You hired a skilled IT person. They keep the lights on, handle password resets, and manage your daily technology needs. But lately, they’re drowning in security alerts, struggling to stay ahead of compliance requirements, and working nights to patch vulnerabilities that seem to multiply faster than they can address them.
Sound familiar?
This is the breaking point where many Central Illinois businesses discover co-managed IT services—a model that reinforces your existing team rather than replacing them.
What Co-Managed IT Actually Means
Co-managed IT isn’t outsourcing your entire technology operation. It’s adding specialized capabilities to what you already have.
Your internal IT professional maintains control of day-to-day operations, user relationships, and business-specific knowledge. Meanwhile, a co-managed partner brings enterprise-grade security tools, 24/7 monitoring infrastructure, and specialized expertise your single IT person can’t reasonably maintain alone.
Think of it as the difference between a general practitioner and a medical specialist. Both are doctors, but they serve different purposes.
Why Peoria Businesses Choose Co-Managed Models
Manufacturing plants in East Peoria need their production systems running around the clock. Medical offices must meet HIPAA requirements. Financial services firms face stringent compliance audits. Agricultural businesses handle sensitive farming data and financial records.
Your IT manager understands your business intimately. They know which applications matter most, who needs access to what, and how your team actually works. But expecting one person to also maintain expertise in advanced threat detection, compliance frameworks, and disaster recovery planning? That’s unrealistic.
Co-managed services fill these capability gaps without disrupting the relationships and institutional knowledge your IT person has built.
The Security Advantage
Cyber threats don’t respect business hours. Ransomware attacks often launch Friday evenings or during holidays, when attackers know IT staff are unavailable.
With co-managed services, your internal IT professional gets backup from security specialists who monitor your network continuously. When suspicious activity appears at 2 AM on Saturday, trained experts respond within minutes—not Monday morning when your IT manager checks email.
This layered approach means:
- Your IT person handles user-facing issues during business hours
- Security monitoring runs 24/7/365 through specialized partners
- Expert engineers handle complex security projects
- Your team gets access to enterprise-grade tools without enterprise-level costs
One IT manager in Peoria can’t personally review thousands of security logs daily. Automated systems backed by security specialists can.
Compliance Without the Headaches
Healthcare providers need HIPAA compliance. Companies handling credit cards must meet PCI DSS standards. Government contractors face CMMC requirements.
Your IT manager knows your systems, but compliance frameworks change regularly. Co-managed partners maintain dedicated compliance specialists who track regulatory updates, conduct audits, and ensure your security posture meets industry standards.
This doesn’t mean your IT person loses control. It means they gain access to expertise that would cost six figures to hire full-time.
How Co-Managed Relationships Actually Work
The best co-managed arrangements feel like an extension of your internal team, not an outside vendor dictating terms.
Morning: Your IT manager arrives and reviews overnight security reports. Nothing requires immediate attention, so they focus on a scheduled server upgrade.
Midday: A user reports suspicious email behavior. Your IT manager investigates and confirms it’s a targeted phishing attempt. They consult with the co-managed security team, who identify three similar emails that hit other mailboxes and implement additional filtering rules.
Afternoon: Your IT manager joins a quarterly planning call with the co-managed team to review upcoming projects, budget for equipment refreshes, and discuss new security tools worth considering.
Evening: Production systems at your manufacturing facility experience network issues. Your IT manager left at 5 PM, but the 24/7 support line connects the plant manager with on-call technicians who diagnose and resolve the problem remotely.
Your IT person remains the primary contact. The co-managed team provides specialized support when needed.
Cost Reality Check
Hiring a second full-time IT person in Central Illinois costs $60,000-$80,000 annually, plus benefits. Adding a cybersecurity specialist? Add another $80,000-$100,000.
Co-managed services typically run $100-$200 per user monthly, depending on security requirements and service levels. For a 30-person company, that’s $3,000-$6,000 monthly for access to:
- 24/7 network and security monitoring
- Advanced endpoint protection
- Managed firewall services
- Email security and filtering
- Dark web monitoring
- Regular security assessments
- Compliance support
- Emergency response capabilities
You’re not paying for one additional person. You’re gaining access to an entire team of specialists.
What to Look for in a Co-Managed Partner
Not all co-managed arrangements work equally well. The wrong provider will undermine your IT manager, creating friction instead of support.
Look for partners who:
Respect your internal team’s expertise. Your IT manager should feel empowered, not sidelined. Good co-managed providers collaborate rather than dictate.
Provide transparent access to tools and data. You should see the same network monitoring, security alerts, and system status that the co-managed team sees. No black boxes.
Maintain local presence. Central Illinois businesses benefit from partners who understand regional challenges, can arrive on-site when necessary, and operate in similar time zones.
Communicate proactively. Security is a partnership. Your IT manager and the co-managed team need regular touchpoints, not just crisis calls.
Scale with your needs. As your business grows or faces new compliance requirements, services should adapt without forcing complete contract renegotiations.
The Planning Conversation
If you’re considering co-managed services, start by asking your IT manager three questions:
- “What keeps you up at night about our security?”
