Managed Services; A Better Way to do IT.

People often ask me, "why managed services?" Why not just pay for the service we need, as we need it? Here's why...

In the IT industry there are two business models. Break/Fix and Managed Services. The break/fix model is simple; when something breaks, you call in the computer repair company to fix it. When that problem is fixed, you don't hear from them until the next time something breaks. In this business model it is actually to the computer repair company's advantage if your issues occur more often and so, while they are good at their jobs, they are typically not focused on finding the root cause of any issues. Most break/fix companies are charging a flat fee per visit, but this is pretty easy to do since they know that statistically the majority of visits will likely take 20 minutes or less. All those short $100 visits will more than make up for the ones that take longer, over any length of time. If you require an actual IT professional consultant to review and repair your systems, not simply a PC repair technician, the going rate is around $125 to $150/hr.

Managed Services on the other hand, turns this scenario completely around. Managed services are generally contracted at a monthly fee, based on the number of devices in a business, and would include help desk and on site support in that monthly fee. Because of this, managed services companies invest a lot of money in network monitoring software, remote assistance technologies and network management information systems in order to take the most proactive of approaches. The managed services company is truly your partner, as their goal is to make sure that your need for their support is minimized in every way possible. They actively attempt to predict and repair issues on your network before they occur, to minimize support calls, or ensure that any calls can be handled quickly and easily. Software patches, antivirus and user security management all play critical roles in an MSP's day to day activities, as the more prepared they are to minimize your network's down time, the more money they make.

When should you consider managed services? Unless you are experiencing an unusually high number of issues with your network, it's typically most economical to utilize this service at approximately 10 computers and a server. This is the minimum requirement for most IT Service Providers. However, there are other considerations which can be made for smaller networks, if ongoing support is needed.

Bracer Systems offers both Break/Fix support and Managed Services. If Managed Services sounds right for your company, book your free network evaluation today, by emailing helpdesk@bracer.ca or call us at 587-400-9573.