Companies that are looking to change the way that they manage technology generally have three options
 
                     Internal Staffing     |     Co-Managed IT     |     MSP  
 

The first is to manage all of their technology on their own with an Internal IT department.
The second is to work with a co-managed IT service provider to lessen the workload on your internal team through the use of outsourcing. The third is to rely fully on a managed service provider, freeing your business of the responsibility of managing IT solutions completely.

Co-Managed IT is the model that blends the convenience and strategic framework of an internal IT manager with the support and comprehensive knowledge of a managed service provider (MSP). Together, a company’s IT staff and an MSP can augment IT roles to create proactive and reactive IT management.
 

Global computer systems would like to have open conversation with clients in order to truly understand their specific needs and address them through a co-managed IT service.
The reason for the open dialogue is to make sure all expectations are being met and to
take responsibility for certain areas of your infrastructure.

While no two co-managed IT strategies are the same, they can include a variety of efforts tailored to the individual businesses’ needs, which may include, but are not limited to:
 

• A basic IT help desk for the company’s users

• An after hours support desk for your employees and/or clients

• A level 2+ helpdesk for assistance to the IT engineers onsite.

• End-user ticketing system that tracks all work for the internal IT and the msp

• IT monitoring during the night when employees are sleeping

• Infrastructure and Cloud implementations and support

• On-site engineering to support onsite employees on projects or problems

• Filling in gaps when employees are out or go on vacation

 

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• Downtime is eliminated and costs are reduced: With more eyes on your network, you’ll be less likely to encounter problems with your technology infrastructure. This means that expensive downtime is mitigated and you’ll spend less on repairing (or even replacing) hardware solutions.

• Professional technicians with years of experience: By working with a managed IT provider in at least some capacity, your IT department gains access to valuable insight regarding how to best manage and maintain technology solutions. This is thanks to the years of dedication and proficiency attained by these managed IT providers due to years of practice.

• Valuable insight into compliance and regulations: IT providers know how to best approach regulatory compliance requirements, like HIPAA, HITECH, PCI, NYDFS and many more. The requirements change by industry, so it’s best to work with professionals, even if you have an internal IT department.

• Less work for human resources and onboarding: Hiring new employees is tiresome, as you’ll undoubtedly spend valuable assets attracting qualified workers and adding new salaries to your budget; and that’s not even mentioning the exhaustive onboarding process. You wind up saving more in the long run by working with an IT provider.

• There is always a team at the ready: One of the biggest advantages of working with an IT provider is that there will always be someone on-hand to assist with technology troubles–even after hours, depending on the service level agreement. For example, you can have someone monitoring your critical systems even when your technicians are out of the office.

• Remote access makes maintenance easy: In the event that your network needs maintenance, remote access allows technicians to easily perform it without an on-site visit. This is great because it cuts downtime and allows for more efficient service on both ends, as most problems can be resolved without an on-site visit.

• Help desk services allow for quick support: Have you ever been in a situation where your IT department simply doesn’t have time to answer every question that your staff might have about technology? A help desk solution allows your employees to put in tickets regarding their technology troubles, which are then processed and handled by your managed service provider. Giving them access to such a valuable solution helps them be more autonomous with their workflow and takes some of the pressure off of your internal IT department.

• Vendor management is handled: Dealing with countless vendors for all of your software and hardware solutions can be tiresome, but a managed IT provider handles this responsibility for you, providing a single point of contact for all of your technology needs. This alleviates some of the headache of working with technology, as you won’t have to deal directly with vendors–all you have to do is reach out to the managed service provider.

     
      Here are some differences between co-managed IT services and managed IT services.

   If nothing else, they showcase that managed services is valuable in that it completely frees your business from any
   technical obligations, allowing them to focus on other, more important tasks.

   Contrarily, if you’d rather work together with a managed service provider like Global Computer Systems via a
   co-managed IT service, your team can benefit from being more involved in the IT implementation process and take
   a more hands-on role in the management of your technology solutions.

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    Co-Managed IT                                                               Managed Services

    Shared responsibility with your existing IT department          Fully responsible for the role of your IT department

    Free up current IT staff from working with miniscule tasks      Automation with self-healing proactive platform that            to work on profitable solutions                                          requires less resources from the business
    Easily flexible to meet changing needs faster and adding    Acting CTO, compliance officers, IT director budgets,          new operations as needed.                                              and Total resolutions
   

 

    Consumer Concerns
    Anything as ideal as managed IT services looks like it should have some downfalls. Let’s clear up some of 
    the most common misconceptions about outsourced IT service, for both co-managed IT and fully managed IT.
 

• Misconception 1: Outsourcing leads to a drop in customer service: Some organizations are under the impression that outsourcing their needs creates a lack of customer service, due to the task at hand being handled by someone who isn’t a part of their internal IT department. The exact opposite is true–since the nature of our relationship with our customers relies on transparency and clear-cut communications, we endeavor to provide the absolute best customer experience possible for our clients. It’s just like any other service, after all. By providing quality customer service, managed service providers cement brand loyalty and build relationships with clients that can’t be found elsewhere–particularly with break-fix IT providers, like big box retailers.

• Misconception 2: You have to outsource to an offshore IT company: Enterprises will often look for outsourced IT, but only find offshore services from other countries. This can lead to discrepancies in operations, including time zone differences and language barriers. However, you don’t have to resort to offshore support if you want managed IT services. Global Computer Systems is a U.S.-based managed service provider from New York, and we want to help your enterprise flourish in its chosen industry.
   

As we approach the new year in a completely new and different world, it will be critical for businesses to re-evaluate the current technologies and take advantage of opportunities. This will ensure both the business and their customers are stronger and well-prepared to take on whatever lies ahead.
 

If you have any questions or just want to talk more about this, please contact us anytime and we will setup a time to go over the details. sales@global-usa.com