Guide
Cloud Managed Services Checklist for AWS and Azure
Managed cloud support should reduce operational risk, improve visibility, and give your team access to experienced engineers. It should not create another slow ticket queue or a contract you cannot use properly.
Operations leadersCTOsSaaS foundersHeads of platform
10 min read Updated June 2026
What this guide covers
- When managed cloud services actually make sense
- A full managed services checklist by category
- Traditional MSP vs flexible CloudOps support
- Buying questions and red flags
AWS & Azure specialists·80%+ certified technical team·80+ clients supported·£1.8M+ cloud savings identified·Practical support, not just advice
Prepared by IG CloudOps cloud specialists. Reviewed by our AWS and Azure certified engineering team. Last updated June 2026.
When managed cloud services make sense
- Internal team is overloaded
- Cloud environment is growing quickly
- Incidents are increasing
- Monitoring is not mature
- You need after-hours support
- You need governance and reporting
- Costs need regular review
- You want expert backup without hiring full-time
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Monitoring and alerting
- 24/7 monitoring
- Actionable alert design
- Escalation paths
- Noise reduction
- Incident history
Incident response
- Response times
- Named escalation process
- Recovery actions
- Post-incident review
- Automation options
Security and governance
- IAM review
- Patch visibility
- Backup validation
- Compliance evidence
- Audit reporting
Cost management
- Monthly cost checks
- Waste identification
- Reserved capacity review
- Forecasting
- Budget alerts
Support model
- Named engineers
- Flexible access
- Clear scope
- No unnecessary lock-in
- Project support available
Want the checklist version?
Use this guide as a starting point, then speak to IG CloudOps if you want a practical review of your AWS or Azure environment.
Traditional MSP vs flexible CloudOps support
| Feature | Traditional MSP | Internal team only | IG CloudOps flexible support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract flexibility | Long contracts | N/A | PAYG or rolling |
| Engineering depth | Variable | Limited by hires | AWS + Azure specialists |
| AWS / Azure specialism | Often generalist | Depends on team | Specialist |
| Cost optimisation | Sometimes | Limited capacity | Built in |
| Incident response | Ticket queue | Best effort | Named engineers |
| Project support | Separate | Competes with BAU | Blended |
| Advisory support | Limited | Internal | Included |
| Automation | Optional | Custom | CloudOps platform |
| Reporting | Standard pack | Manual | Tailored |
Questions to ask a cloud MSP
- Who actually handles the work?
- Is support proactive or reactive?
- How are alerts tuned?
- What is included and excluded?
- Can you support project work?
- How do you handle cost optimisation?
- Do you work with our existing tools?
- What reporting do we receive?
Red flags
- No onboarding review
- Generic support scope
- Ticket-only support
- No clear escalation path
- No cost governance
- No monitoring improvement plan
- Long contract before discovery
- Weak documentation
How IG CloudOps helps
AWS managed services
Azure managed services
Monitoring and observability
Incident response
Governance and reporting
Cost optimisation
CloudOps platform
Assisted support from real engineers
Flexible commercial model
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Related resources
Need help turning this into action?
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