The two models in one paragraph each
Break-fix IT support is pay-as-you-go: when something goes wrong you call a technician, who fixes it and bills you for the time. Nothing is monitored in between.
Managed IT support is a subscription: a managed service provider (MSP) looks after your systems continuously for an agreed monthly fee, monitoring, patching and securing them, and handling helpdesk requests as part of the service.
How break-fix works in practice
Break-fix suits occasional, unpredictable needs. You pay nothing when nothing breaks, and you are not tied into a contract. The trade-offs show up over time:
- No prevention. Nobody is checking backups, updates or disk space until something fails.
- Unpredictable costs. A quiet month costs little; a failed server or a security incident can cost a great deal at short notice.
- No guaranteed response. Ad hoc customers usually wait behind contracted ones.
- Little knowledge of your setup. Each call may start with the technician learning your systems from scratch.
How managed IT support works in practice
- Monitoring and maintenance of devices, servers and cloud services, with alerts acted on before users notice.
- Scheduled patching of operating systems and applications.
- Helpdesk support for users, with agreed response times.
- Security tooling and configuration, such as endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication and email security.
- Backups and restore testing.
- Starters and leavers, licence management and supplier management.
- Regular reviews and a technology roadmap.
The provider's incentive is aligned with yours: the fewer problems you have, the less work they have to do for the same fee.
Side-by-side
| Break-fix | Managed IT support | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost pattern | Variable, billed per incident or hour | Fixed monthly fee |
| Approach | Reactive | Proactive |
| Response times | Best effort | Agreed in the contract |
| Security | Your responsibility | Shared, with defined responsibilities |
| Commitment | None | Minimum term and notice period |
When break-fix can still make sense
- A very small business with a few devices, all in the cloud, and little reliance on IT day to day.
- A business with a capable in-house person who handles routine IT and only needs specialist help occasionally.
- One-off projects, such as an office move, alongside an existing arrangement.
The middle ground: co-managed IT
If you have an in-house IT person or team, a co-managed arrangement lets an MSP provide the tools, monitoring, security and out-of-hours cover while your team handles day-to-day requests. It is often the best value for growing businesses that already employ IT staff.
Questions to help you decide
- What would a day without email, files or phones cost the business?
- Who is checking that backups work and systems are patched today?
- Do customers, insurers or schemes such as Cyber Essentials expect controls you cannot evidence?
- Is your IT spend predictable enough to budget for?
If the honest answers are "a lot", "nobody", "yes" and "no", managed support is likely to be the better fit. Our guide to how IT support is priced explains what drives the monthly fee.
Talk to Omega IT
We provide managed IT support and outsourced IT support for UK businesses. Get a quote based on your users and setup.