The five advantages of predictably priced IT that we cover in this piece include: transparent pricing, additional bandwidth, savings over time, scalability, and peace of mind.
Blog Post
9 minute read
Apr 29, 2024
Creating a budget isn’t very useful if it’s not followed. This is one of the main benefits that businesses find when they enter a strategic partnership with a managed service provider. Working with a managed IT partner means you don’t have to worry about your monthly IT costs varying wildly. Rather – you'll enjoy the worry-free benefit of predictable pricing.
Managed IT contracts with predictable pricing eliminate budgeting headaches as there are far fewer variables that can influence the cost of your IT services in any given month. No matter how much or how little support you need.
This isn’t the only benefit that stems from a managed IT contract with predictable pricing, though – so we’re going to cover five of the major advantages that stem from such a partnership including:
As mentioned above, predictably priced IT is a managed IT contract built on a standard monthly cost regardless of service hours spent. Here’s what you can expect from a managed IT contract with predictable pricing:
Transparent pricing without hidden or unexpected fees
A team of IT experts focused on your tech stack so you can focus on business operations
A client-centric contract designed to support and supplement your current IT
Long-term tech budgeting with a partner dedicated to your success and growth
Implemented network security best practices
Considering everything that’s included in a managed IT contract with predictable pricing, this can be an excellent opportunity for organizations to supplement their IT and technology efforts.
There’s no doubt that, in our increasingly digital world, technology plays a key role in the success—or failure—of every company.
Whether it’s for communication and collaboration, cybersecurity, infrastructure, or marketing, the tech environment is constantly in flux and the implementation of new technologies can be costly and time-consuming. Because of this, staying on top of your organization’s IT needs is challenging but essential. This is especially true for organizations that don’t have a robust in-house IT team.
Below we jump into five of the major benefits of a managed IT contract with predictable pricing in more detail.
Comparing The Predictable Pricing Model to The Break-Fix Model
Break-fix is what most businesses are familiar with—a business calls a service provider when they have an issue and they bill the client on an hourly basis. With a predictable pricing model, however, all of the monthly expenses are built into the service agreement, meaning the cost remains stable regardless of how many service hours the managed IT provider spends in any given month.
When working with a predictably priced IT contract, businesses have a clear understanding of what they’re paying, and unlike the break-fix model, won’t find themselves in a position where they suddenly incur a massive service bill as the result of what they thought was standard IT maintenance.
This is one of the biggest differences between a managed IT contract with predictable pricing and one that follows the break/fix model.
5 Reasons to Switch to Predictably Priced IT
Now that we’ve defined the major difference between a managed IT contract built on predictable pricing vs. the more traditional break/fix model, let’s discuss some of the main benefits that stem from such a contract.
1. Transparent Pricing
IT budgets are on the rise as technology continues to act as a competitive advantage and, in turn, is a priority for modern organizations. On top of that, as technologies are adopted and implemented, phased out, or scaled up, these budgets can be difficult to predict.
Furthermore, digital transformation efforts are affecting all sectors of the market, making modern technology a must-have for any organization looking to stay relevant in today’s highly digital marketplace.
Managed IT with predictable pricing offers a transparent monthly expense structure that gives decision-makers and executives a clear understanding of how much their IT support will weigh on the budget—all with zero surprises.
2. Additional Bandwidth
For many organizations, IT is an afterthought and often bears the unfortunate identity of being a burden on the budget more than anything else.
IT is primarily a support function, but as technology has advanced, most IT teams constitute an entire department. However, not every organization has the dedicated internal man-power truly needed for a modern IT strategy.
Managed IT service providers operate with this exact challenge in mind, as they aim not to replace your internal IT team, but rather supplement, support, and enhance. By establishing a partnership with a strategic managed IT provider, you won’t have to worry about recruiting and hiring an entire IT team in-house.
In turn, this means businesses can get more value from in-house IT staff, who will spend less time putting out fires in the IT department and have more time to focus on activities that will benefit critical operations.
3. More Client-Centric Than Break/Fix Solutions
Most companies are familiar with the traditional break/fix models of IT support, one that is unpredictable and often costly, as monthly expenses are based on the number of service hours needed.
A reactive approach to IT, the break/fix IT services model provides no incentive for IT service providers to protect your systems long-term or build a strategy, as they are generating revenue with each trip to your office.
MSPs that offer predictable pricing models, on the other hand, are committed to keeping your system well-maintained to minimize disruptions, and to provide fast resolution to breakdowns through expert troubleshooting, all within a strictly defined budget.
It’s in an MSP’s best interest to make sure you have as few problems as possible because maintenance is built into the contract.
4. Provides Long-Term Planning
While break/fix models can make businesses feel like they’re playing catch-up—managed services offer strategies that can implement technological advances with a level of consistency and stability conducive to long-term budgeting.
With an MSP, tech solutions and services are bundled into one simple agreement and managed by IT experts. This means that any services added or removed will be clearly outlined by your MSP to allow foolproof budgeting for future business goals.
The purpose of this is to minimize surprises and keep businesses to their pre-defined budget. The fewer unexpected IT bills, the happier accounting will be.
Your managed service provider will not just be responsible for installing, maintaining, and supporting your network, but also for providing and implementing an actionable plan for realizing your IT objectives.
5. Peace of Mind
Delegating IT tasks to a managed services provider not only helps take the stress of unexpected expenses away, it also establishes powerful network security protocols defined by IT best practices.
As cyberattacks become more common and cybersecurity becomes more of a necessity, businesses are paying more attention to the safe handling of data. An MSP can ensure your IT infrastructure is secure and software and data are protected.
Additionally, by deploying an IT team of experts with cutting-edge knowledge, MSPs can offer a cost-effective solution to common IT issues such as downtime due to maintenance or infrastructure failures.
Not only will MSPs provide appropriate maintenance to keep systems running smoothly, but they respond quickly to breakdowns to minimize downtime and keep business processes from failing. Additionally, because they offer access to IT experts, an MSP can help businesses scale their technology at a pace appropriate for needs and budgets.
Partnering with an MSP that offers the predictable pricing model provides organizations with a set of clear objectives, a definitive budget, and no hidden fees to give decision makers peace of mind.
Wrapping Up on the Benefits of Predictably Priced IT
There’s no getting around IT in today’s day and age, as it’s become an integral aspect of every organization. However, you can ease the burden of IT efforts and strategies by partnering with a managed IT provider that supplements and enhances your IT with predictable and transparent pricing.
In summary, here’s what you can expect from a managed IT contract built on predictable pricing:
A predictably priced IT plan offers transparent pricing that gives decision-makers and executives a clear understanding of how much their IT support will impact the budget—with no surprises.
MSPs are committed to keeping your IT system well-maintained to minimize disruptions and provide fast resolution to breakdowns through expert trouble-shooting, all within a strictly defined budget.
Using a Managed Services Provider (MSP) to handle IT needs allows companies to focus their resources more clearly on crucial business objectives.
With an MSP, tech solutions and services are bundled into one simple agreement and managed by IT experts. Any services added or removed will be clearly outlined by your MSP to allow foolproof budgeting for future business goals.
To sum up, partnering with an MSP with a predictable pricing model provides organizations with a set of clear objectives, a definitive budget, and no hidden fees that gives decision-makers peace of mind.
