The break-fix model seems appealing on the surface from a cost perspective. Rather than paying for proactive IT management, you only have to pay when an issue arises. But when you take a closer look, there are issues with this thought process.
Consider your car for a moment. You probably take it in every few thousand miles to get an oil change, to get the tires rotated, and to have the mechanic take a look and see how various parts are holding up. You trust the mechanic because that’s their expertise, and you know that if there is a failing part or incomplete maintenance, your car will at some point break down. While you may have saved $50 on an oil change, you now may be dealing with a repair that will cost thousands of dollars. On top of that, you’re probably concerned that additional issues will pop up down the road as a result of the improper maintenance. If the issues become too much to deal with, you may wind up having to buy a new car altogether.
In the same way, a computer network needs maintenance. While the cost may be greater upfront, this proactive approach to IT management can save your company untold thousands of dollars over the long haul. Keeping your customers’ data secure, running necessary software updates, providing the proper hardware as needed, and ensuring that data backed up regularly are just a few of the ways that the MSP model can work to reward your company’s investment.
By minimizing your company’s exposure to security threats and hardware failures, you are also maximizing productivity by reducing downtime. With proactive IT management and remote support available, you can reduce the impact of inevitable tech issues like network outages. In doing so, your employees are freed up to focus on their job duties and, in turn, hopefully drive revenue for your office. To recap, Managed IT Services can actually help reduce costs and increase productivity. This is achieved through a number of avenues, including minimizing downtime, proactively monitoring your company’s network, backing up data regularly, and making sure your hardware and software are up-to-date and secure. The break-fix model of IT Management can fix issues as they arise, but does not guarantee that other problems won’t arise in the future. Similar to proper car maintenance, it’s important to consider how to effectively maintain your company’s computer network.