Home / Case Studies / Beijer Ref Co-Managed IT
Case Study · Co-Managed IT

Beijer Ref strengthened its internal IT team with a defined co-managed operating model, not by replacing it

Beijer Ref had an experienced internal IT team that understood the business, supported users well and stayed close to day-to-day priorities. As the organisation grew, infrastructure, network, security and project demands began to exceed what the internal team could carry while maintaining daily operations. The issue was not internal IT capability — it was capacity, structure and the need for deeper engineering support behind the team.

Inlight IT was engaged to operate alongside the internal team, not replace it. The model separated user-facing operational support from deeper infrastructure, network and strategic delivery work, with clear accountability between both teams.

INTERNAL ITENGINEERING DEPTH SHARED OPERATING RHYTHM OWNS BUSINESSESCALATIONSENIOR DEPTH SHAREDSHAREDSHARED BEIJER / REFRIGERATION & HVAC / CO-MANAGED IT TWO TEAMS / CLEAR DOMAINS
Engagement at a glance

Beijer Ref — a defined co-managed IT operating model

How senior engineering depth was added behind a capable internal IT team.

Client
Beijer Ref
Industry
Industrial operations
Sector
Refrigeration, HVAC and climate technology
Environment
A capable internal IT team carrying broadening infrastructure, network, security, cloud and project demands alongside daily operations
Engagement type
Co-managed IT — a defined operating model separating user-facing support from senior engineering, infrastructure, network and project delivery
Operating model
User and business-facing ownership stayed with internal IT; senior engineering and technical delivery sat with Inlight IT
Outcome
Clearer ownership and escalation between both teams, with senior engineering depth added behind the internal team rather than over it
Key project stats

A defined operating model, not informal overflow help

2
teams, clear domains

The internal team kept user-facing ownership; Inlight IT carried the deeper technical layer — with clear accountability between both teams.

1
support rhythm

One defined operating model, kept current through regular alignment as the environment changed.

5
parts of the model

Defined ownership, clearer escalation, consistent technical-layer ownership, a strategic delivery path and regular alignment.

1st
line stayed internal

First-line triage, user relationships and day-to-day support stayed with the internal team, with a defined escalation path into Inlight IT.

Operating context

Co-managed IT works best when internal IT is not the problem

In many organisations the internal team knows the users, systems, business context and operational priorities better than any external provider could.

The pressure begins when that same team is expected to handle user support, access requests, daily operations, infrastructure lifecycle, network change, cyber controls, cloud platforms and strategic projects at once.

For Beijer Ref, the role was to preserve what internal IT already did well and add senior engineering depth where the environment needed more support.

Why this work mattered

A capable internal team can still be overloaded when the operating model is unclear

As organisations grow the work becomes broader — more users, more sites, more systems, more security expectations, more cloud and more infrastructure change. The question was not whether internal IT should stay; it should. The question was how to give the business deeper engineering support without weakening the internal team's role. The answer was a clear division of responsibility.

01

User and business-facing ownership stayed with internal IT

The internal team retained the work that depended most on business context: user relationships, local priorities, day-to-day support, onboarding, access coordination and first-line triage. Where an issue required deeper engineering support, there was a defined escalation path into Inlight IT rather than an informal handoff.

02

Senior engineering and technical delivery sat with Inlight IT

Inlight IT carried the deeper technical layer: infrastructure and network engineering, security and access improvement, Microsoft 365 technical depth where required, complex escalation, project delivery, roadmap input and lifecycle planning. That gave the internal team stronger backing without weakening its role.

03

The issue was capacity and structure, not capability

As the organisation grew, infrastructure, network, security and project demands began to exceed what the internal team could carry while maintaining daily operations. The issue was not internal IT capability — it was capacity, structure and the need for deeper engineering support behind the team.

04

Internal IT had to stay — and stay strong

The question was not whether internal IT should stay; it should. The question was how to give the business deeper engineering support without weakening the internal team's role.

05

The model had to be defined, not informal

The model was not treated as informal overflow help. It was structured so Beijer Ref knew what each team owned and how work moved between them, with clear accountability between both teams.

What Inlight IT delivered

Two teams, clear domains, one support rhythm

The model was built around a clear division of responsibility, defined before the pressure arrived rather than as informal overflow help.

01

The engagement started by defining who owned what

Responsibilities were separated explicitly so Beijer Ref knew what internal IT owned, what Inlight IT owned and how work moved between them.

