Co-managed IT services are increasingly becoming commonplace for businesses chasing after growth. Rather than exhausting precious time on routine and complex IT tasks that they may not have enough resources for internally, business managers are choosing to distribute their day-to-day between in-house and outsourced IT teams. Whether your company needs a co-managed IT partner or not is dependent on a mix of cost, resource, and expertise-related factors.
Regardless, the benefits of shared IT responsibilities are multifold. Companies that source co-managed IT services benefit from round-the-clock support, enhanced security, and productive workflows at a fraction of the cost. With that said, here are the benefits of co-managed IT services and how they can positively impact your company.
1. Proficient IT Expertise Delivered at Scale
When your business grows and your network grows, turning to a co-managed IT service means you’re cutting back on unnecessary recruitment costs and receiving the right amount of support when you need it. Baltimore Managed IT services offer flexible services for their MSP clients and go above and beyond the time-bound 9-5 team. Co-managed IT service experts undergo rigorous examination and hold some of these certifications to backup their credibility in the industry:
- AWS Certified Developer
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert
- Oracle Linux System Administrator
- Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer
In essence, partnering with a co-managed IT service takes out the guesswork, ensuring that your IT project is handled by the best in their field.
2. The Cost Factor: Co-Managed IT Services Eliminate Unnecessary Costs
The harsh business environment we live in calls for cost-conscious management of your IT investments. If you’re tasked with managing every aspect of your IT infrastructure, it is likely that you’re well familiar with the high costs of recruitment for new IT hires. On average, companies spend nearly $4,700 per hire. When you factor in medical and other benefits, the cost of recruitment becomes outrageous for a cost-cutting manager.
Co-managed IT services are able to achieve greater coverage at a fraction of the costs. They are able to do this by pooling resources from multiple clients and consolidating their package under a reasonable, flat monthly rate. As such, businesses can expect to cough up as little as $500 a month depending on the scale of operations, number of employees, and industry.
3. Refined Cyber Security Measures and Response to Threat
Whether they know it or not, employees, customers, and other stakeholders are complicit in the rising cyber threats. The human factor is to blame for a majority of the cyberattacks experienced today; social engineering and manipulation of human behavior are evident in phishing emails, which already account for 91% of all cyber attacks.
Co-managed IT services are proficient in dealing with a diverse cluster of cyber risks, whether internally or externally initiated. Your service provider will often tap into advanced threat monitoring as part of their round-the-clock security strategy. And after drawing insights from experience, these experts proceed to develop a cybersecurity strategy aimed at protecting your most vulnerable systems from an attack.
4. Proactive IT Management with 24/7 Support for Remote Customers and Workforce
A robust layer of defense is great to have, but the comfort that someone is watching over your systems 24/7 is even greater. Improved security, employee productivity, and preparation for uncertainty all start with proactive IT support. How co-managed IT providers proactively oversee the efficient running on your systems boils down to a comprehensive assessment and documentation inventory of challenges rummaging through your network, servers, endpoint devices, and storage, among other IT assets.
A proactive IT management strategy is dynamic in nature. Your co-managed IT provider will periodically review the system as a whole, taking count of upcoming software updates, subscription renewals, outdated hardware, and your cybersecurity posture throughout the year. In the end, a proactive IT strategy scatters the recurrence of operational IT issues.
5. Minimized Downtime, Speedy Recovery from Unforeseen Plight
Disasters and unexpected breach foreshadows what’s to come – a period of service outage, uncertainty, lost revenues, and legal battles. Through 24/7 monitoring, your co-managed IT partner can help prepare for such events with a disaster recovery and backup plan tuned to your business’s needs.
The cost of unplanned downtime can easily reach up to $5.6 million per year. Total direct costs equate to lost revenue, data loss and recovery charges, or regulatory fines and fees. On the flip side, indirect costs break down into reputation damage, lost productivity, and customer churn. Needless to say, prevention is the cure, and co-managed providers – through their 24/7 readiness, regular maintenance routines, and specialized knowledge – can put your business in a better position to respond to these unplanned developments.
6. Take Industry Compliance to a Whole New Level
Important conversations around compliance should take place with your co-managed IT provider as part of your overall security strategy. Outdated processes, equipment, and systems can put your operations in direct conflict with new legislation. Other times sheer ignorance regarding industry compliance requirements can put your operations in violation, and that’s where a co-managed service comes in.
Your co-managed IT provider’s adeptness in enforcing compliance and breaking down complicated legal jargon will come in handy at some point in your business’s growth. These professionals analyze requirements from data acquisition, use, storage, and access practices, and audit existing cybersecurity protocols to ensure you’re not violating any laws.
7. Building on Productivity Through Seamless Collaboration
Partnering with a co-managed IT service provider, businesses can merge their in-house expertise with a skilled and equipped outsourced workforce. If you find that your in-house IT team is constantly overburdened with day-to-day routine tasks, it’s time to offload some of the burden to an outsourced partner.
That way, your internal team can focus on pursuing higher-value missions as your co-managed service provider takes on routine, complex, and arduous tasks. Such cooperation allows employees to work simultaneously on projects in real-time, regardless of their physical location, communicate unhindered, and coordinate efforts, leading to a more productive and efficient team.
Conclusion
Overall, the benefits of a co-managed IT service outweigh the cost, and can result in a more streamlined and effective IT partnership contributing to the success and growth of your company. At Port Cyber, we specialize in building long-term working partnerships and helping businesses realize increased efficiency, access to specialized expertise at scale, and greater cybersecurity through proactive maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do co-managed IT services differ from traditional IT outsourcing models?
Co-managed IT services, unlike the traditional IT outsourcing model, takes the form of a collaborative approach where an external IT provider works alongside your internal IT team in the management and support of your company’s IT infrastructure. This framework conveys several benefits, the greatest being a reasonably lower cost of service and the constant availability of expert IT management throughout the project.
What types of companies can benefit from co-managed IT services?
Co-managed IT services can benefit companies in the healthcare sector, technology, manufacturing, retail, finance, and federal contractor spaces. Business managers are advised to consult with their local MSP to evaluate if co-managed IT services are the right fit.
Are there any specific industries that are more suitable for co-managed IT services?
Certain industries, such as healthcare, finance, and legal, can benefit from co-managed IT services due to their complex IT infrastructure and regulatory requirements. Co-managed services providers in these verticals offer specialized expertise that can help you strengthen your IT security and steer clear of compliance violations.
How does co-managed IT services help in improving cybersecurity for a company?
Co-managed IT services improve cybersecurity for a company by administering proactive IT monitoring practices (such as threat detection and prevention, intrusion detection, etc.). These services are backed by a team of experts who continuously monitor and respond to potential threats in the real time and minimizes your cyber attack surface.
Can co-managed IT services be customized to fit the specific needs and requirements of a company?
Co-managed IT services can be customized to fit the specific needs and requirements of a company. Your co-managed IT provider fine-tunes your growth strategy to line up with local and international compliance standards. Before sourcing co-managed IT services, a comprehensive assessment of present challenges justifies or nullifies the need for a co-managed IT service.