As we continue to migrate to the digital space, ensuring and maintaining a reliable IT system has become a vital part of every business or organization.
According to an IT specialist from Dallas IT support company Morgan Systems, different organizations require different levels of IT services depending on their IT needs and requirements.
There are two ways to meet your IT needs: Managed Services and Break/Fix Services. Which one does your company or organization need? Let’s see.
Managed IT Services
Managed IT Services refers to an IT management model wherein the responsibility and risk associated with maintaining your IT infrastructure is shifted to a third-party, IT support company. The managed IT service provider actively monitors your IT network, usually using monitoring software, and addresses all issues as they arise. To avail of their service, you need to pay a monthly subscription.
Managed IT service providers continuously perform IT maintenance and recommend system upgrade to ensure that your IT systems run smoothly and are safe from threats. This model is pro-active and is focused on prevention.
Managed IT service providers are equipped with the latest technologies and are manned with experienced IT specialists and technicians. They are capable of troubleshooting issues with your IT system, either remotely or on-site. With managed IT services, you don’t have to worry about managing your IT system or hiring IT personnel to manage your system, hence, you can focus more on your priorities. Recent data shows that more and more businesses are outsourcing their IT needs to a third-party provider.
Advantages
- IT professionals with training and experience manage your systems, so in case of errors, you are assured that they can get your system back up and running instantly.
- Easy access to IT support in case you have questions or problems.
- 24/7 IT support with unlimited IT support and services
- Managed IT service providers are incentivized for maintaining the IT network trouble-free.
- Managed IT service providers would naturally want their client’s IT system running smoothly to minimize labor and retain customers.
- Continuous network surveillance and monitoring help identify and solve slowdowns and breaches more quickly.
- Predictable, fixed fee allows you to effectively estimate your business’ annual budget on IT services.
Disadvantages
- A recurrent fixed cost even if there are no IT system failures or problems.
- The need to pay an initial setup fee.
Break/Fix IT Services
The Break/Fix IT services work just like a handyman – you call them when there’s trouble. You contact your IT service provider when your IT infrastructure slows down, breaks or needs upgrading. The IT service provider then sends an IT specialist to check your network and resolve the problem. You’ll be billed once the service request is completed.
The Break/Fix IT service providers are judged by how quickly they respond to calls and how effectively they resolve a problem. They’re focused on troubleshooting. Normally, this type of IT service model is acceptable for organizations that don’t handle a tremendous amount of data, doesn’t rely heavily on their IT system, and rarely face major IT issues. This may also be acceptable for those with in-house IT departments, technical support, or tech-savvy personnel who can handle the majority of IT concerns.
Advantages
- You pay only when you call in the IT service provider.
- Lower costs initially.
- No recurrent service fees or subscription for an IT service provider.
Disadvantages
- The IT specialist responding to the service request may be clueless about the IT system and its history, hence might find a hard time troubleshooting the problem.
- The service provider might slow down on their work since the longer they spend fixing your IT system, the higher they can charge.
- The service provider is not motivated to implement long-term fixes, since the more frequent your requests are, the more money they make.
- If you have a recurrent problem, you’re billed separately for every service call.
- With less predictable IT costs, allocating budget for IT services becomes more challenging.
Final Thoughts
Evaluate your organization’s IT system requirements and find out which of these two service models will best meet your IT needs. If you choose to engage managed IT service, you won’t be alone. Many organizations are moving towards getting some outside help with their IT services. On the other hand, if you think you can handle your organization’s IT needs and simply ask help when absolutely necessary, prepare yourself and make sure that you’re ready to handle all sorts of IT problems and errors.
Finally, regardless of which option you choose, one thing’s for sure: IT issues aren’t going to disappear anytime soon, you certainly need to plan how to meet your organization’s IT needs.
