MSP

Also known as: Managed Service Provider, managed services provider

Managed Service Provider, a company that delivers ongoing IT services to client businesses for a recurring fee, typically per-user or per-device.

A Managed Service Provider runs IT for other businesses on a contracted, recurring basis. Most MSPs serve small-to-mid-market clients (SMB/SME) who don’t have a full internal IT team.

A typical MSP delivers:

24/7 helpdesk for end users
Monitoring, patching, and upkeep of endpoints and servers via RMM
Security stack (DNS filtering, EDR, MDR, MFA, email filtering, backups)
Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace administration
Project work (migrations, refreshes, new-office buildouts)

Tiers within an MSP usually go: frontline helpdesk (the first responders), escalation techs (deeper troubleshooting and design decisions), architects / senior engineers (architecture, projects, vendor escalation), plus account managers, vCIOs, and dedicated security folks at larger MSPs.