Both models bring an MSP into your business — they just divide the work differently. Here's how to tell which one fits your team, budget and compliance needs.
Choose co-managed IT if you already have a capable in-house IT person or team and need to extend their reach — security, 24/7 coverage, projects or compliance. Choose fully managed IT if you have no internal IT (or one stretched admin) and want a single partner to own it all. Most 10–50-seat SMBs without dedicated IT are better served by fully managed.
Co-managed IT is a partnership. Your in-house staff keep day-to-day ownership and institutional knowledge; the MSP plugs the gaps they can't cover alone — typically 24/7 monitoring, advanced security tooling, after-hours response, large projects, or compliance documentation. Nobody gets replaced; your team simply gets backup, better tools and a safety net.
With fully managed IT, the MSP owns the whole function: helpdesk, monitoring and maintenance, cybersecurity, backups and compliance. You get one accountable partner and one predictable per-seat bill, and your team stops doing IT firefighting entirely.
Have skilled IT staff you want to keep? Co-managed. No IT or one overloaded admin? Fully managed.
Fully managed is usually better value than hiring even one full-time admin. See per-seat pricing.
In a regulated industry like finance or healthcare? Either model works if the MSP owns the evidence.
AiVigil offers both models. Most of our 10–50-seat healthcare and finance clients choose fully managed for the single point of accountability. [ confirm split with current client data ]
A partnership where an MSP works alongside your existing in-house IT. You keep day-to-day ownership and the MSP fills gaps — security, monitoring, after-hours coverage, projects or compliance — instead of replacing staff.
The MSP owns your entire IT and security function — helpdesk, monitoring, security, backups and compliance. Best for SMBs with no in-house IT or a single stretched admin.
It depends on what you already have. Fully managed is usually better value with no internal IT, since hiring one admin costs more than a managed plan. Co-managed fits when you already employ capable IT staff and only need to extend their reach.
Book a free IT & security risk assessment and we'll recommend the right model for your team, budget and compliance needs — no obligation.
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