Ad hoc IT support vs managed IT support: The benefits

Many businesses have ad-hoc IT support which means that IT technicians are called in if there is an issue or task that requires assistance. Managed IT support, on the other hand, involves a medium-to-long term relationship with IT-savvy service providers on a contractual basis. So, what are the benefits of ad hoc support compared to managed IT support?

With ad hoc IT support, where you contact your ‘IT guy’ (or woman), access can be an issue. What if your usual IT regular is unavailable due to their current schedule?

Managed IT support wins in this area as you have an agreement with IT professionals who will provide a specified service over a specified duration. With a managed IT service, you also typically enjoy the benefit of varied expertise when a firm covers multiple services (such as hardware/software maintenance, networking and more).

Another area where managed IT support and ad hoc services differ is in continuity.

An ad hoc service is reactive by nature, in that your IT service provider is called in as needed, and typically, to respond to situations such as service interruption.

With managed IT support, a continuous plan will typically include monitoring and reporting, and this enables you to be proactive, mitigating risks such as downtime or security threats.

When you use an ad hoc IT service, it’s not always easy to predict costs.

If you are reliant on a single service provider and they suddenly decide to increase their fees and you are over a barrel, this is not ideal. With a managed IT service, you typically pay a structured fee that is worked out and agreed to upfront for set services over a defined period.

In this comparison, it’s clear that with a managed service you have the benefit of a more structured, transparent cost schedule that enables you to budget for anticipated IT costs with more foresight.

A final IT area to compare is efficiency.
Ad hoc IT requires bespoke arrangements to be made every time you require the services of IT-savvy professionals.

By comparison, managed IT has efficiency advantages. Your IT technicians are already on hand due to the nature of the retainer-like service. What this means is you can see to IT needs that arise in good time and avoid issues such as downtime and service outages better.