Co-Managed IT: How We Work Alongside Your IT Team

How does co-managed IT work?

Co-managed IT splits responsibilities by agreement. Your staff own first-line tickets, user requests and vendor liaison; AMVIA takes the areas that are hard to staff in-house — security monitoring, patching, infrastructure and after-hours support. A shared ticketing system and joint reporting keep both teams looking at the same data.

We run a four-stage onboarding so the split is clear from day one:

• Team alignment — we meet your IT team, map your infrastructure, and agree responsibilities, escalation paths and SLAs.
• Knowledge transfer — we document your environment, take agreed access, and align on tooling and change control.
• Shared operations — your team runs day-to-day work; we take specialist areas such as security, projects or out-of-hours cover.
• Continuous improvement — monthly reviews rebalance the workload and plan upcoming projects together.

What's included in AMVIA co-managed IT?

Co-managed IT from AMVIA bundles proactive security monitoring, expert configuration and incident response, monthly reporting and a named account team. You decide which layers your staff keep and which we run, and the boundary is documented in the SLA so nothing falls between the two teams.

• Proactive protection — continuous monitoring and threat detection using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, watched by our in-house team.
• Expert management — UK-based, Microsoft-certified engineers handle configuration, updates and incident response.
• Regular reporting — monthly reports on security posture, incidents handled and recommended improvements.
• Dedicated support — direct access to your account team for changes, questions and escalations.

For the security layer specifically, co-managed clients lean on our managed cybersecurity and managed Microsoft 365 services, while your team keeps the helpdesk and end-user relationship.

Why do UK SMEs need co-managed IT?

Most UK SMEs cannot staff a 24/7 security rota or deep Microsoft 365 expertise on one or two internal hires. Co-managed IT closes that gap. It matters because the threat level is real: 43% of UK businesses identified a cybersecurity breach or attack in the last 12 months (gov.uk Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025), and phishing was the most common attack type, hitting roughly 85% of those breached (gov.uk).

Other reported figures put the average cost of a disruptive breach for UK businesses at £3,550 and around 19,000 UK organisations hit by ransomware in the past year. A lone internal IT manager rarely has the time or tooling to defend against that, which is why the National Cyber Security Centre recommends continuous monitoring and tested response — exactly the specialist layer co-managed IT adds.

Co-managed IT vs fully outsourced IT support

The difference is control. Co-managed keeps your in-house team in charge and adds capacity; fully outsourced hands the whole function to a provider. Here is how they compare for a typical 10–500-staff UK business.

If you have no internal IT at all, fully managed IT support is the better fit. If you have a stretched team that needs reinforcement on security and after-hours cover, co-managed wins.

How much does co-managed IT cost?

Pricing depends on which layers you keep in-house. AMVIA IT support starts from £30/user/month, and fully managed SME IT support typically runs £35–£65/user/month across the UK market as of 2026. Co-managed pricing usually sits lower than fully managed because your staff absorb part of the workload, and you can scale capacity up or down monthly.

You only pay for the specialist capacity you actually use, which is why fast-growing firms use co-managed IT to add depth without recruiting hard-to-find engineers.

Why choose AMVIA for co-managed IT?

AMVIA is a security-first managed IT partner, not a telecoms reseller. We hold Cyber Essentials Plus certification and Microsoft Solutions Partner status, our engineering and support team operates from Sheffield, and we manage IT and security for 1,200+ UK businesses across legal, finance, healthcare and professional services.

• UK-based engineers — Sheffield-based support that understands UK compliance and infrastructure.
• Certified and accountable — Cyber Essentials Plus and Microsoft Solutions Partner (Microsoft).
• Fast response — critical issues responded to within one hour, by phone, email and portal.
• Resilience built in — pair co-managed IT with business continuity planning so an incident never stops the business.

When you need to offload first-line volume too, your team can hand overflow to our IT helpdesk while keeping ownership of strategy.