Not sure whether your business needs a fully managed outsourced IT solution or co-management? Let’s check out the difference and help you decide.
What Are Co-Managed IT Services?
Co-managed IT services mean that you and another company share the responsibility of managing your IT together. Co-managed IT services are ideal for businesses who already have an in-house team working on IT projects, but they don’t have the time or resources to manage their entire infrastructure.
Co-managed IT services can include high-level services like project management or vCTO (virtual Chief Technology Officer) services, or they can include basic services like 24/7 monitoring and maintenance.
Key Benefits of a Co-Managed Team
- Shares responsibility with an in-house IT department
- Provides flexibility to meet changing needs
- Frees up current IT staff for innovation
What Are Managed IT Services?
Managed IT services mean that you have a team of experts who take care of your entire IT infrastructure for you. They will oversee the health and maintenance of your network and infrastructure in its entirety. Managed IT services typically include monitoring and maintenance, cybersecurity, consulting, software and hardware management, and more.
- Fully assumes the role of your IT department
- Enables your company to use fewer resources
- Eliminates the need to hire, train, and manage IT altogether
Which Is Best for My Business?
Luckily, both managed and co-managed IT services are valuable to businesses, it just depends on your needs. Both services are designed to result in reduced costs and downtime, valuable insight into compliance and regulations, quick and professional support, and software/hardware solutions.
Here are some things to consider when deciding which is right for your business:
Your Company’s Time and Resources
If you feel that you have the energy, know-how, and money to support a small in-house IT team, co-management might be a good choice for you. Your outsourced team could cover support for your specific IT systems and infrastructure and your in-house team’s time would be free for more strategic IT projects (like developing stronger security systems).
If you’re feeling stretched thin and you just don’t have the resources for an in-house team, outsourcing all of your IT needs would free up the time that would go to hiring, training, and managing an in-house team.
Working with a service provider that offers a flat-fee structure also means you can control costs while accessing higher levels of IT support. This means that organizational resources can be dedicated to other projects and focused on growing your business.
Compliance and Safety
Managed IT Service Providers (MSPs) have teams whose expertise is to make sure that their clients are following compliance laws and regulations. If you outsource your IT to a Managed Service Provider, compliance is often part of their comprehensive services.
Co-managed IT services don’t always have this same guarantee. Because co-managed services involve two companies, responsibility and communication are key to avoiding any compliance issues. If you do need compliance services but aren’t looking to outsource all your IT needs, you’ll want to ensure there are clear expectations regarding the responsibilities of your co-managed IT provider.
Level of Involvement
Deciding between co-managed and managed IT services comes down to what kind of role you want to play in your company’s technology.
Do you want to be more involved in decision-making and the day-to-day processes? Or would you rather share your needs and expectations and let the professionals take care of the rest? Determining what level of involvement you want to have in IT projects will help you decide which type of outsourced IT service you need.
Key Takeaways
From reducing costs and downtime to always having a team at the ready, both services have a lot to offer. The key is figuring out which of these services will best suit the specific goals and needs of your company.
While there are many factors to consider, the best place to start is to ask yourself if you’re looking for:
- An outsourced professional to help reduce the workload of your internal team. Or perhaps you only need one or two IT projects. If so, look into co-managed IT services.
- An outsourced professional to manage all your IT projects and maintenance. If so, look into managed IT services.
If you’re still unsure about which IT services would be best for your business, reach out to Innovative Network Solutions today for a free consultation. We have years of experience helping businesses just like yours make the most of their technology.