Co-Managed ICT
If you already have an in-house IT team, it is not unusual to think you do not need the services of a managed services provider. A lot of businesses believe a good in-house IT team can take care of all their IT needs. But there are quite a few who opt for co-managed IT services.
There are benefits of choosing the co-managed IT services model and why you should not strike an MSP off your list completely just because you have your in-house IT technicians.
What is Co-Managed IT?
A co-managed IT services model is one in which the business has its own IT team, but still contracts with an external managed services provider for certain services.
What are the benefits of a Co-Managed IT services model?
Expertise
Your in-house IT team may not have all the expertise needed to manage all your diverse
requirements. There are new developments happening in the tech space every day and an MSP is better positioned to stay up to date with them because IT is their sole business.
Flexibility
Opting for a Co-Managed IT services model allows you the flexibility to scale your IT up or down based on your business requirements. This is especially useful for companies that experience seasonal spikes in their business, such as accounting firms around tax time, or retail businesses around the Holidays. You do not have to hire new IT staff to handle the sudden extra load on your IT.
Lower costs
Choosing a Co-Managed IT services model saves you costs that you would otherwise incur when hiring new IT staff. Bringing someone on your payroll involves salary and benefit expenses including Super, Worker Insurance etc., which can be avoided when bringing an MSP onboard.
Help your IT team focus better.
Research indicates that in companies that have an in-house IT team, their IT specialists are so caught up with the day-to-day IT tasks that they do not have the time to focus on new technology.
Tasks like security patches, software updates, backups etc., keep them busy, so they do not get time to research or learn about the latest on the tech front. This defeats the purpose of having an
in-house IT team, doesn’t it? If you could have your MSP take care of the mundane IT routine, you will be enabling your in-house IT technicians to focus on new technology, which will help you become more efficient as a business.
An extra hand during emergencies
In the event of any unforeseen emergency such as a natural disaster or a terror attack, you may
need additional IT support to get things up and running again. Your IT team may not be able to do it all instantly and of course adding to your IT staff would not be an option during such times. In a Co-Managed IT services model, you will have your MSP to support your IT team which will help you recover faster.
Especially useful when you have a small in-house IT team.
For a lot of SMBs, an in-house IT team comprises one or two IT technicians who take care of all their IT needs. But what happens when they are both out of office at the same time, due to unforeseen circumstances? You can only cross your fingers and hope no major IT problem comes up. But, in the Co-Managed IT services model, your virtual IT team is just a call away.
You still retain control over your IT.
In a Co-Managed services model, you are not completely entrusting your IT to an MSP, as your in-house IT team will be collaborating with your Managed Services Provider to meet your IT needs better. Thus, you retain quite a bit of control over your IT.
You get useful IT insights.
When you bring an MSP onboard, you benefit from their expertise and on-ground experience. They can advise you on the latest IT trends in your industry and help streamline your processes and IT infrastructure based on what is effective. This kind of insight cannot be gained with an in-house IT team as they do not have the broader outside exposure.
Even companies with IT staff on their payroll cannot deny having an MSP onboard offers benefits that exceed what they get from having just an in-house team. It is not necessary to replace your IT team with an MSP. You can get an MSP to augment your existing IT support setup and leverage their expertise to bring thought leadership IT strategies into your organization.