Is your IT team swamped? Most companies start to feel the difficulty of maintaining an internal IT department when they grow. If your team has been struggling, co-managed IT services may be the answer. A co-managed model supplements your IT department with the expertise of an outsourced provider. Learn more about co-managed IT services and how they can give you the confidence to be ready for any IT situation.
Key Points
- Co-managed IT services blend your internal IT department with an outsourced provider.
- These services are ideal for companies that need to scale but are looking to retain part of their internal team.
- Benefits of a co-managed IT model include increased security, expertise, and affordability.
What Are Co-Managed IT Services?
A co-managed IT model is where you partner with an external provider to assist with your technology needs. Co-managed IT services differ from managed IT services because they collaborate with your internal team instead of replacing them. Co-managed services let you pick and choose what services you want to split between your internal IT team and an outsourced company.
Co-managed IT services are a popular choice for companies with specialized needs. If your company has unique processes that you wouldn’t feel comfortable outsourcing, a co-managed model may be right for you.
Signs Your Internal IT Team Needs Help
Many companies cling to their in-house IT team far too long. The vast majority of internal teams will struggle scaling with your company. If you notice the following signs, your internal team won’t be able to handle your day-to-day IT needs for long:
Overworked Team
If your team is constantly swamped, that may be a sign they can’t handle the job anymore. Questions to ask to determine whether your team is overwhelmed include:
- How quickly are they resolving issues?
- Do they have disaster recovery plans in place?
- Will they be able to keep up as you grow your business?
- Do the services they offer cover your business needs?
If your internal IT department is overwhelmed now, the problem is probably going to get worse. Turnover in the IT industry is at an all-time high, and maintaining a capable team as you scale your business is challenging.
High Turnover
High turnover is another bad sign. Constant turnover indicates that employees are dissatisfied with their jobs. This could be occurring for any number of reasons, including:
- Heavy workloads
- Unorganized work processes
- Better opportunity elsewhere
Whatever the case may be, high IT turnover tanks your business’s efficiency and creates huge expenses. Not only are new employees slower at solving IT issues, you have to invest time and money into training them. If your business is cycling through staff, you’re wasting time, energy, and money.
IT Issues Are Impacting Operations
How often do technology issues get in the way of your daily operations? If you find your IT team dealing with constant issues that slow your business down, it’s time for a change.
Also, do you find yourself running into the same issues over and over? If so, your internal team is finding short-term fixes instead of addressing the root of the problem. Focusing on the short term means your team may be out of their depth technically or extremely overworked. Whatever the case, IT should never interrupt business continuity.
The Benefits of Co-Managed IT Services
Co-managed IT services are the ultimate solution for companies that need a helping hand without sacrificing their internal team. A co-managed IT partnership blends the convenience of an outsourced provider with the focus of an internal team. Benefits of a co-managed provider include:
You Can Retain Your Internal Team
Just because your internal team isn’t meeting your needs right now doesn’t mean they’re not valuable members of your company. Your existing IT team is probably familiar with the tools, processes, and strategic framework of your business. This familiarity means they can fill in the gaps for outsourced teams.
Affordability
With flat monthly costs, a co-managed IT team can be the most cost-effective option for your business. While these consistent costs are great from a budgeting perspective, they can be high depending on the services included in your partnership.
In comparison, an internal IT team will have widely varying costs. Not only do you have to pay them for their time, but you also have to provide them with the resources to get the job done. Co-managed IT models drive costs down—you get the consistent price of an outsourced model without the prohibitive cost.
Increased Security
Ransomware attacks are 57 times more destructive today than they were in 2015. Cyberthreats increase in size and severity every day. A co-managed IT team can help lock down your company’s security. A co-managed model leads to a higher level of security because your outsourced partner has the expertise to educate your internal team on best practices. This also creates a two-way street where your internal team can specify what elements of your cybersecurity you would like to emphasize.
A good co-managed IT service provider will regularly give suggestions on what you can do to keep your data secure and future proof. You should expect reviews of your data security and network.
Your internal IT team is more familiar with your infrastructure than an outsourced company. This familiarity makes them more likely to catch discrepancies with your system that could be the result of cyberattacks. When you combine this internal familiarity with the external knowledge of a co-managed IT service provider, you get a recipe for tight security.
Choose Americom for Your IT Needs
Americom is the ultimate standard in IT. We’ve been providing St. Louis companies with excellent IT solutions for years. Secure your business’s data and infrastructure by partnering with us.
