The difference between fully managed and co-managed IT is who owns IT. With fully managed IT, an outside provider runs your entire IT function: help desk, monitoring, security, projects and planning. With co-managed IT, a provider works alongside your internal IT staff, who stay in charge and decide what the provider handles. DivergeIT, a Los Angeles-area managed IT services provider and certified MSSP founded in 1999, offers both: ManageIT for fully managed IT and AugmentIT for co-managed IT.
The short version: if you do not have an IT department, you usually want fully managed. If you do, and they are stretched, co-managed is usually the better fit.
What is fully managed IT?
Fully managed IT means a managed services provider (MSP) acts as your IT department. The provider handles user support, device and server management, patching, monitoring, backups, security tools, vendor coordination and technology planning. You have an account manager rather than an IT manager on payroll.
Fully managed IT typically fits:
- Organizations with no dedicated IT staff
- Companies whose IT person is leaving and will not be replaced
- Leadership teams that want one accountable partner for all of IT
What is co-managed IT?
Co-managed IT means your internal IT team keeps ownership of the environment and the decisions, and the provider fills specific gaps. Those gaps are usually one of four things: capacity (too many tickets), coverage (nights and weekends), expertise (security, networking, cloud) or project labor.
Co-managed IT typically fits:
- Companies with one or more internal IT staff who are overloaded
- IT leaders who want to keep strategy and vendor decisions in-house
- Teams that need 24/7 coverage without hiring a night shift
- Organizations with periodic needs for senior engineering
How do fully managed and co-managed IT compare, point by point?
Since a side-by-side table is hard to scan on mobile, here are the key differences as pairs.
Who makes IT decisions?
- Fully managed: The provider recommends and executes; your leadership approves.
- Co-managed: Your internal IT lead decides; the provider executes the parts assigned to it.
Who handles day-to-day tickets?
- Fully managed: The provider handles all of them.
- Co-managed: Whatever you assign. Often the provider takes Level 1 and after-hours while your team handles escalations that need business context.
Whose tools and processes are used?
- Fully managed: Usually the provider’s standard stack, which gives consistency and reporting.
- Co-managed: A good provider works inside your existing processes and tools. DivergeIT’s AugmentIT is built to do this.
How is it priced?
- Fully managed: Usually a flat monthly fee by users and devices. DivergeIT publishes starting prices: ManageIT Core from $1,575/month, Plus from $4,500/month and Pro from $6,250/month, assuming a 3-year agreement, with your quote confirming users and devices.
- Co-managed: Depends on what you hand off. DivergeIT prices AugmentIT help desk support per user against the ManageIT tiers, and scopes engineering engagements individually, usually quoting within one business day.
What happens with security and compliance?
- Fully managed: Security and compliance baselines come with the plan. Every ManageIT tier includes ComplyIT Core, and Plus and Pro include SecureIT Core and SecureIT Plus respectively.
- Co-managed: Responsibilities need to be written down clearly so nothing falls between your team and the provider. SecureIT and ComplyIT can be added where your team needs depth.
What visibility do you get?
- Fully managed: DivergeIT includes RITIS, its Real-Time IT Intelligence System, on every ManageIT tier, with live dashboards of IT health that flag inactive accounts and anomalies.
- Co-managed: AugmentIT includes live dashboards and weekly reports so your IT lead can see what the provider handled.
Are service guarantees different?
At DivergeIT, no. Both models carry the same written guarantees: a 15-minute guaranteed response on tickets, and a live expert within 5 minutes by call or chat, or a $100 credit on your next invoice.
How do you decide which model is right?
Answer these five questions honestly:
- Do you have at least one person whose job is IT? If no, start with fully managed.
- Does that person want to keep owning IT? If yes, co-managed respects that. If they would rather focus elsewhere, fully managed may be a relief.
- Where is the pain? If the pain is “everything,” fully managed. If it is one area, such as nights, onboarding or security, co-managed.
- Who will answer to auditors and leadership? If an internal IT leader owns compliance and reporting, co-managed keeps that line clear.
- What happens if your IT person leaves? A co-managed provider who already knows your environment can step in more fully, which reduces the risk of a single point of failure.
Can you switch between the two models later?
Yes, and many organizations do. A company might start co-managed while it has an IT manager, then move to fully managed after that person retires. Another might start fully managed and later hire an internal IT director who takes back strategy while the provider keeps the help desk. Because DivergeIT offers both, the move does not require changing providers. If switching to DivergeIT from another provider disrupts your operations, DivergeIT’s switching guarantee makes your first month free.
Who is each model not right for?
- Fully managed is not right if you have a capable IT team that wants control. Handing everything to a provider can sideline people who know your business best.
- Co-managed is not right if you have no one internally to direct the work. Co-managed needs someone on your side making decisions.
- Neither may be needed if you only have a one-time project. A scoped consulting engagement can be more efficient.
For a deeper look at the co-managed model specifically, read what co-managed IT is and which providers do it well.
What to do next
Compare published starting prices on our pricing page, then book a call to talk through which model fits how your IT is staffed today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between fully managed and co-managed IT?
Ownership. In fully managed IT, the provider runs your entire IT function. In co-managed IT, your internal IT team stays in charge and the provider handles the functions or skills you assign, such as the help desk, after-hours support or specialized engineering.
Is co-managed IT cheaper than fully managed IT?
It depends on how much you hand off. Co-managed IT covers only part of the work, so the provider’s fee is often lower, but you are also paying internal IT salaries. Compare the total cost of your team plus the provider against a fully managed plan.
Does DivergeIT offer both fully managed and co-managed IT?
Yes. ManageIT is DivergeIT’s fully managed service, starting at $1,575/month for Core on a 3-year agreement. AugmentIT is its co-managed service, with help desk priced per user against ManageIT tiers and engineering scoped individually.
Can we move from co-managed to fully managed IT later?
Yes. Many organizations change models when internal staffing changes, such as when an IT manager retires. With a provider that offers both models, the transition happens without changing vendors or relearning a new team.
Do co-managed clients get the same response guarantees?
At DivergeIT, yes. AugmentIT carries the same 15-minute guaranteed ticket response and 5-minute live expert guarantee as the fully managed ManageIT plans, with a $100 invoice credit if a live expert is not reached in time.
