The realities of agile working models, increasingly complex technology and rising cyber security threats on SMEs have driven businesses to augment their internal IT teams. Welcome the rise of co-managed IT.

In a co-managed IT environment, a company partners its internal teams with an MSP to fill any gaps or focus more on their core competencies and strategic objectives.

This is a growing trend across the UK and here are the top reasons businesses are now supplementing IT under a co-managed model:

Complexity        58%

Skills Gap           52%

Cost benefits     50%

Co-managed IT combines the benefits of having an internal IT team with the support, industry knowledge and experience of an MSP like us; Bluegrass Group.

We work with lots of client across the South West who already have an in house IT resource. Our job is to complement their support, fill gaps and address their pain points. For us it’s a partnership with the internal IT person or team. In turn together we can improve client productivity and provide value added IT tools and services.

The Bluegrass engineers who work with internal IT teams are there to take off the pressure and enable the in house team to have access to additional resource and skills.

The main benefits of co-managed IT for SMEs are:

• Increased productivity; IT support is available even if in-house staff are on holiday or when they go home at 5pm. They can provide tools and resources that in-house staff might not have access to.
• Focus on core competencies; Division of labour allows IT staff to dedicate more time to core competencies or other business priorities. The MSP engineers can either take the burden of day to day IT support away or focus on one off technology projects that an in house team might not have the skills to develop. This means objectives are achieved faster bringing new benefits to the overall business.
• Increased security; MSPs like us specialise in cyber security and can recommend the latest solutions to offer the best protection for your business. We bring specialist expertise that an in house team wont have time to research, vet and implement.
• Insight; Similarly, MSPs are familiar with technology, IT environments and best practices and can offer a different perspective on how the business can use technology effectively to meet it’s needs.

A co-managed partnership can look any way you like it. Perhaps you need help with your disaster recovery and business continuity plans, or perhaps the server needs an upgrade or your journey to the cloud needs expert support. Whatever it is, an MSP can support your in house team and fill the gaps so they can get on with their own objectives.

MSPs should not be seen as a threat to the existing in house team or IT Manager. Here at Bluegrass Group we understand that working against your in house team will only lead to frustration and isolation and can even develop a hostile environment. None of those scenarios are productive or mutually beneficial. That’s why we’re firm believers of working closely with your in house resource by enhancing their function, not replacing it.

Our Joint MD Chris Thomas comments ‘It all comes down to trust. Once that trust is established between internal team and outsourced engineers, the partnership flourishes. Our aim is never to replace your in house IT team, we’re just there to provider overflow services that your IT team may not be trained on or might not have the time to carry out in the timescale you need. What we’ve witnessed over the years with clients who have an in house team, is that we quickly form an extension to their business, working side by side with their internal team; supporting them and benefiting the business as a whole.’

You might be wondering if having both IT staff and a co-managed service provider is affordable? 

All businesses want to reduce expenditure, particularly in this current economic climate. Companies continue to demand more productivity through technology with fewer employees. Co-Managed services will maximise your IT staff by having an agile service agreement with us that only needs to provide the services built into your service agreement.  Your IT staff can focus on tasks best suited to their skills set and your business mission. 

Many businesses do not have the finances required to employ a fully staffed IT department, however there is no need for your teams to struggle and suffer through poorly resourced IT management.  Partnering with Bluegrass and utilising our co-managed service program may be just what you need. 

If you’d like to speak to us about how we can support your in house team, give us a call on 01392 796 779 or email us ask@bluegrass-group.com.

If you want to find out more about our 24/7/365 support packages, visit our IT Support page.