The Modern IT Department and the Co-Managed Model
Why Businesses Are Shifting Towards Co-Managed IT Support
The last decade has seen vast developments in technology, security, and regulatory requirements. The scope of responsibility held by a company’s IT department is completely different today to what it was a few years ago.
Today’s businesses must also place a higher emphasis on cyber security, particularly in regulated industries. This puts pressure on the IT team to have a deep understanding of security best practices, as well as the skills to oversee their implementation.
Perhaps the biggest accelerator of change is the development of cloud technology. Most modern organisations now host services in the cloud and employ agile working practices. The maintenance of these cloud infrastructures, and upkeeping airtight security measures for remote workers, requires a vast amount of specialised knowledge that traditional teams may not have access to.
The pace, pressure and breadth of risks faced by organisations today has led to an increase in stress and responsibility for internal teams. These factors have seen many organisations shift towards a co-managed IT model, where the internal IT team is able to lean on the resource, technical expertise and enterprise technology of an outsourced IT provider.
So what is co-managed IT?
Put simply, co-managed IT support means sharing the burden of technology between an organisation’s internal IT team and a third-party organisation. Outsourced IT providers have the benefit of combined expertise across a number of specialisms, including cyber security, cloud solutions, and specific tools and software.
How does it help businesses?
In addition to the wider pool of knowledge, companies will also benefit from flexible helpdesk resource to cut through mounting ticket queues, assist with proactive support, and cover staff shortages.
With additional resource taking care of the day-to-day, organisations will be able to deliver larger scale transformation projects that may not previously have been possible due to capacity issues.
Another compelling benefit for businesses is that it’s a very budget-friendly option. The co-managed model saves money on training and recruitment and is entirely scalable depending on the firm’s requirements. It also grants the business access to leading enterprise tools for a fraction of the cost.
Outsourced teams compliment and collaborate with the company’s internal team, not compete with it, to drive success for the business.
