Nowadays, outsourcing has become the go-to strategy for most SMBs looking to focus on business growth without worrying about daily IT support challenges. IT partnership or Co-managed IT support has become increasingly popular for various reasons, including the growing complexity, importance, and scope of Information Technology.
In Co-managed IT models, the internal IT teams of organizations collaborate with their Co-managed IT Service Providers to split up IT responsibilities based on time, skill gaps, and other considerations.
These companies' benefits include access to the resources, expertise, and experience they may lack internally while keeping a strong alignment between business and technology objectives.
They also get high quality IT support, improved cybersecurity, backup facilities, after-hour coverage, etc.
Understanding your business needs and how to incorporate co-managed IT services successfully into your business strategy will set you apart from your competition.
The Covid-19 pandemic and worldwide lockdowns have made companies more reliant than ever on their IT systems. This guide will help you incorporate Co-managed IT services into your business strategy.
Audit of the Current IT Situation of Your Business
The process should begin with you taking stock of your business's current IT situation, and it involves auditing your computers, servers, network and other IT equipment, your cybersecurity efforts, the cloud applications and software you use, etc.
These factors are essential in determining the type, depth, and level of services you need because Co-managed IT support services are very customizable and can be tailored to your business's specific needs.
Getting the right service provider ensures you fill the small and huge gaps in your current IT systems, and this starts with an extensive audit of your IT situation.
Determine What Your Business Needs
With a clear idea of your business's current IT situation, you can outline what your business needs about managed IT services.
Different co-managed IT services providers offer other services and knowing what your business needs will help you find the perfect partner.
Remember that co-managed IT support works with your in-house IT team. So, it’s easy to leverage such a partnership to expand on your current resources and expertise.
For instance, if your team lacks knowledge and expertise in cybersecurity, this would be a priority metric when looking for a provider to make up for this gap.
If your in-house team lacks the resources to provide extra-hour helpdesk services as required, you may want to focus on this instead.
It’s also important to consider future needs for your business as it grows or potential changes in external factors. You want to be prepared for current and future IT challenges for your business.
Assess Different Providers
Many factors should play into your choice of the perfect co-managed IT service provider for your business.
As earlier mentioned, your options could be many but finding one that best suits your needs is key to the incorporation process's success.
Here is a list of some important points you should assess when looking at potential providers;
- The scope and specific services they do and do not offer.
- Their expertise level in cybersecurity.
- The equipment and tools they use.
- How long they need to set up their co-managed IT services.
- Referrals and online reviews.
Working with CyberTrust IT Solutions gives you special access to their host of partners' resources, including industry leaders like Microsoft 365, Lenovo, HP, Cisco, etc.
Establish Communication Methods
As soon as you narrow down your list of potential co-managed IT service providers, establishing the effective communication methods you’ll be using is key. You’ll be working closely, and communication should not only be flawless but must be in line with how you do business to guarantee everything runs smoothly.
Remember to ask and sort out how changes, issues, and updates will be communicated and how procedures such as alerts on systems errors and escalations will be handled.
When all this is sorted, and you are sure which provider fits your business, you can move on to signing a service level agreement (SLA). They vary between companies but usually include client duties, warranties, etc. Make sure you check the details before signing.