Years ago it started with IT break-fix services… The Break Fix Mentality
The companies who have helped service small networks in the past have been hamstrung by the lack of tools to help with the problem. Maintenance was break-fix only meaning when something broke, the company called, and they came running to fix it… hopefully.
As time went on, the best of the support people developed procedures and programs to periodically come on-site to do a system review of logs and user information looking for hints of issues before they became big problems. The problem of course, was that the support people could only see what was happening on that particular day. The on-site technician would take care of the “end user” symptoms and would not have time to address the “real issues”. If something happened later, they would never know about it … unless the customer called.
Managed Services began with Fortune 500 companies and their huge networks
At the same time, the hardware and software vendors were adding new and better ways for the systems to signal problems as early as possible. Simple Network Management Protocol had been developing since the early 90’s and was being applied to PC’s. The first systems that could watch these tools and turn all the data into usable information were complex to manage, were geared only to large networks, and were prohibitively expensive for small business.
In 2005, systems started to mature that allowed smaller companies to take advantage of the same features and benefits as the large companies. This technology started the Managed Services movement.
Managed Services was available for small to medium sized businesses
The Managed Services software that is in place today allows providers to work towards two major goals:
1. Everything on your network that will result in a user symptom or risk will send an alert before or when it happens, and the Managed Service Provider will know about it.
2. Every alert they get is something important and needs to be addressed.
– The more closely a Managed Service provider can get to these two goals, the more perfectly they can achieve a truly managed service and the more they can get away from “everything being an emergency” situation.
Why the hype with Managed Services?
Like larger companies, small businesses need technology to operate efficiently and to compete effectively. But as reliance on IT grows, the resources needed to support this increasingly complex IT environment may not. In many small businesses, IT resources are limited and can be quickly overwhelmed. If you fall behind in keeping up with things such as backups, patches and security, the odds greatly increase that you’ll face an IT outage or another problem down the road that will negatively impact your business. For instance, if your Email server, customer relationship management system, financial application or network goes down, you will likely face substantial productivity and revenue losses as a result.
Managed services are also a philosophical change in the way that a business deals with its technology. Instead of following the old-school tradition of break-fix (literally meaning wait until the server, desktops or other critical networking devices fail, then scramble to fix them), a business operating with a managed service focuses on the prevention of these issues before they disrupt employees, management and/or clients.
Managed services providers can offer services such as alerts, security, patch management, data backup and recovery, for different client devices: desktops, laptops, servers, storage systems, and networks. Offloading routine computer and network management to an experienced managed services professional lets the business concentrate on running the business, with fewer interruptions due to IT issues.
Why Break-fix is no longer good enough for your business
A Break-fix maintenance service fixes problems as they crop up. This means that something needs to go wrong before you receive any service, resulting in an inevitable reduction in IT system performance while you wait for the problem to be fixed.
Today, no business can really afford the risk and uncertainty of relying on a “Break-fix maintenance service” because your business is too dependent on having a reliable IT system. Furthermore, having separate suppliers responsible for different parts of the system puts you in the difficult position of trying to decide who should be delivering the service you require. You simply do not have time for this.
Do Managed Services Cost More Than Traditional Break-Fix Services?
Actually no! Surprisingly most managed services cost less than traditional break-fix services, especially when including the true cost of downtime. Remote monitoring, remote maintenance and the prevention of major issues allow a managed services provider to be more efficient than a similar break-fix company who is constantly rolling a truck to visit customer sites. Therefore the managed service company can offer a “better” service without charging more.
How are Managed Services priced?
Managed services providers usually price their services on a flat-rate monthly basis. Depending on the services included in the program offered, pricing is usually based on the number of devices or users, with different packages priced at different levels. Many providers, that don’t know the service well enough, offer on-site customer support as an extra fee.
The best service providers offer fully managed services that cover everything from alerts through problem resolution.
The Real Benefits Of Managed Services
Put in simple terms – one of the biggest benefits of Managed Services is discovering and fixing problems before they can negatively affect your business. A well maintained, proactively serviced computer network will always run better than the alternative. With proactive network monitoring, patch management, and desktop optimization performed on a regular basis, you will notice a tremendous difference in operations… and you will reap the benefits of preventing fires, rather than fighting them.
– Reduced costs: Businesses are also able to control and reduce their overall operating costs with the flat-fee billing model. Cost-effective access to enterprise-level support is a reality.
– 24-hour monitoring: Because the Managed Services provider also manages all of your vendor relationships, issues with internet slowness/outages are dealt with directly with the vendor by the Managed Service provider. As a result of this “always-eyes-on” network monitoring 24 hours per day, businesses experience an additional level of comfort and security.
5 Additional Benefits Of Managed Services:
1. Increased operational efficiency – productivity
2. Reduced operating costs
3. Cost-effective access to enterprise-level support
4. Peace of mind & Minimized downtime: from 24/7/365 network monitoring
5. Allows the focus to be on running the business, and not the technology
Small IT companies come and go quickly – and so do the Techs
If you’ve been in business for longer then 5 years, you’ve probably hired more then one IT support company – you’ve maybe hired many. You know the frustrations of having a new technician working with your network. The question becomes “Is your technician a trusted advisor” or just a guy trying to fix your computer problems?
Managed Services is a way for businesses to eliminate problems before they ever occur, manage their IT budgets better, and create a solid long-term partnership with an IT firm that is protecting one of their most important assets… their data.
Managed Service Imitations – Beware of inferior imitations like “remote dial-in”
Providing true Managed Services requires a substantial investment in both technology as well as expert staff to operate the service. Some companies offering “Managed Services” are merely “dialing-in” to fix problems on your network and are not providing any “preventative maintenance” at all. This service is merely a soup-up version of the “break-fix” mentality by utilizing an internet connection to access your network to fix issues.
This type of “remote dial-in” service and the company offering it, doesn’t actually monitor your system, is not able to tell you where the system is vulnerable and is not able to fix problems before they negatively impact you system’s performance. Remotely “dialing-in” to a network is nothing more than “Break-fix” without a site visit.
Does your network feel like it’s running slower than it should?
Would you like to know if you are ready for managed services, cloud computing, or virtualization? Imagine IT offers a FREE network assessment!
Our expert technicians will review your network and determine whether your infrastructure will support these new technologies. They’ll also discover any bottlenecks preventing your network from running at peak performance. After the analysis, a written report will tell you what steps you can take to improve your network’s performance.
