Choose around responsibility
Start with the people you already have
Does your business have an internal IT person or team? What work can they reasonably own? List their current responsibilities and the areas where capacity or specialist experience is missing.
Fully managed IT
A fully managed relationship gives the business an external IT team responsible for the agreed environment. It can fit an organization that wants to outsource day-to-day support and management instead of building an internal department.
Co-managed IT
A co-managed relationship complements internal expertise. Your team keeps agreed responsibilities while an external partner takes on defined work or brings additional technical depth. The important detail is the division of responsibility, not the label.
Discuss the difficult cases
Ask how the relationship handles work that spans software, devices, and vendors. Complex Microsoft 365 transitions or industry-specific software issues may need project expertise alongside everyday support.
Put the model in writing
Define the supported systems, responsibilities, access requirements, support coverage, and separately scoped work. That gives both teams a common understanding of the relationship.