Start Your Journey | Co-Managed IT Exec

Perhaps you don't have a specific set of problems with IT at all, or maybe you do and you just don't know about them. The days of fully outsourcing IT to a third party for most medium sized businesses are now gone, as are the days of staffing a complete IT department with the full skill set needed to run one effectively. The last part of that statement is what gets you... the word "effectively".

Executive leadership focuses on strategic outcomes in large organizations, but in medium sized businesses, we find ourselves still wearing several hats, many of them tactical in scope. Often we must rely upon the advice and guidance of experts in their field to provide us with the information upon which we base our decisions. This has been the case with Finance, Legal, and Human Resources for many moons. So it goes also with IT.

For eighteen years, a client of ours refused to believe that his internal IT team needed any help in any area that would require a contract with an MSP. As CFO, he was confident that his team was adhering to industry best practices and all of his bases were covered. That is, until the Monday I got a call from him telling me that they'd been hit with ransomware and lost 75% of their data the Friday before. Unrecoverable... their backups were also hit.

A lot of business leaders do not realize how difficult cyber security has become. This compromise was not the fault of his IT department, nor was it negligence on the part of executive management. The world has changed, with exponential increases in risk. Artificial Intelligence is now raising the stakes even higher.

Determine

The Solution

Forward thinking leaders are looking for innovative ways to bring the needed skills and experience to their team in order to reduce the risks associated with cyber crime.

Co-Managed IT Services or CoMITs can be an option that fills the gaps and doesn't break the bank in the process. This is a truly collaborative effort that leans in to the strengths of the existing client IT team, then leverages the skills, experience, and processes used by Managed Service Providers in their own practices.

COMITS DETAILS

team-augmentation-versus-managed-it-services

Execute

The Plan

The first step in executing a CoMITs agreement is to determine the lines of responsibility: which team will handle which systems, processes, and support tasks. This is generally based upon and driven by the client's internal IT staff.

In some cases, client IT staff will focus on only end user support and the IT Service Provider handles servers and network. In some cases, the opposite is true, and in others the client IT focuses only on specific business applications like an ERP system.

Next we need to determine which Services, Tools, Methodologies, and Portals (STMPs) are needed to enable smooth communication and tracking of issues between the two entities.

STMP DETAILS

Get Positive Results

Transparency and Accountability are necessary for a successful partnership between on premise IT and the Managed Service Provider. As such, any CoMITs provider should require regularly scheduled meetings to ensure both teams are working well in tandem to achieve business goals. IT should be a catalyst for this rather than a costly hindrance. Easy two-way escalation between the MSP and the internal IT team must be fostered and encouraged. Where needed, the MSP should be willing to provide training on collaborative management platforms as well.

Partnership

The client's internal IT team and the Managed Service Provider's team must both be open and accepting of the talent and skill that each brings to the table.

Both organizations must foster collaboration wherever and whenever possible. This means that clear delineation of responsibilities must be defined the the agreement.

Flexibility

The Managed Service Provider must be willing to change its approach to accommodate the needs of the client internal IT team. However, the client team must also be willing to adhere to the proven methods and processes of the external team as well. In this way, compromise is born and trust is established.

Openness

Transparency at all times. One common hurdle is that MSP teams are used to operating in a team environment, and one or two client side IT staff are often used to being able to pull the trigger on changes on their own timeline. In a CoMITs environment, it's vital that change be controlled and scheduled with everyone to avoid conflicts and unscheduled surprise events. Communication is key.

Trust

A common misconception by client IT staff is that MSPs are trying to replace them. Quite the contrary is true for those of us pursuing this type of client relationship. If anything, we strive to make the client team look good top to bottom. This means spending time planning out goals, budgets, and short/long term objectives for the client organization as though we are one team.

CoMITs

The Problem

The Solution

The Plan

Get Positive Results

Requirements for CoMITs Relationships to Work

Partnership

Flexibility

Openness

Trust

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3...

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Development and Implementation of a Cyber Security Program