A common misconception among business leaders is that there are only two options for IT management: hiring an in-house team or outsourcing to a provider. We have great news! There is another option. We call it, Co-Managed Infrastructure (Co-Managed IT, for short).
We are seeing more and more clients from our area take the best of both worlds, where IT is co-managed between an internal IT team and an experienced team like ours. Co-Managed IT allows businesses to meet their technology demands without the burden of having to hire and train new staff.
The co-managed team strategy makes sense in all business climates and is especially beneficial during this unpredictable economic climate. The need to reduce costs, improve security, and to support remote workers has put extra pressure on small IT departments. Outsourcing some of the critical needs to an IT provider can be a smart solution for many because the job can get done more efficiently for a fraction of the cost of traditional hiring.
Co-managed IT is for internal IT departments who need help keeping up with the certain demands. What sort of help? Well, there is no one-size-fits-all, but where Managed Service Providers (MSPs) step in depends on their specialty and the particular needs of the client. They can play any role in a co-managed situation, ranging from leadership to execution and troubleshooting. The main job of a Co-Managed IT provider is to be an extension of your team.
A Co-Managed IT Service provider in Eugene will begin by meeting with your internal IT team to better understand your business. This is a crucial step in the onboarding process. Without understanding your business and goals, it is difficult to strategize the ways technology can lend itself to your company growth. From there, the provider will create a technology roadmap.
The roadmap will be continuously updated as needs change, improvements are made, and technology changes. The goal always being that your technology works for you and supports your users and facilitates growth.
Co-Managed IT is an umbrella term for a package that typically includes several different services:
Another and sometimes overlooked benefit of Co-Managed IT, is the strategic advice they can provide to your specific needs. Combining the efforts of your internal IT manager who understands the specifics of your business and long and short-term goals, with the technical expertise of an outside IT service, creates a synergy where technology is at the epicenter of many processes working as an enabler and reducing friction. Some companies, like ours, provide a dedicated vCIO and Technology Alignment Manager to work with you to strategize and align technology with business goals.
You might be thinking, “How can I afford to have both internal and external IT?” The reality is that IT is not that different from any other department of your company. Think of sales as an example, when you started your business, one salesperson hitting the phones, sending emails, and attending meetings to gain new customers was probably enough. As your business grows and you need to strengthen your revenue stream, sales roles, like account managers, business developers, and outbound sales professionals are needed, and each of them brings a set of different skills and experiences. The same goes for IT; as your organization grows, the technology demands increase and different areas of IT expertise are needed. A Co-Managed IT service will maximize your IT staff by supplementing in the areas they need it most, so they can focus on tasks best suited to their skillset.