Internal IT individuals become immersed in the day-to-day workings of the business. They develop an invaluable knowledge about the technology within the company and more importantly, how the people operating inside of that environment are utilizing the technology. But what if the decision didn’t have to be made to outsource an IT department entirely or only have an internal IT department?
Co-Managed IT
Co-managed IT brings the flexibility of managed IT services and combines it with IT services the users in a company are accustomed to. It offers enhanced support options and around-the-clock support. It also offers the organization an opportunity to pair the convenience of an internal IT department with the expertise and efficiency of an external one. Internal resources can gain access to toolsets the company may not be able to justify for a smaller team. Co-managed IT brings the ability to create a strategic partnership, enhancing the support for your existing IT team.
Keep the Familiar Face
Users identify with someone within their organization more readily than someone outside of the organization. Let’s face it, people feel comforted by having a familiar face in the office to address their IT needs. Some users may even feel hesitant to voice their issues to unknown parties.
Users feel that their frustrations will be solved quickly as their IT resource understands the importance of what they are trying to accomplish. Internal IT staff have the benefit of getting to know the people in the organization and the roles they play. This makes escalating important or time sensitive issues easy for the people within the organization.
Management trusts the internal IT person has a fundamental knowledge of the industry by being immersed in its day-to-day activities. Service-based businesses with internal call centers heavily rely on their network’s functionality.
Enhanced Support
Co-managed IT can look different depending on the company’s needs. Some companies prefer to have their day-to-day tasks performed by an onsite representative. Companies that prefer this model will keep their help desk internal and benefit from outsourcing some of the more complicated issues.
Other companies prefer to have their infrastructure handled by internal resources who might not have the time to perform the day-to-day tasks. Organizations that prefer this model look to outsource their help desk to keep the user demands off the internal resources. This gives internal resources a chance to focus on meeting other demands of the organization.
Whichever version of co-managed IT sounds right, burdens can be removed from the internal staff and have a path of escalation if they need additional support on an issue. Having a resource or resources to fall back on will also enhance the employee morale of the onsite staff and leave less room for burnout.
Access to Toolsets
Small internal IT teams often resort to alternative ticketing methods when the company isn’t ready or able to invest in a solution. Entering a co-managed IT environment can open doors via toolsets to the internal staff that might otherwise not be available due to budgetary constraints.
Most managed service providers include antivirus, endpoint protection, spam filtering, and many other tools as part of their regular toolset. Companies of all sizes can utilize these tools as well as many others that might be at the disposal of the managed service provider at a fraction of the cost of buying the solutions outright.
Disaster Resources
Disaster planning and strategies are not always top of mind or fully formed by internal IT staff. There may be a basic framework of what would happen in the event of a disaster but there are only so many scenarios anyone can plan for.
If a companies’ servers are onsite and the building floods, this could spell disaster. Having ties to a managed service provider often means they can transport any working equipment to a data center to get the company back up and running.
Disasters like this could be too much for a small internal IT department, being able to lean on a larger company that is accustomed to making large changes in an expedient way could be the determining factor between a company sinking or swimming.
Choosing the Right IT Partner
Before venturing down the path of co-managed IT, it’s important to fully evaluate the current operations and business needs. Examine the skills your team has, and which skills your team would like to see brought in by an outside source. Create goals for what your business is hoping to gain from a strategic partnership with a managed service provider.
It’s important to stress to the internal team that this shift is in place to benefit and complement their existing efforts. If not approached correctly, there could be cause for concern amongst existing staff that the partnership could replace their current roles.
ERGOS Knows Co-Managed IT
Many customers of ERGOS choose a co-managed IT environment. Our around-the-clock expertise and on-demand IT solutions can deliver the flexibility needed to efficiently run your business and increase the productivity of your existing IT department without worrying about getting lost in a sea of customers. ERGOS boasts a wide range of expert IT staff that can better help you focus on business initiatives while we help form, maintain, and support your network. With offices located across the U.S., our services are available regardless of the point of disaster. Call today to discuss which co-managed options are right for you.