The business world is witnessing a change where companies are opting for outsourcing specific IT roles to third-party IT Service Providers, otherwise known as Managed Service Providers (MSPs). It is becoming apparent that it is not feasible for larger organizations to outsource all IT functions and need someone in-house. Having an internal IT team or manager is crucial when dealing with over 100 employees.
However, the IT budget may not always keep pace with the needs of the IT department. The additional need for employee count, generalized skillsets, and specialized knowledge, all add to the increasing demands for the IT department. Hence, business leaders are turning to outsource certain tasks to ensure their organization receives proper technical support while sticking to the budget.
What is Co-Managed IT?
Co-managed IT is a collaborative method of managing IT infrastructure and services, in which an organization’s internal IT department collaborates with an outside Managed Service Provider to guarantee the best possible performance and efficiency of the business’s technological assets.
In a co-managed IT arrangement, the in-house team retains primary responsibility for the overall IT operations while the MSP typically contributes additional experience and resources to complement the organization’s IT capabilities.
Who’s in charge of what?
That’s up to the business to decide. There is no right or wrong way to approach a co-managed collaboration. However, it typically works in one of two ways.
There are daily IT needs and strategic IT needs.
Daily IT needs might be something like employee support, setting up new computers, and monitoring security. Strategic IT needs could be something like planning IT investment to match company growth, or engineering your cloud environment.
Typically, one branch of IT needs gets assigned to the in-house IT and the other to the MSP.
It might be far better for the MSP to handle daily needs so the in-house can focus on strategic. However, the reverse might be true, where the in-house can easily address the daily needs so they let the MSP plan the strategic work.
Either way, enterprises may take advantage of an MSP’s knowledge while still maintaining control over their IT operations. Companies with fewer internal IT resources may find it particularly helpful, as may those looking to enhance the overall functionality and dependability of their IT infrastructure.
If you’re looking for how to break it out for your company, we created a Co-Managed Worksheet to help you define your IT roles.
What are the benefits of Co-Managed IT?
There is a multitude of reasons why Co-Managed IT can be a good choice.
Here are the top 10 reasons why Co-Managed IT is beneficial:
- You Get to Keep Your Existing IT Team
- Maintain operational control
- Reduced management work
- Stay Up To Date
- Provide Round-the-Clock Support
- Get Immediate Implementation
- Save Money and Reallocate Hiring Expenses
- It Costs Less Than Fully Managed IT
- Boost Employee Morale
- Boost Your Security
You Get to Keep Your Existing IT Team
Maybe your in-house team is a couple of guys, or maybe it’s just one. You love them, right? They have put in grueling hours with you to help make you succeed. They have an intimate knowledge of your business, its needs, and its procedures. You don’t want to lose that.
The great thing with Co-managed IT is that you don’t have to. You aren’t removing anything you already have. You are augmenting your team with added tools and support.
Maintain Operational Control
Co-management enables your IT staff to maintain administrative access control while getting access to resources offered by a third-party provider, such as Xentric. You can decide which operational areas to streamline with outside advice and assign the remaining tasks to your internal team.
Reduced Management Work
With outside assistance, you can maintain your operations promptly and easily, which means less management work for you. In contrast to hiring a new employee, you don’t need to train or mentor a third-party expert. Co-management gives you access to a variety of IT specialists with a variety of experiences who can assist you in developing or implementing plans, provide insightful advice, and enhance your day-to-day operations.
Stay Up to Date
Technology grows quickly. Keeping up to date with the current technology landscape takes time and effort. Co-management enables you to stay current with security, software, and other IT developments without having to teach your internal personnel how to utilize them.
Provide Round-the-Clock Support
Co-management enables you to provide round-the-clock assistance, including after-hours assistance—a necessity for companies that don’t just work from 9 to 5. Additionally, it can account for absences due to illness or vacation, ensuring that your network and systems are always maintained.
Get Immediate Implementation
With co-management, new initiatives or strategies can be implemented right away without the commitment of recruiting a new employee. For a short-term or one-time project, you are no longer required to invest time in recruiting, hiring, and training new employees.
Save Money and Reallocate Hiring Expenses
Co-management can help your department work more efficiently with fewer staff members and on-site resources, which will save you money on overheads and the IT budget. This is done by enhancing your current IT team with an outside expert. External specialists can also offer perception into which product updates or technologies might better serve your particular organization, leading to additional long-term savings and advantages.
It Costs Less Than Fully Managed IT
When the MSP is Co-Managing IT then they aren’t managing everything, so their service charges will be reduced to match. The service difference between Fully Managed will be covered by your in-house IT team that you already have in place. With Co-Managed, you essentially expanded your IT team at a fraction of the cost.
Boost Employee Morale
By giving your IT team empowering resources like business insights, smarter strategies, quicker turnaround times, expert consultations, and decision support, co-management may help create a more positive workplace culture. You can encourage team longevity and improved focus on the task at hand by providing your team with the tools they need to succeed.
Boost Your Security
Through a partnership with a third-party provider, co-management can help strengthen your current cybersecurity posture with best-in-class tools and processes, including vulnerability management, security information and event monitoring (SIEM), mobile device management, endpoint protection, and more.
This just scratches the surface of Co-Managed IT, but it clearly shows its benefits. In certain circumstances it is the best method for managing your IT infrastructure and services. If you are wondering if Co-Managed IT would be the right fit for your company, reach out for a no-strings-attached conversation.