- “Where do you wish you had more specialized help?”
- “What projects would you tackle if you had more bandwidth?”
Their answers reveal where co-managed services deliver the most value. Maybe they’re concerned about backup integrity but don’t have time to test recovery procedures regularly. Perhaps they know your firewall needs upgrading but lack experience with next-generation security appliances. Or they’re struggling to keep up with phishing simulation training while also managing daily support tickets.
Co-managed services work best when they address specific capability gaps rather than trying to replace everything your IT person already does well.
Making the Transition
Moving to a co-managed model doesn’t require ripping out existing systems and starting over.
Most transitions follow this pattern:
Phase 1 – Assessment: The co-managed team evaluates your current environment, identifies security gaps, and develops a prioritized improvement plan.
Phase 2 – Security Foundation: Install and configure monitoring tools, endpoint protection, and backup systems. Establish baseline security posture.
Phase 3 – Integration: Your IT manager and co-managed team establish communication channels, define escalation procedures, and align on responsibilities.
Phase 4 – Ongoing Support: Regular monitoring, quarterly reviews, and continuous improvement based on evolving threats and business needs.
The goal isn’t disruption. It’s reinforcement of what already works while adding capabilities you’re currently missing.
Central Illinois Perspective
Peoria-area businesses face distinct technology challenges. Manufacturing companies need operational technology security that differs from typical office environments. Healthcare providers serving rural communities must maintain HIPAA compliance with limited IT budgets. Agricultural businesses handle seasonal workflow spikes that stress technology infrastructure.
Co-managed IT partners familiar with Central Illinois understand these regional considerations. They know that “downtown Peoria” and “45 minutes outside Peoria” can mean dramatically different internet connectivity options, on-site response times, and technology constraints.
Local expertise matters when your co-managed partner needs to understand industry-specific software common in Central Illinois manufacturing or agricultural operations.
What is co-managed IT?
Co-managed IT reinforces your existing internal IT team with specialized capabilities like 24/7 security monitoring, compliance expertise, and advanced threat protection—without replacing your IT manager.
How much do co-managed IT services cost in Peoria?
Co-managed IT services typically cost $100-$200 per user monthly, depending on security requirements, cloud solutions and service levels. This provides access to enterprise-grade tools and 24/7 monitoring without hiring additional full-time staff.
How does co-managed IT differ from fully managed services?
Fully managed IT replaces your internal team entirely—the provider handles everything. Co-managed IT works alongside your existing IT manager. Your person maintains control of daily operations, user relationships, and business-specific decisions. The co-managed partner adds specialized security monitoring, compliance expertise, and after-hours coverage. Your IT manager stays. Their capabilities expand.
What security services are included in co-managed IT?
Co-managed IT typically includes 24/7 network monitoring, advanced endpoint protection, managed firewall services, email security and spam filtering, dark web monitoring for compromised credentials, regular security assessments, and emergency response capabilities. Many providers also offer Security Operations Center monitoring through specialized partners, giving your business enterprise-grade threat detection without hiring dedicated security staff.
Do I need co-managed IT if I already have an IT manager?
Your IT manager can’t monitor security alerts at 2 AM, maintain expertise across every compliance framework, and handle daily support tickets simultaneously. Co-managed services fill capability gaps, not competency gaps. If your IT person works nights and weekends, struggles with security complexity, or can’t keep up with compliance changes, co-managed IT provides specialized backup. One person shouldn’t carry responsibility for your entire security posture alone.
How quickly can co-managed IT services respond to security threats?
Response times depend on threat severity and service agreements. Many co-managed providers monitor networks continuously and respond to security incidents within minutes through their security monitoring partners or SOCs. After-hours emergencies receive immediate attention through 24/7 support lines. Your internal IT manager handles business hours issues. The co-managed team covers nights, weekends, and specialized security responses your IT person can’t manage alone.
What compliance standards can co-managed IT help with?
Co-managed IT providers typically support HIPAA compliance for healthcare organizations, PCI DSS requirements for businesses processing credit cards, CMMC standards for government contractors, and general cybersecurity insurance requirements. They maintain dedicated compliance specialists who track regulatory changes, conduct required audits, and ensure your security controls meet industry standards. Your IT manager gains compliance expertise without becoming a full-time auditor.
The Bottom Line
Your IT manager is valuable precisely because they understand your business, your users, and your specific technology environment. Co-managed services amplify that value by adding specialized security expertise, enterprise-grade tools, and 24/7 monitoring coverage that no single person can provide alone.
This isn’t about replacing your IT team. It’s about giving them the backup and specialized support they need to keep your business secure, compliant, and running smoothly.
Cyber threats don’t take nights and weekends off. Your security shouldn’t either.
Facet Technologies provides co-managed IT services throughout Central Illinois, working alongside internal IT teams to deliver enterprise-grade security and support. Our team based in Peoria understands the specific technology challenges facing manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and professional services firms in our region.
Call (309) 689-3900 to discuss how co-managed services might support your existing IT team, or fill out the contact form below.