What is managed IT support, and what should it include?
Managed IT support means a provider looks after your computers, accounts and software under an ongoing agreement, instead of fixing things only when you call. A managed service provider usually covers updates, backups, user accounts and help requests from staff. The agreement matters most: check the hours covered, the difference between a response time and a fix time, what is excluded, what stays in your name, and how you can leave.
Managed support or pay per fix
Neither is better by its label. The question is whether anyone is responsible for the dull jobs between problems.
| Managed support | Pay per fix | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | An ongoing agreement; the provider looks after a set list of things | You call when something breaks and the provider fixes that one thing |
| Between problems | Someone is usually responsible for updates, backups and checks | Often nobody is, unless you arrange it |
| When something breaks | Handled under the agreement's terms | Handled as a separate job, so timing can depend on the provider's schedule |
| Often suits | Offices that depend on computers, shared accounts and customer records every day | A few devices, rare problems or a one-off project |
What a provider usually covers
Packages differ, so read the list rather than the name.
- Updates for computers, phones and software.
- Backups, and an occasional check that a restore works.
- User accounts: adding staff, removing people who have left, resetting passwords and turning on a second sign-in step.
- Help requests: a way for staff to ask for help and someone to answer.
- Warnings: someone watching for alerts from devices and security tools.
- A list of your devices, software and accounts.
How to read a service-level agreement
A service-level agreement, or SLA, is usually the part of the agreement that says what the provider will do and how quickly. Read it for these points, and have anything unclear explained before you sign. A lawyer can read the agreement with you.
- Hours. Which days and times are covered, whether evenings, weekends and holidays are included, and how to reach someone outside them.
- Response time against fix time. A response time is usually how soon someone acknowledges a request. A fix time is how soon the problem is solved. They are different, so check which one is stated and how urgency is decided.
- What is excluded. Exclusions can include new equipment, projects, software the provider does not support and on-site visits. Ask for the list in writing.
- Who and what is covered: which people, devices and locations.
- What happens when the stated times are missed, and how you will find out.
What stays in your name, and how to leave
Ask for these in writing before you sign.
- The business is the registered owner of the domain, email, cloud storage and software accounts, and the provider uses its own named logins, not yours or a shared password.
- Backups are kept where you can reach and restore them without the provider.
- You can have the current list of devices, accounts and software at any time.
- You know the term, the notice either side must give, and whether the agreement renews by itself.
- You know what the provider hands over if you leave, and how it works with the next provider.
Where to read more
The related answer on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 covers keeping an email account in the business's name with a second admin. The related answer on what website maintenance involves covers backups and renewals for a website, and the related answer on multi-factor authentication explains the second sign-in step. Ascent Vision offers ongoing technical support and does not publish prices.
Related answers
- Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: which should a small business use for email?
- What does looking after a small business website involve?
- What is multi-factor authentication, and should every business account use it?
Ongoing technical support
The site goes down, email stops arriving, a domain is about to lapse, nobody knows the password. Many owners do not have a technical person. We are that person, for everything we build and the things you already have.