer support hours.
When it comes to our IT consulting, we offer two approaches to billing. Customers that don’t need managed services can engage on a one-off basis. Customers that need managed services can get their consulting needs rolled into their monthly service fee. This provides ongoing consulting as needed alongside comprehensive managed services. For our customers, it’s the best of both worlds, and the predictability makes it easy on their budgets.
How do IT consulting companies transition their customers to managed IT services?
The answer depends on whether the IT consulting company provides managed services. Some consultancies offer advisory services alone, with no implementation or ongoing support for the systems on which they consult. These companies will typically pass a customer off to a partner who offers managed services. That transition may go smoothly, or it may not, depending on the complexity of the scenario and the thoroughness of communication.
Other consultancies offer “end-to-end” services, i.e. full coverage for advisory, implementation, and ongoing support. Under this model, the transition from consulting to managed services is much smoother, as one service delivery team handles both phases.
Here at Corsica Technologies, our customers transition seamlessly from consulting to managed services. The same integrated team follows a customer from one stage to the next, which ensures continuity of knowledge and relationships.
The takeaway: Get the IT consulting and managed services you need
Most companies need both IT consulting and managed services at different stages in their journeys. The key is to find a provider who offers end-to-end coverage from advisory, to implementation, to ongoing support. This ensures a seamless transition, empowering your team to focus on their core responsibilities. That’s our approach here at Corsica Technologies, where we’ve helped 1,000+ companies solve their technology challenges. Contact us today, and let’s get started on your next step.
Ready to take the next step?
Reach out to schedule a consultation with our IT and cybersecurity specialists.
