One of the first questions we get asked by new clients is some version of this: “Do I actually need a monthly IT plan, or can I just call you when something goes wrong?”
It’s a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends. We offer both managed IT support and ad-hoc IT support, and we have clients who are very happy on each. Neither is the right answer for everyone.
So rather than a sales pitch, here’s how we’d help you decide.
What’s the Difference?
Ad-Hoc IT Support
Ad-hoc support is pay-as-you-go. Something breaks, you call us, we fix it and you pay for the time. There’s no contract and no monthly fee. When nothing goes wrong, you pay nothing.
Managed IT Support
Managed support is a fixed monthly plan. We look after your devices, your Microsoft 365, your network and your security on an ongoing basis. We monitor things in the background, apply updates, spot problems early and you can call us whenever you need help, without worrying about the clock.
The real difference isn’t the billing model. It’s the mindset. Ad-hoc support is reactive: it starts when something has already gone wrong. Managed support is proactive: much of the work happens before you ever notice a problem.
When Ad-Hoc Support Makes Sense
Ad-hoc can be a perfectly sensible choice if:
- You’re a sole trader or a very small team with only a couple of devices
- Your setup is simple: a laptop, Microsoft 365 email and not much else
- You’re reasonably comfortable with technology and only need help occasionally
- You have a one-off project, like setting up a new office, a new laptop or a migration
- You want to try working with an IT provider before committing to anything longer-term
For these businesses, a monthly plan can feel like paying for an insurance policy you rarely claim on. That’s a legitimate concern.
When Managed Support Makes More Sense
Things change as a business grows, or as it relies more heavily on its technology. Managed support usually starts to make more sense when:
- You have several staff, each with their own devices, logins and mailboxes
- Downtime costs you real money, whether that’s lost bookings, missed calls or staff sat idle
- You hold customer data and need to take security and GDPR seriously
- Nobody in the business has the time (or the desire) to be the “IT person”
- You keep finding yourself calling for help with the same kinds of issues
- You want someone thinking about your IT strategically, not just fixing things as they break
The Hidden Costs of Waiting for Things to Break
The trap with purely reactive support is that the visible cost, the invoice for fixing the problem, is rarely the biggest one.
The bigger costs are the ones that don’t show up on an invoice. The morning your team couldn’t access email. The laptop that was slowly failing for weeks before it finally died, taking unbacked-up files with it. The security update that wasn’t applied and the phishing email that got through. The forty-five minutes a member of staff spent trying to fix something themselves before giving up.
Most IT problems give warning signs before they become emergencies. A disk filling up. Repeated failed sign-in attempts. A backup that’s quietly stopped running. With managed support, someone is watching for those signs. With ad-hoc support, nobody is, until it’s too late.
Questions to Ask Yourself
If you’re on the fence, these questions usually help clarify things:
- How much would a full day without email or files cost your business?
- When did someone last check that your backups actually work?
- Is multi-factor authentication switched on for every account?
- Who would you call if a member of staff clicked a suspicious link this afternoon?
- How much time do you or your staff spend each month dealing with IT niggles?
If those questions make you slightly uncomfortable, that’s usually a sign that a more proactive approach would be worth it.
There’s a Middle Ground
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Some of our clients start with ad-hoc support for a specific job, get to know how we work, and then move onto a managed plan once they see the value. Others use a managed plan for the core of their business and call on us ad-hoc for one-off projects. We’d rather you were on the right option than the most expensive one.
Where FYDUS Comes In
We’re a Microsoft certified IT support provider based in Eastbourne, supporting businesses across East Sussex in person and further afield with remote IT support. Whichever option suits you, you get:
- A real, local person to call who knows your setup
- Microsoft certified knowledge across Microsoft 365, Windows and business networks
- Plain-English explanations, not jargon
- Honest advice about what you actually need, and what you don’t
If you’re not sure which type of support is right for your business, give us a call. We’ll talk it through and give you an honest recommendation, even if that’s “you don’t need a plan yet”.