If you’re a small or medium business owner in the Roanoke Valley or New River Valley, you’ve probably wondered whether paying for a managed service provider (MSP) is worth it compared to hiring someone in-house or calling a break/fix technician when things go wrong.
The honest answer depends on your business — but for most Southwest Virginia SMBs, managed IT services deliver significantly better outcomes at a lower total cost. Here’s why.
The Real Cost of Break/Fix IT
Break/fix IT looks cheap until something breaks at the worst possible time. An emergency call from a technician when your server is down on a Monday morning — or worse, the day before a major client presentation — can cost $150-$300/hour with no cap on hours. Meanwhile, your team is sitting idle burning salary.
More importantly, break/fix technicians have zero incentive to prevent problems. They make more money when more things break. That’s a misaligned incentive that doesn’t serve your business.
What You Get With Managed IT
- Proactive monitoring catches issues before they cause downtime
- Patch management keeps systems secure without anyone thinking about it
- Flat monthly rate makes budgeting predictable
- Unlimited helpdesk means your team calls when they need help, not when they think it’s worth the hourly rate
- A local team that knows your environment and your business
Signs You’re Ready for an MSP
- You have 5+ employees regularly using computers
- You’ve experienced data loss or a security incident
- Your current IT person is “the guy who’s good with computers” rather than a trained professional
- You’re growing and your current IT setup isn’t scaling with you
- You store sensitive client data and haven’t had a security audit
TTS serves businesses throughout the Roanoke Valley, New River Valley, and Southwest Virginia. Contact us for a free assessment to see whether managed IT is right for your business.