Managed Services

The Break-Fix Model

 The break-fix business model is a familiar one to many businesses, whether they are in IT or not. Computers, like any product, have a shelf life. Parts wear out, software quickly becomes outdated and most modern businesses have a need to ensure that their networks are adequately maintained. With the break-fix model, a company might have a ‘computer guy’ – a person or business that they could call when a workstation began to act up or the email went down. Generally, the technician would attend the business premises and charge an hourly rate to put things right.

  This was a reactive solution, and one that often came with a lot of frustration due to the time it could potentially take to fix things. It was also an expensive solution. Rather than having systems monitored so that there were a chance to avoid common IT problems, the break-fix model only seeks to address issues after they’ve already occurred.

  Another issue with the break-fix model is that if the company in question doesn’t have an IT manager, then there is no one to apply the necessary software updates and keep an eye on the network. One consequence of this is a heightened risk of malware attacks, for example. The main problem with the break-fix model as a stand-alone IT support service is that it doesn’t align with the client’s needs well. The customer only sees their support technician after the event, when things go wrong and seeing him walk through the door means one thing to the business owner or manager: ‘This is going to cost me lots of money.’ 

Why Managed Services?

  Small businesses need technology to operate efficiently and to compete effectively. But as reliance on IT grows, the resources needed to support this increasingly complex IT environment may not. In many small businesses, IT resources are limited and can be quickly overwhelmed.

 If you fall behind in keeping up with things such as backups, patches and security, the odds greatly increase that you’ll face an IT outage or another problem down the road that will negatively impact your business. For instance, if your Email server, customer relationship management system, financial application or network goes down, you will likely face substantial productivity and revenue losses as a result.

 Today, no business can really afford the risk and uncertainty of relying on a “Break-fix maintenance service” because your business is too dependent on having a reliable IT system. Furthermore, having separate suppliers responsible for different parts of the system puts you in the difficult position of trying to decide who should be delivering the service you require. You simply do not have time for this.

 Benefits of Managed Services

  One of the biggest benefits of Managed Services is discovering and fixing problems before they can negatively affect your business. 

A well maintained, proactively serviced computer network will always run better than the alternative. With proactive network monitoring, patch management, and desktop optimization performed on a regular basis, you will notice a tremendous difference in operations… and you will reap the benefits of preventing fires, rather than fighting them. 

Other Benefits include:

• Increased operational efficiency
• Reduced operating costs
• Cost-effective access to enterprise-level support
• Minimized downtime
• Allows the focus to be on running the business, and not the technology