As a small business owner, you face a tough decision when it comes to IT support. You’re not big enough to justify a full-time IT department or the high monthly cost of a corporate-style Managed Services contract. At the same time, you’re too dependent on technology to simply wait for things to break before calling for help—downtime is lost revenue. So, how do you find a proactive, professional IT partner that actually fits a small business budget?
This guide will break down the common IT support models, explain their pros and cons for a business your size, and help you find the right-sized, strategic approach to keeping your technology running smoothly.
The Default Choice: The “Break/Fix” Model
For most small businesses, this is the default approach to IT support. When the internet goes down, the WiFi connection drops, or you can’t access your server, you call an IT company and pay them an hourly rate to fix that specific problem. While it seems affordable because you only pay when something is wrong, the hidden costs are significant. Every minute your network is down, you are losing productivity and potentially revenue. The break/fix model offers no incentive for the provider to prevent problems before they start.
The Corporate Choice: The Managed Services (MSP) Model
On the other end of the spectrum is the full Managed Services Provider (MSP) model. This is an all-inclusive approach where you pay a high, flat monthly fee for a company to manage every aspect of your technology. While this proactive model is a great fit for larger companies with dozens of employees, it’s often too expensive and rigid for a small business’s networking needs. MSPs build their business model around larger clients, and a small business can end up overpaying for services they don’t need.
The Smart Choice: Proactive, Right-Sized Network Support
There is a better way for small businesses. This is the model we’ve built at tiestech: a proactive partnership focused on your network’s health that fits your size and budget. As an IT network provider, we combine proactive monitoring and strategic maintenance to prevent common network problems before they cause downtime, with the flexibility of on-demand support when you need it. This gives you the peace of mind and network reliability of an MSP, but without the high-cost, long-term contract that doesn’t fit a small business budget.
Conclusion: Paying for Uptime, Not Downtime
Choosing an IT partner is a critical decision. While the traditional break/fix model seems cheaper upfront, it means you only get help after your business has already been impacted. For a small business, a proactive approach to network management is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. By finding a partner that fits your size and budget, you can move away from paying to fix problems and start investing in the reliable uptime that fuels your growth.