Let’s begin by explaining the term “co-managed IT.” IT, of course, refers to information technology (like computers and the internet). The “co-managed” part refers to a specific method of IT management. You see, there are basically three options when you are setting up an IT department: You can go with a totally in-house approach (meaning that you only use internal staff that you hired), or you can go with an outsourced approach (meaning that you contract IT services through a third party). If neither of these options is perfect for you, an in-house approach and an outsourced approach can be combined. That is a co-managed approach to IT management.
Why Use Co-Managed IT?
Now that you understand the concept, you might be wondering why someone would choose to use a co-managed plan. There are many potential reasons, but most of them come down to inadequacies in your existing team. A co-managed plan uses third-party IT companies like ours to supplement the limited resources of most in-house teams.
Some companies choose to avoid a 100%-outsourced approach because they are happy with most or all of their current IT team. If you already have good employees with a good track record of success, it makes no sense to replace them. Instead, you can replace the less-essential team members and use third-party contractors to fill any knowledge gaps that may exist.
Another great thing about a co-managed approach is the versatility that you will have. You won’t have to worry about finding people with the right knowledge/experience to do a particular job. Instead, you can allow everyone to stick with what they do best. Anytime that you force someone to operate outside of their expertise, you make it harder for them to deliver quality results. With a co-managed approach, you never have to do that.
However, when it comes down to it, cost savings are the primary reason to use a co-managed approach. A co-managed approach allows you to have fewer salaried employees on staff without compromising the quality of the work. At the same time, it allows for customized services with customized pricing. The idea is that you should only have to pay for the services that you actually receive. With intelligent management, a co-managed approach can eliminate a lot of waste and save you some serious money.
Security Advantages
There are certain inherent security advantages that come from the use of a co-managed IT plan. First of all, we should talk about the importance of redundancy. Ordinarily, redundancy is not desirable, but this is an exception. It is much easier to verify the truth when your IT team is split in half. In essence, you can use one half to double-check the other one.
For instance, there might be certain times when compliance is highly important. When you can suffer serious fines and legal penalties for submitting wrong information, it pays to have two sets of eyes. By having both sides of the team checking the work, it becomes more likely that any flaws will be found and corrected.
A co-managed approach also allows for good network monitoring. Network monitoring is one of the most effective ways to secure a network against intrusion. Even the most skilled hackers cannot penetrate another system without leaving some kind of telltale sign. Unfortunately, in-house employees often don’t have time to sit in front of a monitor and watch the flow of packets all day long. Using a co-managed approach, you can have those routine monitoring tasks handled off-site, meaning that your on-site employees are better able to deal with on-site problems.
Possible Disadvantages Of A Co-Managed IT Plan
While co-managed services are a great option, they are not necessarily the right option for everyone. For instance, it might be that you already have a great IT department that meets all your needs. If this is the case, there is no need to rock the boat. If you are perfectly happy with the scale of your IT expenses, then you also won’t need a co-managed approach. Besides that, there can be some disadvantages to this method.
First of all, there can be issues of coordination between the in-house and outsourced teams. This is why it is so important to choose the right service provider. However, even if you employ the best, communication issues can still arise. These problems tend to be minor, but they do occur. Secondly, some co-managed plans will have a high initial cost when you start them. Again, this can be remedied by choosing a high-quality company like ours, as we are willing to finance the startup costs when necessary.
Equipment Costs
This matter should be mentioned because it is another crucial factor. IT equipment (like servers, routers, switches, etc.) can be pretty expensive. If you need to buy these things anyway, then it makes sense to purchase them. However, if you don’t have any other need for it, this equipment becomes a waste of money.
A co-managed approach allows you to utilize the technology resources of a third-party company that probably has better IT resources than your own. When you compare that to the high costs of setting up your own IT infrastructure, the benefits become highly obvious. Thus, companies with a limited equipment budget can benefit greatly from a co-managed approach.
Conclusion
A co-managed approach is the most versatile and customizable IT plan available. Companies of all sizes can benefit from the precise and surgical nature of such a plan. These plans allow you to get the most out of each IT employee by playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses. The end result will normally be better service at a lower cost. If you are looking for managed IT services, MSSP services, or any other IT-related services, you can call PCH Technologies at (856) 754-7500. We have been consistently ranked among the top 10 managed security service providers in the nation, and we are more than happy to meet your needs.