Fixed price IT managed services give you the security of knowing what your IT support is going to cost you each month and prevent expenses spiralling out of control.

Unfortunately, the level of support provided within a fixed price IT managed services package can vary between providers. If you are looking to outsource your IT support, it is important to understand what your fee includes exactly.

What should your fixed price IT managed services contract include?

We recommend you look for the following features as a minimum:

Unlimited IT helpdesk support

Your IT users need to know that they can call your IT support provider for help at any time. A problem with your IT is likely to cause is a break in productivity so needs fixing as soon as possible.  If support is limited, users may be discouraged from calling so as not to use up credit that they might require for a more business critical problem later that month.

Onsite IT support

Most IT issues can be fixed remotely, but you need to know that, when a situation requires it, your IT support provider can come onsite to deal with the problem. Onsite support should be included in your fixed price fee and not charged additionally.

Out of hours support

Today, few businesses operate within a rigid 9 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday working pattern. If your staff are accessing your IT out of ‘normal office’ hours, then you need your IT support provider to be available too. Most support providers claim to offer this within their fixed price IT managed services contract but check the small print, as it often comes at an additional charge or is restricted.

Proactive IT monitoring

Pretty much every IT managed services provider will provide proactive IT monitoring, but the specifics can vary. The aim of proactive monitoring is to identify and fix IT issues before they become potential problems. This practice will reduce your business’ downtime and allow you to run your business more efficiently. The more checks that your provider runs, the better.

Vendor management

Managing and coordinating different suppliers can be time-consuming and a valuable drain on your resource. Look for an IT support provider that will liaise with all vendors in your IT supply chain on your behalf. Allowing them to do this will reduce the burden on your business and be more efficient.

Strategic input

Strategically managing your IT will ensure it is being used to maximum effect and improving your business operations. Your IT managed services provider’s input is invaluable here so as a minimum an annual strategic review should be included within your fixed fee package.

BlueCare IT managed services

Our fixed price IT managed services package, BlueCare, offers all of the above and more with no hidden charges. A key additional benefit within our IT managed services package is cyber security protection where we take a very proactive approach to help clients avoid the constant cyber attacks.

Our fees are charged per user (regardless of the number of devices in use) and billed monthly. If you’d like to know more, please contact us on 01392 27194 or email us.