Choosing how to pay for IT
Managed IT or break/fix: which one fits your business?
Paying for IT only when something breaks can look cheaper. Sometimes it is. Here’s how the two models actually behave, and how to tell which one fits a business your size.
The hard part
Why the cheaper option can cost more
With break/fix, the person fixing your IT earns more when things go wrong.
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What it costs you
Every problem is a new invoice, so people hesitate before calling, and small issues grow.
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What it feels like
Between visits, nobody is watching the backups, the updates or the sign-ins.
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Why it shouldn’t be this way
Whoever looks after your IT should do better when your IT is quiet, not when it breaks.
Side by side
How the two models behave
Same business, same year, two ways of paying for IT.
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How you pay
Per visit or per hour, after the work is done.
Managed IT One monthly number, agreed before you start.
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When they show up
When you call.
Managed IT Monitoring finds many problems before your staff notice them.
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Updates
When someone remembers.
Managed IT On a schedule, with anything skipped reported to you.
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Backups
Checked when you need them, which is too late.
Managed IT Restores tested on a schedule.
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Security
Whatever was set up last time.
Managed IT Sign-in security and protection on every computer, kept current.
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Planning
None.
Managed IT A plan and a budget for what’s coming, on Fully Managed.
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What they earn from
Your problems.
Managed IT Keeping problems from happening.
Honestly
When break/fix is enough
If you have two or three computers, everything lives in the cloud, and an afternoon of downtime costs you little, a good local technician on call may be all you need. We’d rather tell you that than sell you a plan you don’t need yet.
It stops being enough when you hold data you’d be in trouble for losing, when people can’t work without their computers, or when nobody can tell you the last time a backup was tested.
Who we are
Why we don’t sell break/fix
We don’t offer a pay-per-visit plan, on purpose. Unscheduled repair work competes with the clients who count on us, and it rewards the wrong thing. Our fee is flat, so every problem we prevent is one we don’t have to fix. One-off projects for businesses that aren’t clients are quoted as a defined project, so you know the price before we start.
Flat fee
We do better when your IT is quiet.
Watched between calls
Updates, backups and sign-ins are checked on a schedule.
Sized to you
IT Essentials for small cloud-based teams, Fully Managed for 15 to 70 people.
Honest fit
If you don’t need us yet, we’ll say so.
Where to start
Where to start
The choice is yours.
- A small team, mostly in the cloud. IT Essentials →
- A team of 15 to 70 who want IT fully handled. Our Fully Managed IT Support Program →
- Not sure which fits? Start with a few questions about your tech. Test the maturity of your tech →
What success looks like
IT you stop thinking about.
And a bill you can predict.
- You call when something’s wrong, without checking the budget first.
- Problems get found before your staff find them.
- You know what IT will cost this year.
Questions about managed IT and break/fix
Is managed IT worth it for a small business?
It depends on how much a bad day costs you. If people can’t work without their computers, or you hold data you can’t lose, a monthly plan usually costs less than the problems it prevents.
When is break/fix enough?
For a very small team with everything in the cloud and little riding on an afternoon of downtime, a good local technician may be all you need.
Is managed IT more expensive than break/fix?
In a quiet month, yes. Over a year, often not, because the invoices that break/fix produces arrive at the worst times and nobody budgets for them.
We already have a technician we like. Should we switch?
Not necessarily. Ask them who checks your backups and updates between visits. If the answer is nobody, that’s the gap a monthly plan fills.
Do you do one-off projects?
Yes. For businesses that aren’t clients, a one-off job is quoted as a defined project, so you know the price before we start.
How long is a managed IT agreement?
Ours run twelve months and commit both ways. See what’s included →
Not sure which fits?
Answer a few questions about your tech, or book a free IT risk review. We’ll tell you honestly, even if the answer is that you don’t need us yet.