IT management is easily one of the most important requirements for a modern company. Technology now allows co-workers to have better communication than ever before, but the management of that communication is a constant problem. In order to solve that problem, companies usually have to choose between one of two options: Recruiting skilled people from their existing workforce or hiring an outside company of IT specialists. In this article, we will discuss how it is possible to do both.
How Can You Do Both At Once?
Many companies have found that you can use both in-house staff and outside companies to manage your IT needs. Basically, the responsibility is divided up in a certain way, allowing each half of the IT team to do that which suits their skills. This kind of setup is more complex but offers a greater degree of versatility in your staff.
How Is The Responsibility Divided?
Obviously, you will have to divide responsibilities between your in-house team and your MSP (managed service provider). How you do that is up to you, but here are a couple of suggestions that might be helpful.
Some businesses find that it’s best to use in-house staff for tech support during working hours, while also using an MSP for after-hours support. By doing this, you ensure that customers can get ahold of your company at any time of the day or night. Responsiveness is considered to be one of the most important metrics of customer satisfaction, so don’t underestimate this factor.
You might also organize your business as two “lines of defense.” By that, we mean that you use in-house staff as the first link in the chain. When someone has a problem, that’s who they go to first. If the in-house staff cannot handle the problem, they pass the customer to the MSP. In practice, this leads to a system in which the small problems are handled in-house, and the larger problems are outsourced.
When To Use A Co-Managed Approach
There are many instances in which this kind of structure will prove to be useful. For instance, if your company doesn’t have a very large IT staff, you might find it advantageous to augment your existing workforce by hiring an MSP. Likewise, if your staff isn’t all that experienced, an MSP can give them an easy way to call a qualified person for advice.
Information technology is a big subject, and no one can realistically be expected to know everything. If your in-house IT team runs into a problem that they haven’t encountered before, the pinpointed use of an MSP can be of immense help.
If your company operates on a fairly thin budget, you will need to take that into account as well. An MSP is generally more expensive than the wages of in-house workers, so companies on a tight budget will need to minimize their use of such services. For a situation like this, it would probably be best to use in-house staff for most tasks. At the same time, business owners can keep the MSP in their back pocket as a “last-ditch” option.
You might also consider how effective your current IT workers are. If they are doing a very good job at controlling all those little tech problems, then the need for outside assistance will be minimal. On the other hand, if your current IT staff is not being effective for one reason or another, it will be worth your while to bring in a dedicated MSP company.
The Benefits Of A Co-Managed IT Solution
This kind of system is becoming more and more popular because it offers a lot of benefits to both businesses and their customers. The best solutions are usually the most versatile ones, and this is no exception.
One of the best things about this setup is the fact that you will probably save money. If you tried to keep a dedicated team of external IT professionals on your staff at all times, you would end up paying a lot of money in payroll costs. Unless these people are solving a huge number of problems for you, that’s not very cost-effective.
By using a co-managed system, you can make sure that your first-tier (i.e., less expensive) employees handle all the small problems. Your outsourced IT team will only be activated when their services are deemed necessary. Because these are the more expensive employees, you don’t want to use them for every little thing. With a co-managed approach, you can put each team where it will do the most good at the lowest cost to you.
When we talk about information technology, we have to mention a few words about security. Online threats are a bigger problem than ever, and companies are more likely to be targeted than individuals. When a hacker or other cyber-thief chooses a target, they know that your company will have much more money than a private individual.
When you split your IT responsibilities among two teams, you are also creating an extra layer of security. Good internet security works like an onion: It has layers inside of layers. Separation and compartmentalization are the keys here, as they limit the amount of damage than an intruder can potentially do. To put it in simpler terms, separating your IT teams will minimize the amount of damage that an attacker can do. It’s obviously easier to hack one system than it is to hack two of them.
Conclusion
Of course, a co-managed setup is not the way for everyone. Some businesses might find it to be an overcomplicated way of doing things, but many will no doubt find them to be helpful. When you use a two-team approach, you are allowing each team member to specialize in their particular areas of expertise, allowing them to be more efficient. If you have found this article to be helpful or if you would like to read more of our work, please fill out the contact form.