It’s Time To Break Up With Break/Fix

Are you wasting money with Break/Fix IT services, like so many other businesses today? There’s a better way: Managed Services.

Having the right tech is no longer a choice when it comes to running a business. Up-to-date hardware, software, and security solutions are now essential to your day-to-day operations.

Without ongoing support to keep your business tech running smoothly, you’re simply wasting your money, and setting your business up for serious downtime. You’ll be vulnerable to huge repair costs when you’re forced to call in a tech to fix things. In this scenario, just a small problem can quickly become a very costly one.

By choosing an expert provider to be your outsourced IT department, handling your entire IT environment, you can save money, increase efficiency, and enjoy a better end-user experience.

So, what’s the difference between Break/Fix and Managed Services?

Break/Fix service is the traditional style of outsourced IT services, which works by fixing your computers once they’re broken. In a nutshell, when something goes wrong — data loss, hardware failure, virus, etc. — you then get in touch with your Break/Fix support provider, and have them fix it. The break-fix strategy no longer works for businesses today.  If you still use this method of IT service, you risk downtime that can literally shut your business down.

With Break/Fix Services:

• A tech typically charges by the hour. This encourages him to focus on billable hours. It doesn’t benefit him if your tech is working the way it should. You could find yourself repeatedly calling them to help with a problem that never quite gets resolved.
• A minor computer problem can quickly turn into a disaster. This is especially true today with the increase in cyber crime like ransomware. What starts out with just one malicious email can spread throughout your entire network, locking down your data, and your operations.
• It could take days to fix your problem – in the meantime, your employees won’t have access to the data they need to continue working. You’re simply “bleeding money” by the minute.
• Your support provider starts charging you after you’ve already lost work time – time spent on repairs or updates can add up fast.
• It’s impossible to predict how much to budget for IT services. You can’t know what will happen or how expensive it might be.

The difference between “break-fix” and fully managed support?  Break-fix provides on-site repair after a problem is identified, whereas fully managed support provides ongoing maintenance, updates, and more to prevent problems from occurring in the first place.

Managed Services — a set of best practices, processes, and tools that, when combined with technical knowledge and proper facilitation, delivers an ideal result for businesses — is the modern model for IT support, offering a range of vital solutions to your business all for one monthly rate. With fully managed support, you know that your business technology and data are protected 24/7:

• You can finally focus on running your business and not on IT worries. Your third party support provider will minimize or eliminate downtime that could hit your bottom line.
• Your tech support can be provided remotely without a technician visiting your office. There will be instances that require in-person care, such as hardware replacement. However, most of what affects your day-to-day operations can be worked on remotely.
• You’ll benefit from a flat-rate payment model, allowing you to budget your tech more effectively. You’ll be able to plan for growth far more easily and with greater peace of mind.
• Tech maintenance from a third party is more cost-effective than relying on break-fix solutions, especially when you consider the lost revenue from downtime.

Think of it this way: while a Managed Services Provider is available around-the-clock, and compensated through your (and other clients’) monthly flat rate, Break/Fix service is unpredictable when it comes to costs and repair times.

• A Break/Fix approach may be a lower cost on paper but it can get expensive rather quickly – which means your overall ROI isn’t as great as it could be.
• Managed Services are designed to maximize your budget and provide the support and solutions you need to stay focused on your important work and keep under budget.

The reality is that remote tech support will always be more cost effective than hiring break/fix, or in-house technicians. The choice is easy: more expensive, inconsistent, unreliable break-fix services? – Or reliable, affordable, fully managed support that provides:

• 24/7/365 Services
• Increased operational efficiency
• Increased productivity
• Up-to-date IT solutions
• Security patches and alerts
• Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions
• Minimized downtime
• Enterprise-level solutions and support
• Controlled IT costs
• The ability to focus on what you need to do
• Peace of mind

Make Centerpoint IT your outsourced IT department right away – blend all your computer networking support and services with all your hardware for even more monthly savings.

Have questions? Contact us at info@centerpointit.com or (404) 781-0200.