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Managed IT Services, Explained
Managed IT services are an ongoing arrangement in which a business hands day-to-day responsibility for its technology to an outside provider, known as a managed service provider (MSP), for a monthly fee. Instead of calling for help only after something breaks, the provider monitors, maintains, secures and supports your systems continuously.
TechStarters Inc. has provided managed IT services to businesses since 2010. This guide explains how managed IT works, what it usually includes, how it compares with break-fix support, how it is priced and what to look for in a provider.
How Managed IT Services Work
What Managed IT Services Usually Include
A managed IT agreement usually covers most of the technology a business depends on:
- Help desk support for employees’ day-to-day technology questions and problems
- Remote monitoring and management (RMM) of workstations, servers and network devices, including security patching
- Cybersecurity, such as endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication and Microsoft 365 security
- Network security, including firewall and wireless network management
- Backup and disaster recovery planning and tested recovery procedures
- Onsite IT support when a problem cannot be solved remotely
- Microsoft 365 administration, licensing and support
- IT consulting and virtual CIO guidance, budgeting and technology roadmaps
- Vendor coordination, documentation, and warranty and license tracking
What is covered varies from one provider to the next, so ask for a written list. See what is included in TechStarters managed IT services.
Managed IT Services vs. Break-Fix IT Support
Break-fix IT is the traditional model: you call a technician when something stops working and pay for the time it takes to fix it. Managed IT replaces that with ongoing responsibility for keeping your systems running, secure and up to date.
Break-fix support can work for a very small office with simple needs. Once downtime, a security incident or a compliance gap would cost your business real money, a managed approach is usually the better fit. See what IT downtime really costs, or read our full comparison of break-fix vs. managed IT services.
Fully Managed vs. Co-Managed IT
With fully managed IT, the provider acts as your IT department and takes responsibility for day-to-day IT operations. This suits businesses that do not have internal IT staff.
With co-managed IT, the provider works alongside your internal IT team, adding help desk coverage, monitoring, security tools and project help while your staff keep the work they want to own. Responsibilities are agreed in writing, so everyone knows who handles what.
Weighing a provider against hiring your own staff? Read our comparison of managed IT services vs. in-house IT.
How Managed IT Services Are Priced
Managed service providers commonly price in one of three ways: per user, per device or in bundled tiers. Per-user pricing charges for each employee, per-device pricing charges for each workstation, server and network device that is managed, and tiered pricing groups services into packages.
TechStarters prices managed IT per device, with an annual or month-to-month agreement. Every quote starts with a free IT assessment and a written proposal, so you know exactly what is managed and what it costs before you sign. Learn how managed IT pricing works.
Benefits of Managed IT Services
Signs Your Business Is Ready for Managed IT
- Technology problems keep coming back or take too long to fix
- No one is clearly responsible for security updates and backups
- Your IT person is overloaded, or IT is handled by someone with another full-time job
- You need to meet HIPAA, SOC 2, CMMC or customer security requirements (see our compliance-aligned IT services)
- You are opening new locations, hiring or moving offices
- IT costs are unpredictable from month to month
For all ten signs and what to do about them, see 10 signs your business needs managed IT services.
How to Choose a Managed IT Services Provider
Before you sign with any managed service provider, ask:
- Are its security controls independently audited, for example through a SOC 2 Type II audit?
- When is the help desk available, what does the monthly price include, and who answers the phone?
- Can it provide onsite support near your locations, and how is onsite work billed?
- Is cybersecurity part of daily management or a separate add-on?
- How is pricing calculated, and what is billed separately?
- Does it require a long-term contract?
- How does onboarding work, and will your systems be documented?
- Does it have experience with your industry and its compliance requirements?
TechStarters is a SOC 2 Type II audited managed service provider with a 24/7 help desk (unlimited remote support is included Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.), per-device pricing, annual or month-to-month agreements and offices in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York, serving businesses nationwide. See the industries we serve.
For the full list, with what to listen for in each answer, see our guide to the questions to ask a managed IT provider.
Managed IT Services FAQs
What is a managed service provider (MSP)?
A managed service provider is a company that takes ongoing responsibility for some or all of a business’s technology, such as support, monitoring, security and planning, under a monthly agreement.
What is the difference between managed IT and IT support?
IT support usually means fixing problems when they are reported. Managed IT includes support, plus the monitoring, maintenance, security and planning that help prevent problems in the first place.
Are managed IT services worth it for small businesses?
Often, yes. Managed IT gives a small business access to a full IT team and predictable monthly costs without hiring in-house IT staff, which matters most when the business depends on its computers, email and data every day.
Do managed IT services include cybersecurity?
It depends on the provider. At TechStarters, every managed workstation and server includes endpoint protection and security patching, and additional cybersecurity services are available.
Can we keep our internal IT staff?
Yes. With co-managed IT, TechStarters works alongside your IT team and handles only the areas you choose.
How do we switch managed IT providers?
A new provider should document your systems, coordinate administrator access and vendor accounts, and plan the transition so employees are not disrupted. TechStarters starts with a free IT assessment, followed by a structured onboarding. See our step-by-step guide on how to switch managed IT providers.
Explore Our Managed IT Services
Request a Managed IT Services Quote
Tell us about your business, your locations and your devices, and we will send a written proposal with per-device monthly pricing. Prefer to talk? Call (877) 932-0040.