Imagine you’re driving on a remote road when your car suddenly breaks down. You’re stuck, miles from help, and searching for a solution. This is what relying on break/fix IT support feels like: your IT breaks, they just fix it, nothing else. No work is done to stop issues from happening.
But what if you had a trusted mechanic who not only fixes your car but also prevents breakdowns? This is what having a contract with your IT support provider feels like.
Whether you run a large corporation or a small startup, contracted support can make sure your tech journey is smoother, smarter, and more cost-effective. Let’s have a look at how.
The Break/Fix Method
When your computers crash, your network goes haywire, or your software refuses to cooperate, it disrupts everything. The traditional break/fix model involves calling IT support only when something goes wrong. This reactive strategy leaves you vulnerable to costly downtime, data breaches, and customer dissatisfaction.
Downsides to the Break/Fix method.
- Unpredictable Costs: Break/fix support is unpredictable. You can’t anticipate when problems will occur or how much they’ll cost to fix.
- Security Vulnerabilities: A purely reactive approach doesn’t keep your systems properly updated, giving cyber criminals the opportunity to breach your defences.
- Downtime: Only being reactive to critical IT issues can cause significant downtime, leading to financial loss and damaging your reputation.
- Data Loss: Problems can escalate before help arrives, risking further data loss.
- Lack of Familiarity: IT support providers may not fully understand your business needs or recent improvements, leading to ineffective problem-solving and zero strategic planning support.
So, let’s show you how we do it instead.
A Contracted Partnership
A contract transforms your IT support provider into a proactive partner, actively monitoring your IT infrastructure and preventing issues before they arise.
Benefits of Contracted IT Support
- Early Problem Detection: Your IT partner actively monitors your systems, spotting irregularities and potential issues early, 24/7.
- Swift Intervention: Issues are addressed proactively, often before you are even aware of them.
- Reduced Downtime: Proactive IT support minimises downtime, keeping your business going.
- Cost Savings: A regular fee for proactive IT support prevents major IT disasters, saving money in the long run. It can also work out cheaper in case of emergencies, as prices are usually agreed in advance or included within the contract.
- Enhanced Security: Proactive support keeps your systems updated with the latest security patches and monitors for evolving threats.
- A genuine relationship: A dedicated account manager and optional onsite engineers means you can build a real relationship with your contracted partner.
- Personal touch: A good relationship means personalised advice on improvements, new technologies, business standards and more.
Move Beyond a Transactional Relationship
As a partner, your IT support provider gains a deeper understanding of your business, allowing for personalised support aligned with your objectives and your staff gain more trust with every interaction they have.
- Tailored Solutions: We can suggest customised solutions to enhance your efficiency and productivity.
- Strategic Planning: As experts we can help with your strategy for future tech investments.
- Scalability: IT infrastructure designed to scale with your business growth.
- Continuous Improvement: Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) will identify opportunities to optimise and innovate.
A contract-based model fosters a partnership where your IT team becomes an extension of your business, keeping you one step ahead.
- Personalised Attention: An IT partner gets to know your business processes and objectives.
- Direct Communication: You have a direct line to your IT experts, ensuring prompt assistance.
- Trusted Advisors: IT experts guide technology decisions and recommend cost-effective solutions.
- Proactive Collaboration: IT partners actively collaborate to optimise your tech infrastructure.
- Preventive Care: Regular system assessments and software updates keep your systems in peak condition, addressing potential issues before they disrupt your day-to-day business.
Robust Security Measures
Contract-based IT support provides up front, ongoing and reactive security measures:
- Updates and Patches: Regular updates reduce vulnerabilities.
- Threat Monitoring: Continuous monitoring identifies potential threats.
- Security Awareness: Educating your team on security best practices empowers them to recognise threats.
- Incident Response: Swift response to security breaches minimises damage.
- Compliance with Regulations: IT support ensures compliance with industry regulations and data protection laws.
The Bottom Line
While it may feel easier with no commitment and only paying when you need it, break/fix support comes with financial and safety uncertainties. A contract-based model offers predictable costs with a fixed monthly fee covering all support, including proactive work and fixes. This allows you to focus on your core business activities, leading to greater efficiency, growth, and profitability.
So, if you’re thinking of moving from a break/fix approach to a contracted partnership, contact us for a no obligation chat. We can let you know what to expect and what to look for.
