Many of those who are responsible for a business could tell you that managing it isn’t an easy task--and when IT is involved, it can very quickly get a lot more complicated. Of course, those that say that are more than likely using an antiquated, break-fix approach. Those who utilize managed IT services, however, will likely have a much different opinion.
The differences between break-fix and managed IT services can be summed up pretty succinctly. Break-fix comes with what’s on the box: your stuff breaks, and your IT resource fixes it. Managed IT services, on the other hand, operate in a more proactive fashion. Your technology is monitored so your IT resource can see issues coming and work on resolving them more quickly in order to minimize downtime.
While many businesses might look at these two approaches to IT maintenance and assume that break-fix is the more economically sound choice, they would be mistaken. While there are a very small few exceptions to the rule, taking the managed IT services route has a few other benefits that make it the more preferable option.
First, let’s examine costs. Comparing the two at face value, the pay-on-demand break-fix service seems like the cheaper option over the subscription-based managed IT service approach. Although, we must also accept that costs can be subjective, especially when you introduce value into the equation. Consider what you get when you practice a break-fix approach. You encounter an issue with your technology, so someone comes along, identifies the problem, and fixes it. However, with break-fix, there are other costs that come with the technician’s fees when dealing with tech that is experiencing issues; its capacity to enable productivity is compromised, if not removed outright.
As a result, the employee who uses that piece of technology will not be able to generate their typical levels of output, leading to a loss in profitability to the company as a whole. Plus, if they’re in the office, the business still has to pay them, essentially giving money away for an employee to be unable to strive toward the organization’s goals. This is the result whether a piece of tech is down for a few hours or a few days.
Network infrastructures aren’t infallible, after all, and an issue presenting itself there could easily lead to an entire workforce being benched until IT manages to sort out the issue. As a result, the business is no longer generating income, and is bleeding money out via the employee salaries and other expenses.
This is where managed IT services has the advantage compared to the break-fix approach.
At its core, the purpose of managed IT services is to avoid the repetitive pattern of excruciatingly costly downtime followed by an expensive, temporary patch that is characteristic of break-fix services. Consider it: the break-fix company is only getting paid when something goes wrong, which means that there is no motivation for them to provide any lasting solutions. Managed IT services, on the other hand, rely on the satisfaction of their clients, and are therefore motivated to keep their clients as happy as possible. This means that any issues the client encounters are treated as a top priority until they are resolved. As a result, downtime is minimized, if not completely avoided, allowing your business to continue uninterrupted.
Plus, not only can managed IT service clients expect to encounter minimal issues, their systems will also be maintained to promote their productivity.
If you think that a managed IT service approach sounds like a better fit for your organization’s needs, let us know. We have the experience to keep you on track without the headaches that come from IT issues. Give us a call at (215) 853-2266 today.
