A managed IT consultant is used by businesses that want to outsource their IT function to specialists in the area. They advise on how a business can engage the most suitable provider for the ongoing management of their IT infrastructure, advise on stand-alone projects, network system design, strategic planning for future infrastructure development and any specialist support functions that may be required.

Often businesses engage a consultant to identify issues that could affect the long-term performance of their IT department. The approach here is to engage consultants to perform a routine assessment of systems to identify potential problems before they become critical. With managed services a business pays a retainer for regular maintenance and pro-active IT systems support. It is often regarded as a vital part of the risk management process that businesses must undertake to ensure that they do not suffer degradation, or a catastrophic failure, of their IT systems.