Included
Defined responsibilitiesClear ownershipInternal IT domainInlight IT domainHow work moves between teamsAccountability between teams
02

Complex issues had a clearer escalation path

Issues that needed more than first-line support had a defined route into senior engineering, rather than landing back on an already-stretched internal team.

Included
Defined escalation routeSenior engineering backingBeyond first-line supportComplex issue handlingNo informal handoffsInternal load protected
03

The deeper technical layer gained more consistent ownership

Infrastructure, network and security work gained senior engineering ownership rather than being fitted around daily operations.

Included
Infrastructure engineeringNetwork engineeringSecurity & access improvementMicrosoft 365 technical depthSenior engineering ownershipConsistent delivery
04

Strategic work had a clearer delivery path

Project delivery no longer depended only on internal capacity left over after daily operations.

Included
Project deliveryRoadmap inputLifecycle planningDedicated delivery capacityStrategic projects movingBeyond leftover capacity
05

The model stayed useful through regular alignment

Regular alignment kept the division of responsibility current as the environment changed.

Included
Regular alignmentDivision of responsibility kept currentOperating model reviewsEnvironment change trackedOngoing engineering supportModel stays useful
Delivery approach

From role clarity to operating rhythm, then into ongoing engineering support

Select a stage to trace how the model moved from role clarity to operating rhythm.

Market context

Capable internal teams are often carrying more than the operating model was designed for

As organisations grow the work becomes broader — more users, more sites, more systems, more security expectations, more cloud and more infrastructure change. The internal team knows the users, systems and business context better than any external provider could; the pressure begins when that same team is expected to carry daily operations and the deeper technical layer at once. Beijer Ref's model gave that pressure a clear path instead of relying on ad hoc overflow.

2

Two defined domains: user and business-facing ownership with internal IT, senior engineering and technical delivery with Inlight IT.

1

One support rhythm, kept current through regular alignment as the environment changed.

5

Five parts of the model, from defining who owned what through to regular alignment.

1st

First-line triage stayed with the internal team, with a defined escalation path into senior engineering behind it.

Beijer Ref co-managed engagementInlight IT delivery record
What changed for the client

A co-managed IT model that strengthened internal IT without weakening it

The model preserved what internal IT already did well and added senior engineering depth where the environment needed more support, with clear accountability between both teams.

O·01

Internal IT stayed close to the business

The internal team kept the user relationships, business context and operational presence where they mattered most.

O·02

Senior engineering depth was added behind the team

Inlight IT provided infrastructure, network, security and delivery depth without removing the internal team's role.

O·03

Responsibilities were separated clearly

Both teams gained defined domains rather than overlapping, unclear ownership.

O·04

Escalation became clearer

Complex technical issues had a defined route into senior engineering.

O·05

Infrastructure and network work had a stronger delivery path

Lifecycle and change work moved without pulling the internal team off daily operations.

O·06

Strategic projects gained capacity

Project work no longer depended only on leftover internal capacity.

Net position

The issue was never internal IT capability. The model added capacity, structure and deeper engineering support behind the team — not over it.

Project outcomes

Clarity, not outsourcing

Outcome 01

Internal IT preserved

The internal team's value was kept, not replaced.

Outcome 02

Depth added behind the team

Senior engineering capability sat behind, not over, internal IT.

Outcome 03

Defined domains

Clear ownership across user-facing and engineering work.

Outcome 04

Clearer escalation

A defined path for complex technical issues.

Outcome 05

Stronger delivery path

Infrastructure, network and project work kept moving.

Outcome 06

Defined before escalation became informal

The operating model gave pressure a clear path instead of relying on ad hoc overflow.

Technology and service scope

The work connected internal IT enablement, senior engineering and operating-model definition

Operating model

6
  • Co-managed IT
  • Operating-model definition
  • Internal IT enablement
  • Defined responsibilities
  • Escalation path design
  • Regular alignment

Infrastructure and network

6
  • Infrastructure engineering
  • Network engineering
  • Infrastructure lifecycle planning
  • Network change
  • Cloud platform support
  • Lifecycle and change delivery

Security and Microsoft 365

6
  • Security & access improvement
  • Cyber controls
  • Access coordination
  • Microsoft 365 technical depth
  • Complex escalation
  • Senior escalation

Delivery and support

6
  • Project delivery
  • Roadmap input
  • First-line triage (internal IT)
  • Day-to-day support (internal IT)
  • Onboarding and access requests
  • Strategic delivery path
Practical next step

Need co-managed IT support that strengthens your internal team?

We add senior engineering depth alongside your internal team, scoped to defined responsibilities.

Discuss Co-Managed IT