Most organizations reach a point where change requests accumulate, adoption slows, and data quality declines.
This is when managed services can become essential. It offers proactive monitoring, continuous updates, and support that keeps your platform stable and responsive to evolving needs.
Salesforce should support your business growth, not slow it down.
Managed services refers to a model in which a business outsources ongoing responsibility for certain functions, typically related to IT operations, infrastructure, applications, or support.
These services are handled by third-party providers, often under long-term agreements with performance metrics and support expectations documented in Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
The model emerged as a response to the limitations of the older "break/fix" or on-demand support approach, which relied on billing per issue rather than maintaining systems continuously.
Initially focused on infrastructure, managed services now span a wider range of strategic imperatives. These include server monitoring, cybersecurity, data management, network support, cloud computing, and platform-specific environments like Salesforce.
The global managed services market was valued at approximately $297.2 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $878.7 billion by 2032. Several contributing factors explain this sustained growth:
This projected growth rate of around 15% CAGR reflects strong and sustained demand, as more organizations shift to managed service models as a long-term component of their IT operations.
Managed services extend into multiple fields, not only limited to IT. Examples include:
When organizations work with external agencies on systems like Salesforce, they typically choose between four models. Each has its own purpose, scope, and timeframe.
This is a project-oriented approach. External Salesforce implementation experts are brought in to configure or set up Salesforce environments, such as deploying Sales Cloud, Agentforce, or integrating a third-party CRM system.
Once the project is finished, the engagement typically ends. The goal is to create or adapt a system to meet a defined business objective.
In this model, the partner supplies personnel, Salesforce developers, architects, or administrators, to work as part of the client’s internal team.
These resources operate under the client’s management and usually focus on filling short-term skill gaps or handling temporary increases in workload. Staff augmentation allows flexibility without expanding internal headcount.
With a managed services team, responsibility moves to a strategic team of experts for ongoing support and development of the Salesforce instance.
The provider oversees performance, manages updates, oversees system health, and adjusts configurations based on changing business needs. This model supports long-term maintenance and adjustments rather than one-time builds or temporary contributions.
Consulting focuses on analysis, planning, and guidance rather than execution. Advisors assess the client’s business goals, operational processes, and technical setup to ensure that Salesforce consulting can be structured or used more effectively.
This may involve advising on which features to prioritize, identifying process inefficiencies, or helping define requirements for future projects. Consulting engagements are typically short- to mid-term and are used to inform decisions before implementation, expansion, or reconfiguration.
Managed services in the Salesforce niche involves a broad range of support activities for difference business processes. These typically include:
This approach is different from one-time implementation, or Salesforce consulting services, because the work continues beyond the initial setup. It is also different from staff augmentation, as the service includes accountability for outcomes and performance, not just labor.
Organizations that use Salesforce often reach a point where ongoing support becomes necessary for maintaining performance, handling change requests, and keeping data reliable.
Managed services provides a structured way to handle these recurring needs. Below are five commonly cited benefits:
Rather than hiring and training full-time staff for seamless maintenance, businesses can rely on experienced administrators and UI/UX developers provided through the service. This helps manage updates, security patches, and feature rollouts consistently without expanding internal teams.
Salesforce products often require holistic input from professionals across different roles, such as data analysts, developers, and integration specialists. Managed services gives clients access to a broader pool of expertise that can be used as needed, without long-term staffing commitments.
Existing system errors, data loss, and security gaps often arise from inconsistent administration. Managed services include regular reviews and testing that help detect potential issues early, reducing the risk of outages or incorrect workflows.
As business requirements change, Salesforce systems need to evolve to meet your specific needs and grow with your business through each phase, while remaining cost-effective, ensuring scalability, and extracting value from new features that become available.
Managed services accommodate smaller, continuous optimization, such as modifying approval processes, automate reports and dashboards, or adding custom fields, without requiring a formal project kickoff each time.
With a recurring service model, budgeting for support becomes easier. Businesses gain visibility into their support costs and can plan and optimize system changes without the need for ad hoc contracts or one-time engagements.
There are three general approaches to structuring managed services engagements:
The choice depends on how much control the client wants to retain and the maturity of their internal Salesforce resources.
Most managed services include a layer of operational governance. A Service Delivery Manager often acts as a liaison between the provider and client, to drive operational efficiency and business impact.
Reports are shared periodically to review performance against SLAs. A process of continuous service review is typically used to identify adjustments based on feedback, system metrics, or changes in business requirements.
Managed services has evolved from basic remote maintenance into a more involved model of third-party orchestration from a dedicated team, across a variety of domains.
In the case of Salesforce, managed services provide ongoing platform optimization, ranging from user training to system changes, without requiring the business to develop, augment, or retain this technical support in-house.
The model supports longer-term platform stability and allows businesses to handle adjustments without starting new projects or hiring full-time resources.
For organizations evaluating how to support and maintain their Salesforce environment across the globe, it is useful to understand the distinction between project-based work, temporary resource augmentation, and fully external ongoing support.
Managed services fit the latter category and can be tailored based on internal capabilities, system complexity, and budget expectations.
