Co-Management Can Take the Pressure Off

Most businesses set out to do an IT project when their technology needs an upgrade. Whether your business is looking to add new hardware, refresh the systems you already have, migrate to the cloud, or add new applications to your playbook, it can get pretty intimidating as cost and time overruns threaten your profitability. This week, we thought we would discuss an approach that can help any business—large or small— get their IT projects completed and integrated effectively: co-managed IT. 

What Problems Do IT Projects Present?

Before we get into explaining co-managed IT, we want to talk about the problems that can happen when integrating new technologies. It starts with management. Before the project commences, you need to have all of your ducks in a row. This means having a dedicated project manager that has a clear idea about what tasks need to be delegated, how those tasks fit into the project as a whole, and what deadlines and cost restrictions there are for the project. This is a lot of work, and as a result, it can be difficult to keep a project on the rails, especially if the project is a major overhaul of your current computing infrastructure. Some of the problems you may run into when implementing new technologies include:

• A lack of a clear path forward - Many businesses will want to add IT without putting together a clear and efficient plan. This will inevitably cause issues with inefficiency, problematic implementation, and cost overruns that could put a damper on your new technology and on your business. 
• No plan in regards to vendors - In order to make a successful IT change, you will need to coordinate with the vendors supplying the technology to ensure that they can deliver as you are ready to implement it. 
• Problems with the speed of progress - Most IT implementations require input and work to be done from different vendors, suppliers, and workers. This collaboration needs to be coordinated so as to not hinder the speed of progress. If one or more collaborators are lagging behind, there will likely be deadlines missed and the project will take longer, and cost more than you had planned. 
• Changes in scope or priority - Many times, businesses will alter an IT project’s path forward. This puts a lot of pressure on the project manager and can lead to a devastating lack of results. Plan ahead and adjust only when absolutely necessary to get the most out of any project. 
• A lack of compatibility - One issue that can really derail an IT project is to get to a point where it needs to be integrated with standing technology, and the two systems aren’t compatible. Know what you need before you get too far down the road so as to not run into problems that could put your whole endeavor at risk. 
• Not planning for training - If your business is looking to include new software systems into your IT infrastructure, it stands to reason that the people who are using it will need time to adjust. If you don’t plan for that adjustment period, you could be looking at a complete failure. 

How Co-Managed IT Can Help

IT projects are detail-oriented ventures and require a lot of attention to produce the expected results. This can leave a business’ IT administrator and technicians searching for ways to complete an efficient project while still maintaining a company’s IT infrastructure for regular production. With co-managed IT services from Washington Works our knowledgeable technicians can either help run the project to get it implemented effectively, or we can take over the proactive management of your business’ IT infrastructure to keep your business running productively as your IT team proceeds in implementing your business’ new technology. Not only does this service work to get more trained eyes on a project, it can also be advantageous as we have relationships with vendors that can expedite the project’s progress. 

With the IT professionals at Washington Works working for you, you can ensure that your business runs as intended and get the experienced resources needed to make your new IT project a rousing success. If you would like to learn more about our co-managed IT services or talk to one of our consultants about the future of your business’ technology, give us a call today at 301-571-5040.