Why Co-Managed IT Services Are a Game-Changer for IT Managers

If you're an IT manager in a business, then you know how challenging it can be to manage the IT operations of your organization with limited resources.

There's a solution that can make your life easier and improve the efficiency of your IT operations - co-managed IT services.

If you’re not an IT manager but you have one in your business, make sure you tell them or send them a link to this – they will owe you dinner or at least a huge box of chocolates!

What do we mean by co-managed IT?

Co-managed IT services is a partnership between your business and an external IT provider. The aim of this partnership is to share the responsibility of managing the business’s It systems.

Compared to a fully-managed IT Support service, Co-managed IT services allows you to outsource parts of your It operations to an external partner, while still retaining overall control over the It infrastructure and strategy.

It helps you to be a better It manager by allowing you to focus on the important things you want to do but just never have the time to get to. And I know you know exactly the things I am talking about; those items that have been on your to-do list forever that you still haven’t started.

What does a Co-managed IT support service look like? How does it work?

In a co-managed It support arrangement; a third-party service provider works in tandem with your internal staff to deliver all the necessary technology services. It may just be you that deals with IT right now, or you may have a couple of other technicians working with you. Either way, this model allows access to the resources you need without having to hire additional people or purchase expensive software systems.

Your co-managed IT partner literally plugs themselves into your business, delivering a turnkey solution with rapid onboarding, and without you having to do any of the heavy lifting.

The Business Benefits

• Access to a wider range of IT skills and expertise: Co-Managed IT gives you instant access to a wider range of skills and expertise that may not be available within your business. By partnering with a third-party provider, you gain access to their team of experts who can help to resolve issues quickly that may otherwise result in a period of downtime, as well as provide valuable insight into best practices and strategies for managing your IT infrastructure.
• Free up internal IT staff: Co-managed IT will free up your internal IT staff to focus on more strategic projects that are aligned with the business's goals. This can help you to improve the efficiency and productivity in the business, and help to deliver better product or service for your own customers.
• Improved Efficiency: Having access to a team of experts allows co-managed IT support to quickly identify and address any problems with minimal disruption to operations. This leads to improved workflows and faster troubleshooting. It also helps you to keep up to date with the latest trends in technology too.
• Greater Flexibility: You can choose which IT operations you want to outsource; how good would it be to be able to escalate 2nd and 3rd line issues to a team of experts that can resolve complex issues, whilst you get on with whatever you actually planned to do today?
• Cost Savings: You can save a ton of money on hiring additional staff members by outsourcing your IT needs. This has double benefits of not only meaning you don’t need a huge budget to go and build an internal IT team like I explained at the start of the episode, but you also still get access the team of experts you need.

You’ll also save a ton of money on the Managed IT Service your business needs, that’s because your IT partner will be buying way more licences than you ever would meaning they get access to better pricing for services, which are directly passed on to you.

I roughly worked out that to hire even a small internal It team would cost between ￡150,000 to ￡200,000 per year on salaries, depending on where you are in the country, and then thousands more per per year on helpdesk software and all the other IT tools you need to manage and deliver professional IT services to your business.

The best bit: how co-managed IT helps you on a personal level

Now it’s not all about the business. Some of the biggest benefits are for you personally. Because when you benefit, the business naturally benefits too.

I want to start by letting you know that, here at m3, we get you. Because for our fully-managed customers, we are taking on the role of the IT manager in their business, so we totally understand what it’s like to be you.

I know you are under appreciated in the company; because when everything’s ticking along, no one sees or appreciates when IT is good – no one is dropping by your office to say “thanks Steve, the IT systems are running great today, good job”.

But when things stop working and business suddenly grinds to a screeching halt, or the CEO can’t get the printer to work, suddenly you are the most important person on the planet.

And don’t tell me you haven’t had the phone calls in the middle of your kids school play, or when you’ve just sat down with a cold cocktail at the pool bar on holiday. We’ve all been there.

But what if we could change that.

What if your boss, the board, and your colleagues seen IT differently? What if they seen you as a key person working on improving the business and helping to work towards key strategic business goals? Not just someone to shout at when things are going wrong. How would that change things for you personally?

Co-managed IT helps free your time and energy to focus on more strategic projects and activities that adds value to the business. Ultimately, that’s what you are there for; not resetting users’ 365 passwords.

And I did just allude to this a moment ago, and that’s that you get to enjoy a proper holiday!

That’s right, when you decide to jet off to the sunshine, you can relax with the peace of mind that your co-managed IT partner has everything under control, and you’re not going to get that phone call from your boss just as your about to sip that cocktail.

Co-managed IT services can be a great solution for businesses that have limited IT resources, but still need to ensure the smooth running of their IT systems.

By partnering with an external IT service provider, you can access a wider range of IT expertise, free up internal IT staff to focus on more strategic projects and customize your IT services to your specific needs and budget and reduce IT costs.

If you have any questions about how our team of experts at m3 Networks can help you with a co-managed IT service, just get in touch.

To get started, you can book a free 15-min no-obligation consultation call with me by visiting www.m3networks.co.uk/meetmark