Most IT providers either try to replace your in house IT or pretend they don't exist. We do neither. Co managed means your IT manager keeps the day to day and we bring everything a one person department cannot cover.
One person cannot be the help desk, the security team, the compliance lead, the vendor negotiator, the network engineer, and the AI policy owner at the same time. Something always slips, and it's usually the thing that hurts most later.
Every co managed engagement starts with a written split like this one, agreed with you and your IT manager. Nobody steps on toes, and nothing falls between the cracks.
| Area | Owner | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Day to day help desk | Your IT manager | They stay the first call. We take overflow and after hours when asked. |
| Onboarding and offboarding | Your IT manager | They run it. We maintain the checklist and audit it quarterly. |
| Identity, SSO, MFA design | Shared | We design and harden; they administer daily. |
| Security stack and monitoring | SMK | We select, deploy, and watch EDR, MDM, email security, and training. |
| Compliance (SOC 2, HIPAA) | SMK | We own the program, the platform, and the evidence. They supply access. |
| Vendors, contracts, renewals | SMK | We track every renewal and negotiate. They tell us what the team needs. |
| Network, firewall, office projects | SMK | We design and build. They know the floor plan and the people. |
| AI policy and AI tenant admin | SMK | We write the policy, run the business tenant, and train staff. |
| Escalations and emergencies | Shared | They call us. Senior engineer on the line, not a ticket queue. |
| Vacation and sick coverage | SMK | We step in as the first call for the duration. Nobody notices. |
| Quarterly roadmap and budget | Shared | We prepare it together and present it to leadership together. |
A co managed relationship only works if the in house person feels backed up, not replaced. Three rules we follow.
Your IT manager is still who staff and leadership see. We make them look good, and we are fine being behind the scenes.
Who owns what, how escalation works, and what we document. Updated as the business changes, so nobody guesses.
A short standing call between your IT manager and our lead. Priorities, blockers, schedule. It prevents 90 percent of friction.
Bring them to the first call. The best co managed engagements start with the in house person in the room.
