If your business is only paying for IT support when something goes wrong, this may at first seem like the cheaper option. There’s no monthly contract and, when everything is working, there’s nothing to pay. You don’t have to manage a monthly contract or any ongoing fees when everything is running smoothly.

The problem is that the true cost of an IT issue is rarely limited to only the engineer’s invoice.

If your employees can’t work on priorities for half a day because a system is unavailable or a fault suddenly brings everything to a standstill, the bill could extend beyond the cost of getting an IT engineer involved.

So, how do managed services differ from traditional IT support and which approach is more economical for your organisation?

Is it best to pay for a fix or for prevention?

Break-fix IT support is reactive: you contact a provider when something goes wrong, they investigate and resolve the issue, and you pay for the work carried out, generally at a higher hourly rate. 

In truth, this scenario can be helpful for small organisations that have not integrated much technology into their operations and can still cope if there is an irregular interruption. 

On the other hand, managed IT support sees beyond the short term. Rather than wait for a problem to hamper your business, working with a managed IT support provider enables you to effectively maintain your IT environment on a continual basis. 

In this situation, you may have a monthly agreement which manages support, system monitoring, updates and security. Overall, the major difference isn’t how you pay, but when your IT provider is involved in your workflows. 

Learn more here: What is managed IT support: a plain English guide for UK businesses

The hidden cost of break-fix IT support

An hourly IT invoice is easy to spot in the accounts. Downtime is less obvious. Think about a scenario where an important application stops working during a busy day in your business. 

Some of your employees can’t get on with their work, resulting in a client project being delayed. You then have to spend time chasing support provision and wait for the engineer to diagnose the issue in an unfamiliar system before starting a repair.

Notably, none of these costs will ever appear on your IT invoice but they will be costing you money over time and are a direct consequence of the IT problem. 

This is why it’s vital that businesses assessing managed IT support vs break-fix models should look at the total cost of an IT issue, rather than comparing a monthly fee with the cost of a break-fix callout. 

At Integrity, our approach is built around preventing disruption where possible, identifying issues early and giving clients ongoing access to a team that already understands their systems and infrastructure.

Read more in our article: Does your small business really need IT support?

Proactive monitoring can catch problems early

One of the practical differences with managed support is what happens between support calls. Remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools continuously monitor supported devices and systems, then create an alert when something requires investigating further. 

For example, an exposed device or unusual system condition that could lead to something more serious. This could be a device running low on storage, a failed service, a missed update or another warning condition that could develop into a more serious problem.

The advantage is that your provider has a chance to deal with problems while they are still manageable, rather than starting the investigation when your whole business is brought to a halt. 

Browse more information: How to reduce IT downtime in a small business: 9 practical steps

Security is part of the cost calculation

There is another reason the reactive approach is becoming harder to justify: cybersecurity.

The latest UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 43% of UK businesses had experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the previous 12 months, equivalent to around 612,000 businesses.

Essentially, security is no longer something to research after an incident. Regular monitoring and appropriate safety controls all have a role to play in reducing exposure.

For a business holding customer information, financial records or commercially sensitive data, that consideration can be more important than the difference between a monthly contract and a one-off payment. 

Which option makes financial sense for you?

Break-fix support can still make sense where technology plays only a minor role in day to day operations and the business can comfortably absorb downtime.

For a business where your employees depend on IT every day, the calculation is naturally going to be different. A predictable monthly cost buys ongoing IT oversight and an opportunity to deal with faults before they interrupt your priorities. 

That said, not every managed IT package will be good value. The service you choose needs to match the nature of your business and your use of technology. It’s sensible to make sure that your contract is clear about the services you will receive. 

If unexpected IT bills or downtime are becoming all too familiar headaches, waiting for the next IT breakdown seems counterproductive. 

Thinking about moving away from break-fix support? Book a chat with Integrity and discuss a more proactive approach to your IT.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between managed IT support and break-fix support?

Break-fix support is reactive: you call a provider when something goes wrong and pay for the work once it's resolved. Managed IT support is proactive and ongoing, a monthly agreement covering monitoring, updates, security and support, so faults can be caught and handled before they disrupt your business. The core difference is when your provider gets involved, not just how you pay.

Is managed IT support or break-fix cheaper?

It depends on how much your business relies on technology. Break-fix can look cheaper because you only pay when there's a problem, but that figure ignores the cost of downtime, lost productivity and delayed client work. For businesses that depend on IT, managed support can provide better overall value because the calculation includes not only support costs, but also downtime, lost productivity, disruption and the value of ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

Does managed IT support help with Cybersecurity?

Yes. Managed IT support helps with cybersecurity by building ongoing monitoring, patching and security controls into your agreement, all of which reduce your exposure to attacks. For any business holding customer, financial or commercially sensitive data, that protection is well worth having.

The exact level of cybersecurity cover will depend on the services included in your agreement, so it's worth checking what's covered before you commit.

When does break-fix IT support make sense?

Break-fix can still be a reasonable choice for smaller organisations that haven't integrated much technology into their operations and can absorb the occasional interruption without much impact. If an outage for a few hours wouldn't seriously affect your work or your clients, a pay-as-you-go model may be enough.

Do I still pay for managed IT support if nothing goes wrong? 

Yes, because you aren't simply paying for faults to be fixed. You're paying for the ongoing monitoring, maintenance, security, access to expertise, support availability and management designed to keep your technology and organisation working in the first place, while you concentrate on doing what you do best, running your business.