MSP vs break-fix: an honest comparison
Break-fix means paying when something breaks. A managed service provider charges a fixed fee to keep things from breaking. Each suits different businesses, and we will tell you which one suits yours.
Side by side
| Managed service provider | Break-fix | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | A fixed fee per user, per month | By the hour or by the job, when something breaks |
| Who pays for prevention | Included: patching, monitoring and planning are part of the fee | Billed as extra hours, so it is often skipped |
| A quiet month | Same fee | Little or nothing to pay |
| A bad month | Same fee | A large bill, often at the worst time |
| Security monitoring | Ours includes a 24/7 SOC | Usually not included |
| Backups | Managed and restore-tested | Up to you to arrange and check |
| Documentation | Kept in a register you own | Often in the technician's head |
| Usually suits | Around 10 staff and up, or anyone who depends on their systems | Very small teams with simple needs |
When break-fix is the better choice
If you have fewer than about five staff, break-fix usually costs less. That is especially true when:
- Your setup is simple: a few laptops, Microsoft 365 and an internet connection.
- A day without IT would be an inconvenience you could live with.
- Someone in the business is comfortable handling updates and new accounts.
In that situation a reliable local technician you call when needed is a sensible arrangement. We will tell you so, and we will not try to sell you a managed service you do not need. At a minimum, turn on multi-factor authentication and make sure your Microsoft 365 data is backed up somewhere separate.
When a managed service makes more sense
- You have around 10 staff or more, or a business that stops when IT stops.
- An insurer, auditor or customer is asking about cyber security.
- You want to know what IT will cost each month.
- Nobody is clearly responsible for updates, backups and security today.
The incentive problem
Under break-fix, the technician is paid for problems. Prevention is billable time, so it is easy to put off. Under a managed service, the provider is paid the same either way, so preventing problems saves it work. That alignment is the main reason businesses move to an MSP as they grow.
What a bad month costs
Break-fix looks cheapest in a quiet month. The comparison changes after a ransomware attack, a failed server or a lost laptop with no backup, when hourly rates meet a long job. A fixed fee does not change in a bad month, and with a 24/7 SOC and restore-tested backup in place, bad months should be rarer and shorter.
Read next
Get a straight answer on fit.
Give us a rough headcount and a picture of your current setup. We reply within one business day with a straight answer, including when we are not the right fit.