Co-Managed IT vs. Fully Managed IT: What's the Difference?

Co-managed IT means your internal IT staff and an outsourced managed service provider (MSP) share responsibility for your technology environment, while fully managed IT means the MSP handles all IT functions with no internal IT staff required.

What Co-Managed IT Looks Like

In a co-managed arrangement, your internal IT team continues handling day-to-day, in-person needs - hardware setup, in-office support, application-specific questions - while an MSP layers on 24/7 monitoring, cybersecurity, help desk overflow, and specialized expertise like compliance and vCIO strategy. Responsibilities are divided by what each side does best.

What Fully Managed IT Looks Like

In a fully managed model, the MSP is your entire IT department. There's no internal IT staff to coordinate with - the MSP handles monitoring, help desk, security, vendor management, and strategic planning end to end. This is the most common model for businesses without an existing internal IT function.

How to Decide Which Model Fits

If you already have internal IT staff who know your business well and you want to keep them, but need broader coverage, specialized security expertise, or 24/7 monitoring you can't staff internally, co-managed IT is usually the right fit. If you don't have internal IT staff, or your current team is stretched too thin to be effective, fully managed IT typically makes more sense.

Common Co-Managed Arrangements

A typical co-managed split has internal IT handling first-line, in-person support and application-specific troubleshooting, while the MSP owns network and endpoint monitoring, backup verification, cybersecurity tooling, and compliance documentation - the areas requiring 24/7 coverage or specialized expertise that's hard to maintain with one or two internal staff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does co-managed IT cost less than fully managed IT? Often yes, since you're only outsourcing the portions of IT your internal team can't cover, though the total cost depends on how responsibilities are divided.

Will an MSP try to replace our internal IT team? No - in a co-managed arrangement, a good MSP partner works alongside your internal team, not around them, with clearly defined responsibilities for each side.

Can we switch from co-managed to fully managed later? Yes, many businesses start co-managed and shift to fully managed over time as their internal IT staff transitions to other roles or leaves the company.

Veracity Technologies offers both co-managed and fully managed IT services, scoped to work alongside your existing team or serve as your complete IT department.