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Originally Posted On: 3 Situations Where Businesses Need Co-Managed IT as a Solution – Business IT Services in Northern New Jersey (panurgy.com)

Sometimes handing over all a company’s IT operations to a Managed Service Provider (MSP) isn’t the right call. There are logistical and staffing concerns to consider when making such a major shift. Technologically speaking, sometimes there is already existing proprietary IT infrastructure and software in place that makes “handing over the keys” to the operation non-viable as a solution. There is a better option in these specific cases: Co-Managed IT services. With co-managed IT, companies can work with their MSP rather than simply giving another entity control. Here are some more specific situations in which opting for co-managed IT is most beneficial.

If a company experiences a major increase in customer scale over a very short period, it can be overwhelming for a previously well-functioning IT department. Small businesses growing into mid-size businesses often experience this hiccup, as major success or a large increase in sales can force a company into a growth spurt rather than a gradual ascent. In these cases, growing an IT department the traditional way will often take too long and use up too much of the existing staff’s time while they are already buried under new work. Turning to a co-managed IT model in this case makes perfect sense. The company retains the knowledge and expertise of the existing and experienced IT staff while being able to scale and use the resources of the MSP to stay on track through the growth process.

On occasion, a company will have an excellent internal IT team that handles the vast majority of technological concerns without issue, but there will be a specific and necessary area of expertise that poses problems. Training the existing staff could take up time that the company does not have and be costly in its own right. When specific knowledge and expertise gaps make themselves known, co-managed IT from a managed IT services provider can fill them. With co-managed IT, an organization can benefit from the resources and expertise of an MSP while maintaining the processes and operational efficiency of their current IT department.

There are times when an organization’s usual IT staff can handle the daily needs of a company and keep it operation but have little time to pursue larger projects that might help the company grow or move forward in an industry. Being unable to commit the appropriate time to major projects will inevitably have detrimental effects on a business’s prospects for advancement. Co-managed IT services can help with this problem in multiple ways. Companies can leverage the specialized knowledge of their current IT department to focus on larger scope projects while an MSP takes over other operations, or if the MSP has the exact expertise needed they can handle the bigger project while the internal staff focuses on daily matters. Either co-managed IT solution is viable when a company finds itself in this situation.

Co-Managed IT services demonstrate that the choice to outsource IT services and support is not a binary one for companies. There are ways to both manage an internal IT staff while also building a relationship with a managed IT services provider. Contact Panurgy to discuss how Co-Managed IT could benefit you.