India-based staffing firms are noting rising demand from managed services talent and projects as companies across sectors like pharmaceuticals, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) and telecom increasingly digitise their operations, reports The Economic Times. Following the second wave, companies, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities in India, are increasingly requiring their employees to work remotely with enterprise devices and networks, resulting in the need for managed services expertise. Tier 2 cities include developing cities while Tier 3 cities have lower density population than Tier 1 (metropolitan cities) or Tier 2 cities.

In this context, managed services is defined as including technology-driven work like the management of networks and servers, software and technology infrastructure, data backup systems, and security. Staffing firms are tapping the need for managed IT infrastructure in smaller towns where larger IT services firms don't have a large presence. Companies like TeamLease have also seen a 20% increase in demand for managed services since the pandemic.

Other staffing firms that noted increased demand for managed services include Quess Corp and FirstMeridian.