5 Reasons Why Co-Managed IT Is a Great Option for Firms with IT Staff

For most small organizations, the decision to outsource IT functions to a managed services provider (MSP) is typically easy. It doesn’t make economic sense to hire an IT professional to manage and maintain the organization’s systems and network. Outsourcing provides access to IT expertise and responsive support, ensuring that staff stay productive and focused on the organization’s core business.

Larger organizations often face a dilemma. They see the need to hire one or more IT pros to handle technology issues. As their IT environment grows and becomes more complex, however, the in-house IT team may struggle to keep pace with day-to-day management tasks. New IT initiatives may stall due to a lack of resources.

The IT Skills Gap

When faced with the need for additional IT staff, organizations typically consider hiring or bringing on contract employees. However, hiring IT pros with the right skill sets can be challenging in today’s market. According to new research by Symatrix, 77 percent of organizations face higher recruiting costs due to the persistent IT talent shortage. More than a quarter (27 percent) of organizations take more than two months to fill IT staff vacancies.

In a recent Robert Half survey, 62 percent of tech hiring managers said they need to expand their teams to support business growth. Almost half (48 percent) said they need new talent because existing staff lack needed skills. However, technology executives say the talent shortage is a top business risk.

Co-managed IT solutions provide firms with in-house IT staff access to specialized expertise, improved scalability, and enhanced operational efficiency.

Why Co-Managed IT

Partnering with an MSP in a co-managed IT arrangement can alleviate these challenges. You can choose whether you want the MSP to help with routine tasks to free your staff for strategic initiatives or to handle more complex projects so your team can focus on user support. Either way, the MSP will function as an extension of your IT staff to ensure that your business and operational needs are met.

Here are just a few of the benefits of a co-managed IT arrangement:

Broad and deep expertise. Many organizations rely upon IT generalists who lack the deep expertise needed to support today’s complex IT environments. An MSP provides a team of experts with hands-on experience with a wide range of technologies. Your IT team can tap this expertise to streamline operations and optimize your environment.

Rapid time-to-value. Recruiting and hiring additional staff takes time, and new hires will need training and time to get comfortable in their roles. An MSP’s team already has the skills to hit the ground running, allowing you to ramp up quickly. You can also scale IT resources up or down as needed.

Improved coverage. Your IT staff can’t be available around the clock and will need time off for vacation and sick days. A qualified MSP will have a deep bench of engineers who can quickly troubleshoot problems and respond to user support requests. They can be available 24x7 to meet mission-critical requirements.

Reduced risk. When you rely exclusively on in-house IT staff, there’s the risk that critical knowledge will be lost when people move on to other opportunities. Best-in-class MSPs will document processes and provide important checks and balances that minimize this risk.

Staff retention. Once they understand that they’re not being replaced, your IT staff will appreciate the benefits of working with an MSP. They’ll be able to use their skills and talents to advance their careers while improving the organization’s operational efficiency.

How GDS Can Help Your Business with Co-Managed IT

GDS offers a range of managed IT options for organizations with in-house IT staff. Each solution is based on our proven expertise and well-defined methodologies that help maximize performance, reliability and security. We’d be delighted to meet with your management and IT teams to discuss your needs and begin crafting a customized solution.

Benefits of Managed IT Services from Global Data Systems

• Strategic Managed IT: We help you solve your technology related business problems.
• Connectivity: We get you reliable, secure connectivity anywhere in the western hemisphere in 48 hours.
• Support: When you need help simply call our 24x7x365 support number.
• Billing: Instead of managing hundreds of vendors - get one, easy to read bill from GDS.

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