Managed services and break-fix services play essential roles in supporting your business in IT-related matters. Small and medium entities face tough choices in deciding between the two aspects and complementing IT resources as well as personnel in place.
Managed Services vs. The Break-Fix Mentality
Just as the name suggests, the Break-fix mentality interacts with your business only when you experience IT problems.
The vendors of break-fix services send IT professionals to your location to provide remedies at your business location.
After finding a solution to your IT problem, you are charged for the services rendered. The break-fix services have no ongoing fees and do not tie you to any contracts.
On the contrary, managed services entails outsourcing service providers that share the responsibility for your IT system.
It creates an extensive and continuous relationship between your business and your service provider.
Such services work off your business premise and use their systems to supervise and deal with identified IT problems. Mostly, the problems are identified before you experience any system outages.
Why Break-fix is No Longer Good Enough for Your Business
Below are the main reasons why the break-fix mentality is not any good for your business.
Subdues Productivity
When you use this model, you are forced to assign your IT needs to your employees. Since this might be a good idea in the short term, it reduces the level of productivity and leads to wastage of resources.
Cost
In this IT model, you pay for labor, repairs, and consultation. It is impossible to budget for the issues, and there is no reasonable way of establishing whether you are paying a fair price.
Besides, there are no preventive measures that you can put in place to avoid any problems in the future. This leaves you susceptible to surprise system breakdowns and costs.
Extended Downtime
In this model, when you experience an IT problem, every minute costs you money. The sporadic nature of this model leads to extended repair time. The extended downtime and the additional repair time increases the cost making it undesirable.
Do Managed Services Cost More Than Traditional Break-Fix Services?
Managed services cost more than break-fix services. Managed services involve the provision of a recurrent service, which translates to recurrent expenses.
The services differ based on your business’s needs though it is vital to be proactive in using IT services to achieve business objectives.
When you use this IT model, you accrue higher upfront fees, monthly subscription fees, and monitoring fees.
Engaging a managed service provider increases the level of visibility and your capability to establish robust IT strategies. In as much as it is effective and creates accountability, the services cost more than the services rendered in the break-fix model.
How Are Managed Services Priced?
All businesses want to minimize costs, but that is just one factor you need to think about. Therefore, you need to understand all the pricing aspects of IT services models before you make a decision.
Managed IT services pricing is based on the following.
- The number of users
- Risks Involved
- Your needs
The price of managed services depends on the monthly cost per user, the coverage, the number of specialists, and the extent of coverage.
The level of support included and your levels of business that the support is designed for affects the pricing of managed services provided to you.
The Real Benefits of Managed Services
The benefits of managed services are clear. The model provides IT services to every aspect of your business. As a result, your entity achieves higher standards of IT services.
Implementing managed services in your business offers several benefits, including:
Enhanced Productivity
Outsourcing IT functions dedicate in-house IT experts to projects that promote innovation and enhance achievement of set objectives.
Promotes Scalability
Most entities find it more useful to start small and expand according to the growing needs. Managed services make it easy for you to scale either up or down and increase capacity depending on the scope of changes in your business needs.
Keeps Pace with Your IT Demands
When you outsource IT services or partner with skilled IT professionals, you alleviate the pressures associated with keeping pace with the dynamism of technology.
Contact us for professional advice on the best IT model for your business.