Discovering Co-Managed IT Services (CoMITs)

Co-Managed IT Services or CoMITs define a scenario where a traditional IT Support Company or MSP works in tandem with IT staff who are employees of the client. Essentially, the mission of the external company is to make your CIO and your IT team better. Let’s face reality, cyber-attacks are way up and continue to rise exponentially in both scope and collateral damage to businesses.  Couple that with the development of new tech at such a rapid pace that Moore's Law is now a moot point, and you begin to see how daunting it can be for IT staff to meet everyday demands for support, upgrades, resolution of technical issues, and stay up to date on training and testing, while having focus on business objectives.

For organizations that already have an in-house IT team but need additional expertise and resources, our Co-Managed IT Services offer the perfect solution. We work collaboratively with your existing IT staff to enhance their capabilities and provide support where it’s needed most. Here’s how our Co-Managed IT Services can benefit your business:

• Expertise and Collaboration - Our team of IT experts brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to complement your in-house team. We work together to address complex IT challenges, implement best practices, and drive strategic initiatives.

• Scalability and Flexibility - As your business grows, so do your IT needs. Our co-managed services offer the flexibility to scale your IT resources up or down based on your requirements. Whether you need additional support for a specific project or ongoing assistance, we’ve got you covered.

• Advanced Tools and Technologies - Leverage our access to cutting-edge tools and technologies to enhance your IT operations. From advanced monitoring and reporting tools to specialized software, we provide the resources you need to stay ahead of the competition.

• Cost-Effective Solutions - Our co-managed services provide a cost-effective way to augment your IT capabilities without the expense of hiring additional full-time staff. You gain access to our expertise and resources at a fraction of the cost, optimizing your IT budget.

To help internal IT staff in facing modern day IT challenges, many companies are turning to co-management opportunities with third party IT support companies or MSPs. It’s important to engage with a company with a proven track record of success in deploying these types of relationships to ensure a greater chance of success. This will give you and your staff the advantage of leveraging the up-to-date resources of an external IT support company or MSP.   These resources include Services, Tools, Methodologies, and Portals (STMPs) which we will go into shortly.

Typically, you will decide which IT services to keep in-house and which ones to externalize. Due to the varying needs of client organizations, we’ve classified the different support scenarios available. This chart shows three typical scenarios. 

Services, Tools, Methodologies, & Portals

What factors are most important when considering a Co-Managed IT Solution?

The most important thing to consider is how well a third party will work with existing IT staff and vice versa.  Your employees must desire outside help, and you must value what IT does for your business.  This means you and your existing team will need to set aside a certain amount of time to manage your IT.  Solve iT requires one hour per quarter to meet and discuss IT with key decision-makers.  This ensures good communication and timely delivery of business efforts or strategies that require IT involvement.

Next, internal IT and management should determine which areas are best suited for the external IT support company or MSP.  Establishing the rules of "we'll do this and you do that" is vital to success.  This should all be laid out very carefully in the contract or Statement of Work.  A good Co Managed IT services Statement of Work should leverage the strengths of the internal IT staff and the MSP, thus creating a synergy between them.

It's also important to hammer out details for coverage when internal IT wants or needs to take time off, as well as where and how Standard Operating Procedures are documented, accessed, and updated.  This is vital to ensure that all participants are rowing the proverbial boat in the same direction.  This leads us to the Services, Tools, Methodologies, and Portals (STMPs) that should come with a co-managed agreement.  There may be monthly fees associated with portal access, and this is normal considering that IT companies pay per seat for their own team members to have access and use these systems.

The real magic sauce that separates IT companies in terms of the value they deliver is in their Methodologies.  Every company has services, tools and portals to contend with, but how do the companies under consideration help their clients with: