“We’ll just fix it when it breaks!”
Now there’s a mindset which looks completely out of place in a whole bunch of contexts. Take hang-gliding, for example. Or deep-sea exploration. Or rock climbing. Or shark cage diving. Essentially these are the places and times where, when things go wrong, it’s bad. It’s really, really bad. And there are scores of other examples.
Add information technology to the list. No, you’re not 2,000 feet in the air, or 20,000 leagues under the sea, or surrounded by angry sharks – at least not literally. But the consequences are just as dire.
But let’s back up (*IT pun*). There are essentially two basic ways of fixing most IT problems:
- Fix it when it breaks (aka break/fix).
- Prevent problems from happening in the first place (aka managed IT services).
As the name suggests, break/fix pertains to a service model whereby the IT provider only works on the customer’s IT environment when something bad happens. So, it’s a purely reactive service and operational model. The customer must wait for the problem to happen, become aware the issue has occurred, understand the problem well enough to report it, then wait for the fix. Sadly, in a break/fix model, IT issues are typically not reported until they’ve grown to the point of interrupting workflow. Often by this point the problem is more complicated and widespread; no longer simple to identify and quick to fix. It is a problem NOW and it requires immediate resources to resolve. In the break/fix world, everything is an emergency. Break/fix was the standard model for IT services for many years, particularly among small and midsize businesses. And despite being problematic for a whole bunch of reasons (like long drops with sudden splats, and aggressive disassembly by multiple sharks), some organizations continue to perpetuate this broken break/fix IT mindset.
The alternative approach is called managed IT services. As the name would again imply, it’s the management, typically by an outside third-party, of an organization’s services and equipment related to computers, networks, or software. Managed IT services offer holistic IT support which is tailored to the specific needs of each customer, while being flexible enough to grow and evolve as needed. Managed services typically include proactive monitoring and maintenance done remotely with the goal of addressing issues before they become client-facing problems and system failures. In a managed service arrangement, rather than the IT service provider being rewarded for cleaning up messes and applying temporary fixes again and again, all parties are incentivized to anticipate and prevent problems in the first place. This shared goal to prevent problems creates safer, more robust, and more efficient network environments, along with a true IT partnership. The positive impacts of this paradigm shift cannot be overstated.
As true managed service providers (MSPs), ACP CreativIT, Camera Corner Connecting Point, Citon, and Versatile Communications are 100% invested in the safety, security, and reliability of your IT infrastructure. We work with our NextGen managed IT services customers on a fixed-fee basis, keeping your IT budget stable and predictable, and therefore budget-able, while avoiding any surprises from a billing standpoint. Over the past 25+ years, we have developed a thorough yet highly efficient network assessment process. Through this understanding of the nuances and complexities of each customer’s unique network environment, we can determine a benchmark for the proper management of that network. In turn, we can project the number of support hours needed to deliver a more robust and secure IT environment through the management of network performance, security, backup, email, and help desk, as appropriate. Our NextGen managed IT services pricing is tailored to fit the specific needs of each customer, but in general is based on the number of devices (servers, PCs, laptops, and other peripheral equipment) and the number of users on the network. Our NextGen managed services can also help you set up the most appropriate cyber security measures and ensure that they are managed properly.
Tech peace of mind means you can focus on growing your business, instead of spending all your time and resources reacting to a seemingly endless string of emergencies. It’s time to fix the broken break/fix IT mindset. Let’s connect today and get you back to doing what you’re best at!