There are two type of IT services. Managed and Break/Fix
Break/Fix is, as the name implies, a time and material, if it breaks we fix it mentality. This may seem like a great solution and for some it may be. But this approach can be unpredictable and costs can become unmanageable. Factor in time and materials to fix and a single issue can quickly become $1000 or more dollars just for IT work.
Managed Services are a proactive approach to IT services. With Managed Services, we look to minimize downtime be taking a proactive approach to IT. Your systems are constantly monitored for issues and are frequently resolved before they result in downtime.
Let look at a common scenario we see all the time. Lets say you’re a manufacturer and your shipping computer hard drive fills up. the computer is slow or wont start. You have a loading dock full of product to go out but you can’t print shipping labels fast enough or at all.
This is a nightmare but what is the real cost with break fix? I’ll let you apply the numbers but here are just some of the costs to include.
- You have a days production stopped.
- You have an employee that is less or non-productive
- You have a computer that is down and needs some type of repair or replacement
- You have wait to for support to arrive or remote in, if possible.
- You are now paying an IT person to sit in that seat that your shipping manager should be in.
It all adds up very quickly but it can be worse. What if parts need to be ordered? It can be days.
Lets look at that same issue with Managed Services. Hard drives don’t normally just fill up, it takes time. With Managed Service we see it coming days, weeks, months ahead of time. We try to remove some junk data and if we can’t free enough space, we let you know and we order a new drive. Then we schedule the replacement for off production time so that you can remain at full production. All from our office and never causing a stoppage on your end, in any way. Managed Services are invoiced on a monthly basis, per system. You know, in advance, what you’ll pay for IT services and you will always have a trained professional looking over your shoulder. It’s the closet you’ll come to have your own IT department without having to pay someone $50,000 a year to wait for problems.