Nowadays, the majority of companies rely on technology. While digitalization has helped to improve the efficiency in the workspace, it can do serious damage if broken down. That is when IT services come in handy.
For years, businesses depended on a break & fix model. It was obvious that you react only when it’s necessary. Nobody thought of hiring IT specialists full-time to manage their systems. This is slowly changing as companies start to appreciate the benefits of managed services. What is the difference between them and which one you should go for?
Break & Fix Services
Break & fix model focuses on the occurrence of an error and makes sure it is dealt with as soon as possible. It is a strick reactive approach and the company has to report a problem in order to get it fixed. That is why a growing number of businesses are moving to managed services as this one seems to be outdated and generally ineffective.
Nevertheless, break & fix does its job pretty well. How does it work exactly? When something within your IT infrastructure breaks down, you need to call the IT provider and report the issue. An IT specialist is then assigned to resolve the problem either remotely or on-site. After a thorough diagnosis, he fixes it and your company is billed, and so on every time something breaks again.
Advantages of break & fix model:
- you pay only for what has been performed, no subscription required
- more control over your IT networks as you can decide whether you want to hire an IT specialist or not
- lower initial cost
Unfortunately, the list of disadvantages is much longer. The company has to report every single issue, which could be a nuisance, not to mention this is not time-efficient at all. Even though there’s no flat monthly fee, the cost could increase significantly if there are numerous issues as you pay for each one of them separately.
Also, IT professionals might not be familiar with your system, therefore, troubleshooting could take while. They’re not obligated to implement any long-term solutions, so you may come across break & fix providers, who will make sure the issue has been solved only on the surface.
Managed Services
When it comes to managed services, it provides a company with a team of IT specialists who take care of systems. Unline break & fix model, experts never stop working to prevent issues from happening or fix them right away if they do. They actively monitor your IT network and when a problem occurs, special software notifies them directly so that they can take care of it instantly.
Precise IT claims that this proactive approach is extremely beneficial for a company as they practically don’t need to do anything. The issues are dealt with right away and you might not even know something was wrong with the network. Your entire IT infrastructure is shifted to a third-party. Troubleshooting can be done on-site or remotely thanks to advanced software and latest technologies.
The biggest advantages of managed services:
- unlimited 24/7 IT support
- helpdesk support
- flat monthly fee
- IT experts take care of your network
- regular updates
- extensive error prevention
- the company doesn’t need to report issues as they are constantly monitored
- managed services are more reliable and cost-efficient in the long run
There are, however, several drawbacks with managed services. As a company, you need to sign a contract, you can call it a subscription. This means you will be forced to use the managed services from your provided for a year or longer. You don’t know if they are reliable and the quality is good. Also, if there are no issues with your network in a particular month, you still need to pay the flat rate you agreed on.
Choose the Best Option for Your Company
Should you go for break & fix or managed services? This entirely depends on the type of business you run. Every industry requires a various amount of IT help, therefore you should opt for services that are tailored to your specific needs.
Use break & fix services if your budget is limited and you know there won’t be much to fix. Also, if you already have a team of IT specialists, you don’t need to use managed services, so the break & fix model is a much better option. This is a perfect solution for companies that don’t depend on their IT systems entirely, so a little delay won’t do much damage.
But if you run a digital business or one that relies on network 24/7 you should decide to use managed services. With a predictable monthly fee, your company will always be charged at the same price no matter how many issues have occurred. Software developers at Miropoint state that thanks to advanced software, low-risk downtime is maintained and the business will not suffer from delays. Also, the improvements will be implemented regularly to ensure the systems work properly for a longer time.
Final Thoughts
Managed services provide a much better solution to the majority of companies, although we cannot underestimate the break & fix model completely, as there are businesses that might benefit from it more than by paying a flat monthly fee. Nevertheless, you should evaluate your company’s needs and go for the option that will best suit your expectations and budget.
View GizmoBolt Tech Blog
