Decide if co-managed IT services are right for your business
There’s a common misconception that business owners must choose between either managing their IT processes in-house or outsourcing everything to a managed services provider (MSP). In reality, there’s a third, more flexible option that offers the best of both worlds – co-managed support.
Let’s break down what’s involved and how you can determine if this hybrid IT solution is right for your company.
How co-managed support services work
Co-managed IT allows businesses to decide which services they want to outsource to an external IT provider and which services they want to keep in-house.
In short, this means that your own IT team can manage day-to-day processes more efficiently because they have the support of a specialist team behind them. What’s more, co-managed IT services are flexible by design. You can easily change your co-managed support package to suit your evolving business needs.
Whether you’re running an SMB or a large enterprise, there’s a co-managed IT solution available to suit your goals. However, if you’re unsure whether co-managed support services are right for your business, here are three things to consider.
Business objectives
First, consider what you need from your co-managed support.
If, for example, you plan on deploying a new software or cloud rollout, it’s a good idea to bring in some external help to ensure everything goes smoothly. Or suppose you’re trying to improve business efficiency.
In that case, co-managed support allows your in-house IT staff to focus their attention where it matters most, such as resolving day-to-day IT errors. At the same time, your external partner can handle the behind-the-scenes work.
Team capacity
Next, think about the size of your in-house IT department. If it’s a small team, they may need extra assistance to keep day-to-day processes running smoothly. And, if they’re already stretched, they may not have the capacity to handle critical incidents such as cyberattacks if they occur efficiently. Co-managed IT support can reduce employee workload, mitigate workplace stress, and boost company morale.
Still not convinced? Well, employee negligence is the cause of over 62 percent of internal data breaches – you can minimize the risk by taking some pressure off your staff.
Cybersecurity readiness
When you’re running a business, it’s better to anticipate cybersecurity issues and take steps to reduce your risk. Otherwise, you will waste time, money, and resources fixing problems as they happen. But did you know that it can take around 280 days for a company to identify a data breach and longer still to fix the problem? Get ahead of data breaches and other security incidents – improve your cybersecurity readiness with the help of an expert co-managed support team.
Assisting your internal IT Team
With co-managed IT, you can reduce downtime, streamline your business operations, and tap into the specialist IT knowledge you need when you need it. At GDR Group, we tailor every co-managed solution we offer to your business needs and IT budget. What this means is that no two support solutions are entirely the same.
To find out more about co-managed support and IT services from the GDR Group, contact us today.
