Co-managed IT is an arrangement where an external IT provider works alongside your internal IT person or team, rather than replacing them. You keep your in-house knowledge of the business; the provider adds tools, extra hands, after-hours cover and specialist skills.
How it splits up
- Internal IT keeps the day-to-day: user requests, the things that need someone who knows the business, project priorities
- The provider supplies monitoring, patching and security tooling, a helpdesk for overflow and holidays, and specialists for cloud, network and security work
- Shared: documentation, the IT roadmap, major projects, and on-call for emergencies
When co-managed IT is the right fit
- One IT person who is a single point of failure and never gets a real holiday
- An internal team good at daily support but stretched on security, cloud or projects
- Growth that has outpaced the current IT capacity, but not enough to justify another full hire
- A need for round-the-clock monitoring or coverage that a small team cannot sustain
- Compliance or insurance requirements the internal team has no time to meet
What to agree up front
Draw a clear line on who owns what, share one ticketing system and one set of documentation, and agree escalation paths so nothing falls between the two teams. The security awareness training and tooling usually sit with the provider, while the internal person stays the face of IT to staff. It is a flexible version of our managed IT support.
Have IT staff who need backup, not replacing? See our managed IT support or talk to our Edmonton team about co-managed IT.
Frequently asked questions
Is co-managed IT cheaper than fully outsourced?
Not necessarily cheaper, but better value when you already have internal IT you want to keep. You are buying capacity and tools, not a full replacement service.
Will a provider try to replace our IT person?
A good co-managed arrangement is designed around keeping them and making their job sustainable. Your internal person usually becomes the coordinator rather than the person doing everything alone.
What happens when our IT person is away?
The provider covers the helpdesk and monitoring, so a holiday or sick leave no longer means IT stops. Emergencies have a defined escalation path either way.
How does Scandifix help?
We provide the monitoring, security and backup platform, helpdesk overflow, and specialist project work, working to an agreed split with your internal team. See our managed IT services.