About a decade ago--when managed IT services were just starting to gain traction--one of the major selling points was that break/fix was expensive, because not only was the machine you needed fixed, broken, your business had to eat the cost of downtime. Now that many businesses have benefited from the proactive approach to IT management, and managed IT services are a big part of business for a lot of companies, one question is left unanswered: What happens when technology breaks under a managed IT services agreement? This month, we’ll answer that question.
Remote Management
Before we start, we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you why managed IT services are superior to the break/fix method. All technology will fail, it’s inevitable, but with managed IT services, that hardware is constantly monitored, managed, and maintained so that small issues--that typically would be cause for concern--don’t turn into costly problems for your business. The more time and effort taken to ensure that your business’ technology is running properly, the longer that technology will last. All the problems that are circumvented through remote monitoring and management will pay for a managed services agreement, and then some.
Failing Technology and Resulting Downtime
Since your technology is monitored carefully, if a piece of hardware is going to fail, our knowledgeable technicians will know before it does, allowing you to replace the technology before it starts to have a negative effect on your business’ operations. Under the break/fix method, once the technology breaks, that’s it. You’ll either have to get the technology fixed or purchase new technology.
The same is true under a managed services agreement, but the big differentiator is that you won’t be dealing with downtime. Downtime is the most expensive part of failing technology. Sure, a server can cost up to $10,000, but if it breaks it’s going to take a long time to get a new one up and working. Think about how much revenue would be lost paying for your staff’s salaries, and all of your other business expenses, without the benefit of the revenue streams that make your business run. How long could you last like that, realistically?
Onsite Managed Services
Since most of a managed IT services company’s value is keeping your technology up and running, we try not to spend a lot of time supporting your IT onsite. The simple reason is that if we can complete a lion’s share of your IT support and services remotely, it cuts down on each of our costs. That being said, however, if you need to deploy new technology, you need someone to organize your networking, or any other technology initiative you roll out, a managed services provider will be there in person to complete any assigned work.
If your technology breaks, your managed IT service provider will actively try to remedy the situation quickly to keep downtime to an absolute minimum. These technicians are professionally trained and provide all the benefits of a break/fix vendor as a part of a monthly flat-rate agreement. After all, their job is to support your business’ technology.
Not All Managed IT Vendors Are the Same
Since managed IT services are very common, especially for small and medium-sized companies, you then have to make a determination of which one to use. Often times, managed service providers (MSPs) will claim to be the answer for your technology cost overruns only to take advantage of the compromised position a company’s IT is in to make a quick buck.
At Grove Networks, however, we understand that ours is an extremely competitive market, and take pride in bringing the value of comprehensive outsourced IT services to Florida businesses. If you have any questions about how our brand of managed IT services is not only better than break/fix, but also better than our competitors, call one of our knowledgeable IT consultants today at (305) 448-6126 to see just how we can help your business grow by supporting your critical IT systems.
