When it comes to sustaining technology, companies typically choose between a break-fix model or partnering with a managed service provider (MSP). Break-fix solves immediate problems, but managed services take a more holistic, strategic approach. This article provides an in-depth comparison of break-fix support vs managed IT services to help identify the better fit.
Table of Contents
Demystifying the Break-Fix Model
With break-fix IT support, companies pay fees on an as-needed, hourly basis only when critical problems require urgent troubleshooting and resolution. For example, if servers crash, the provider charges to respond and restore the systems.
Key characteristics of break-fix services:
- Pay only for specific work performed, such as hourly billing for an IT technician to troubleshoot issues as requested. No recurring monthly fees.
- Receive support on-demand to diagnose pressing incidents and system failures, with rapid response once critical issues are identified.
- Approach is reactive in nature, with no proactive monitoring, maintenance, or optimization performed to prevent problems before they occur.
- Provides minimal technology strategy or infrastructure planning. The sole focus is resolving immediate critical issues quickly in a one-off manner.
- Works for simple, transactional services like memory upgrades or PC troubleshooting without continuous management.
While the affordability of paying only for what you use is appealing initially, the break-fix model often lacks holistic or strategic technology guidance. Hourly support rates are also typically higher compared to managed services.
Demystifying Managed IT Services
With managed IT services, a provider proactively monitors, maintains, supports, and enhances all areas of a company’s technology through ongoing maintenance agreements and technical expertise. This preventative approach can stop many issues from occurring altogether.
Key characteristics of managed services:
- Pay a predictable monthly fee to receive continuous monitoring, maintenance, and support across the technology environment.
- IT provider performs routine maintenance, patching, updates, and performance optimizations to maximize uptime and system health.
- Experts act as an extension of the in-house IT team, providing strategic guidance on infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity, cloud adoption, automation, and other improvements.
- Proactive models allow identifying and remediating minor issues before they cascade into disruptive outages and application failures.
- Ongoing partnership provides technology roadmap aligned with business goals for transformative initiatives across security, infrastructure, cloud adoption, and productivity.
While managed services have monthly costs, the enhanced support and strategic focus often saves money over time compared to only paying when systems fail.
Key Decision Factors: Break-Fix vs Managed Services
When determining between break-fix and managed models, compare how the approaches differ in these critical dimensions:
Cost Structure: Break-fix has variable hourly fees driven by unpredictable issues, while managed services provide predictable monthly fees for continual support.
Service Approach: Break-fix is reactive, only providing help once problems occur, while managed services take a proactive approach to optimize and secure technology.
Scalability: Managed services are inherently designed to scale smoothly with changing business needs. Break-fix struggles to accommodate growth.
Management Philosophy: Break-fix focuses narrowly on tactical issue resolution, while managed services oversee long-term strategy.
Cybersecurity: Break-fix offers minimal security protections, while managed services emphasize multilayered cybersecurity and compliance.
Performance: Managed services maintain optimal system performance while break-fix waits for slowdowns before responding.
Examining organizational needs and pain points across these areas provides clarity on which support model is the best match.
Is Managed Services or Break-Fix the Right Choice?
Ultimately, choosing between break-fix and managed IT services depends on several important factors:
Business Dependence on Technology
For businesses where technology availability and security are mission-critical, managed services warrant serious consideration for peace of mind. Break-fix could work for needs that are minimal or temporary.
Current and Projected Budget
While managed services have monthly fees, they often cost less per hour than ad hoc break-fix support long term. But managed services represent an ongoing commitment, while break-fix allows flexibility.
Internal Technical Resources
Lacking skilled in-house IT staff to handle escalations makes partnering with managed services providers more appealing for always-on reliability. Having sufficient internal resources may allow us to use more break-fix support.
Growth Trajectory and Scaling Needs
Fast-growing companies benefit most from the inherent scalability and flexibility of the managed services model. Stable organizations with static needs can sometimes sustain break-fix successfully.
For organizations seeking technology reliability without distraction, managed IT services often provide the most complete value and peace of mind, freeing up internal staff for strategic efforts. But break-fix can be selectively used to handle simple, discrete technology projects or basic needs when the budget requires it.
Making the Transition to Managed IT Services
For organizations ready to evolve beyond the break-fix model, switching to managed IT services involves:
Selecting an Ideal Technology Partner
Research managed service providers with expertise in your industry vertical and familiarity with your technology landscape. Assess their technical capabilities, security posture, support model and client references.
Planning a Structured Onboarding Process
Work jointly on transition plans detailing any new hardware or software needs, staff training requirements, service menu design, and knowledge transfer from your organization to the MSP.
Establishing Effective Support Processes
Document internal escalation procedures for smoothly transferring requests to the MSP’s help desk, ticketing system integrations, maintenance communication and reporting needs.
Reviewing and Negotiating the SLA
Carefully evaluate the proposed service level agreement (SLA) to ensure support hours, response times, uptime guarantees, and performance metrics align with your needs.
Budgeting for Proactive Improvement
Factor in service fees along with budget for continuous improvement initiatives in security, automation, cloud integrations, analytics and more based on the MSP’s strategic guidance.
With meticulous MSP selection, planning and change management, aligning with managed IT services empowers lasting technology success.
Key Takeaway: Break-Fix vs. Managed IT Services
Overall, while break-fix can provide quick relief for pressing incidents, relying solely on this reactive model often leads to disjointed technology strategy and deficiencies in security, reliability and performance over time. Managed IT services deliver superior infrastructure strategy, system stability and data protection through expert guidance and proactive management.
Organizations must evaluate their unique risk profile, growth needs and technology environment when deciding between the two models. Those choosing managed services benefit tremendously by picking the right provider, investing in knowledge transfer, and budgeting for continuous improvement initiatives. For many businesses, aligning with a modern MSP proves transformational.
Conclusion
In summary, while break-fix serves a purpose for transactional services, relying solely on this reactive model often hinders technology strategy, system stability and data protection over the long-term. Managed IT services provide complete technology oversight through specialized expertise, continual optimization and strategic alignment lacking in break-fix engagements.
Organizations must assess their unique risk factors, business reliance on IT, internal skill sets, and growth trajectory when determining if managed services make sense. For those deciding to evolve, choosing the right partner and investing in knowledge transfer eases the transition and unlocks lasting benefits.
FAQs
Yes, many organizations leverage managed services for critical infrastructure and production systems while still retaining break-fix support for peripheral technology like printers, accessories or secondary locations.
Frequent outages, lack of in-house skills to handle escalations, increasing business reliance on technology, and desire for long-term strategy guidance are telltale signs a more proactive model is needed. Migrating legacy systems to modern platforms also presents a perfect chance to engage an MSP.
Common pricing models include per user, per device, and all-inclusive monthly fees covering a defined menu of proactive services, support response levels, cybersecurity protection, and cloud and infrastructure management. Costs scale up depending on services needed.
