Tips For Leveraging Co-Managed IT Solutions
IT is vital to your company’s operations and growth, and companies have lots of options when it comes to IT services. They can have an internal team that takes care of everything, or they may opt to partner with experts and take advantage of IT managed services. However, there’s a hybrid approach to IT that many companies are leveraging: co-managed IT solutions.
With co-managed IT, you can maintain your internal IT team and supplement with additional resources and expertise. This can be a huge advantage for any size company.
Why Consider Co-managed IT Solutions?
When does a hybrid approach make sense? Consider it for these scenarios:
- Your IT team is focused on high-level and strategic IT operations, and you need a team to help with the daily functions like help desk issues and providing better response, as on average it takes 24.2 hours to provide the first response to an internal support ticket.
- Or, conversely, your IT team is managing the day-to-day tasks but needs a more experienced support team for advice on IT strategy.
- Third, you might be in the midst of rapid growth and need to scale your IT operations quickly.
- Finally, you may need an outsourced IT team to handle a variety of professional services in your remote locations while your internal team remains at your corporate location.
The benefits of co-managed IT services
Being able to deliver a more efficient and effective IT structure has many benefits. By leveraging co-managed IT solutions, you can reap these benefits:
- Greater productivity. You’ll have IT support available 24/7 regardless of the availability of your in-house staff. With increased responsiveness to challenges, such as the need to implement Microsoft 365, IT will be able to reduce downtime and execute implementations, which can accelerate employee productivity.
- Reduced costs. You can usually obtain co-managed IT solutions for a fixed monthly fee, so your IT budget will be more predictable. Plus, you won’t necessarily have to employ more full-time workers to achieve the same results, reducing overhead. Reducing costs is essential, as most companies spend 8.2 percent of their revenue on IT.
- Enhanced security. When working with a professional IT services firm, you’ll have access to the latest tools and information on how to enhance your cyber security practices. This reduces the burden on your full-time team from having to stay up to date on every new facet of data protection.
- Help with compliance. Having an experienced supplemental team can assist you with any compliance obligations you need to make dealing with data security, storage and usage. This team can help you develop the right policies and procedures to make compliance simpler.
Tips on leveraging co-managed IT solutions
If co-managed IT solutions are right for your firm, then you’ll want to consider these things when choosing a partner:
- Ensure the partner is well-established and has similar experience in co-managed solutions.
- Find a partner that has a full suite of IT solutions, not just a few, so that no matter what IT challenges come your way, they have the right experience.
- Consider pricing but remember you get what you pay for. Co-management should help you reduce costs, but don’t go cheap if it will impact quality.
- Look for a partner, not a vendor. This team will be an extension of your IT operations, so it’s important to find a partner that has your best interests in mind and doesn’t treat you as just a source of revenue.
When you are ready to look for a partner, consider the team at BECA. We offer managed IT services, including co-managed IT solutions at a flat monthly rate. Contact us today to learn more.