As the CEO of a company, you always want to make sure that your information is protected and your network is safe from intruders. We’ve all heard the stories about hacking and the disastrous consequences of breaches into a company’s infrastructure and how damaging it can be in terms of cost, lost data, lost opportunities, and potential legal issues arising over compliance.
In short, it’s imperative for every company and organization to have the strongest and best protection that it can have.
You may have an internal IT person on staff, or possibly several. These individuals are responsible for fixing breakdowns and keeping your infrastructure running smoothly. Some companies do rely solely on internal IT support. Others outsource the entire process to a Managed Services IT firm. And another option that some companies exercise is called “Co-Managed IT,” which is a combination of the two practices: having an internal IT person but supporting that individual with an outsourced firm.
Or, to say it differently, many companies are finding out that internal IT may not have the “firepower” that a company needs to handle any and all IT challenges that come its way, and still have the time to plan pro-actively for the company’s growth and its future.
Why are so many executives choosing to outsource part of their IT management? ⬇️
- Co-Managed IT Services can be a big help for companies with turnover in their IT departments.
Imagine the inconvenience if your company is “down” one IT person – or more. The national staffing firm Synerfac estimates that IT personnel switch jobs once every two years. Outsourcing employment firm Cloudstaff cites a report from Gartner’s research that many business owners feel the impact as the IT talent gap continues to increase. A survey across the US, UK, and Australia, showed that IT roles are the most difficult to hire. If you do find yourself shorthanded with the in-house team, the Managed Services IT partner will be certain that you don’t have down time if you’re “down” an employee or two.
IT jobs have the second highest turnover rate, currently at 13%.
Source: LinkedIn
- Beyond the issue of turnover, there is the issue of occasional absence.
If your internal IT staff members are ill or have other issues that result in being out of the office for a period of time, the external Managed Services Providers can deliver support during that time.
- Burnout of IT staff
A ZDNet report reveals a survey of 36,200 tech workers where two in five employees say they want to quit their jobs due to excessive stress, exhaustion and a broken work-life balance. With burnout being a major problem in the tech industry, the Co-Managed model offers continuity and additional support.
- Economics
If a company has traditionally relied upon internal IT support but is growing and finds itself in need of additional employees, that is also a good time to contrast the cost of bringing on a Managed Services Provider (MSP) with an additional internal hire or two. Recruiting firm BXGI notes that the cost of hiring one full-time employee in the U.S. can range anywhere from $4000 to $7000, and there are additional on-going costs associated with employees. Having an outside IT partner (MSP) can help a company budget its IT needs. Also consider the periodic ups and downs of a business cycle and the company’s changing needs for how many IT personnel are on staff at any given time. Rather than expanding or contracting the number of IT employees, a Co-Managed approach will help stabilize those budgetary considerations. And you don’t have to pay an MSP holidays, sick leave, or benefits!
- Co-Managed IT offers a more pro-active approach to network protection. Many companies find that their in-house IT team spends most of its collective time “putting out fires” or addressing repair ticket items, or in other words, dealing with issues of the present moment. It’s easy for the internal team to get overwhelmed with these day-to-day in-house duties, which may not give them the time needed to be up to speed on the latest anti-virus software, cloud computing and other cutting-edge means of having a secure network. The same goes for advanced training. Often times an owner has to evaluate whether he/she can afford to have an internal IT person off site for training for a day or longer. With a Co-Managed service model, the team is up to speed on upgrades, maintenance and does pro-active monitoring of potential difficulties within a network – which, when detected early, can minimize or eliminate down times. A Managed Services Provider (MSP) can additionally provide cybersecurity awareness training for employees, actual vulnerability testing, and deliver the latest in resources to keep networks safe.
⬇️ Download Our Free Co-Managed IT Worksheet ⬇️
These are a few reasons for considering Co-Managed IT Services. There are more, which perhaps we will cover in a future blog. The Co-Managed approach can support your company’s internal IT team plus provide the additional resources to boost your company’s productivity and enhance its protection. If you feel that your organization might benefit from outsourcing some or all of your IT needs, or even just want to have a preliminary discussion, please give us a call at 888-357-4277. And we also invite you to download our free eBook “The Ultimate Guide: Cybersecurity for Business” by visiting pulsetechnology.com/cybersecurity-ebook.