Two Approaches to IT Support
Every business needs IT support. The question isn't whether — it's how.
There are two fundamental models, and they couldn't be more different:
**Break-fix** is reactive. Something breaks, you call someone, they fix it, they send a bill.
**Managed IT** is proactive. A provider monitors, maintains, and secures your technology 24/7 for a flat monthly fee.
Both have a place. This guide helps you figure out which one makes sense for your business right now.
Break-Fix: How It Works
The break-fix model is simple: you have a problem, you call an IT company, they come fix it, and you pay for their time.
**Typical break-fix costs in the Raleigh-Durham area:**
**What you get:**
**What you don't get:**
Managed IT: How It Works
With managed IT services, you pay a flat per-user monthly fee and get comprehensive technology management. Think of it as outsourcing your entire IT department.
**Typical managed IT costs in Raleigh-Durham:**
**What you get:**
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The Real Cost Comparison
Let's compare what a 15-person business actually spends over a year under each model.
Break-Fix (15 users)
| Item | Annual Cost |
|------|------------|
| Routine support calls (8-12/year) | $4,000–$7,200 |
| Emergency calls (2-3/year) | $1,200–$3,600 |
| On-site visits (3-4/year) | $1,500–$3,000 |
| Downtime costs (conservative) | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Security incident (if one occurs) | $10,000–$50,000+ |
| **Total** | **$11,700–$28,800+** |
And that doesn't include the cost of problems that silently get worse because nobody is monitoring.
Managed IT (15 users, Standard Plan)
| Item | Annual Cost |
|------|------------|
| Monthly fee ($175 × 15 × 12) | $31,500 |
| After-hours calls (rare, ~2/year) | $300–$600 |
| Project work (optional) | Quoted separately |
| **Total** | **~$32,000** |
At first glance, managed IT costs more. But look at what's included that break-fix doesn't provide:
The managed IT cost is predictable and comprehensive. The break-fix cost is unpredictable and incomplete.
The Hidden Cost of Break-Fix
The real expense of break-fix isn't the hourly rate — it's what happens between the calls.
No Monitoring Means Slow Problems
Without 24/7 monitoring, problems grow silently. A failing hard drive goes unnoticed until it crashes. A security vulnerability stays unpatched for months. A backup job that stopped running three weeks ago? Nobody knows until disaster strikes.
Downtime Is Expensive
The average small business loses **$10,000–$50,000 per day** of IT downtime. Even a few hours of email being down, a server crash, or a ransomware infection costs real revenue.
With break-fix, you're waiting for a technician to become available, diagnose the issue, and fix it. There's no SLA, no guarantee, and no one monitoring to catch problems early.
With managed IT, issues are often resolved before you even notice them. Monitoring catches problems at 2 AM. Patches prevent vulnerabilities. Backups are tested monthly so recovery is fast when needed.
Security Gaps Are Dangerous
Break-fix providers don't monitor your security. There's no email filtering, no dark web monitoring, no phishing simulations, and no endpoint protection management. You're essentially running your business without a security team.
43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, and 60% of those businesses close within 6 months of a breach. The cost of a single ransomware attack averages $1.85 million.
A managed IT provider deploys and maintains multiple layers of security as part of the monthly fee.
When Break-Fix Makes Sense
Break-fix isn't always wrong. It can work if:
If any of those don't apply, managed IT is the better investment.
When Managed IT Makes Sense
Managed IT is the right choice when:
For most businesses with 5-50 employees in the Raleigh-Durham area, managed IT is the clear winner on both cost and coverage.
How to Switch from Break-Fix to Managed IT
Making the switch is straightforward:
1. **Get an assessment** — A quality MSP will evaluate your current environment at no cost
2. **Receive a proposal** — Flat monthly price with detailed scope of service
3. **Onboarding (2-4 weeks)** — The MSP deploys monitoring, backup, and security tools and documents your environment
4. **Ongoing support** — You now have a full IT department. Call for any issue, big or small
At Triangle Tech, we make this transition seamless. Our onboarding process covers assessment, tool deployment, documentation, and a full security review — all within the first month.
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