Should you pay per incident or invest in proactive IT management? Here's what Calgary businesses need to know.
Call when something breaks. Pay for the repair. No ongoing relationship.
Proactive monitoring, maintenance, and support. Fixed monthly investment.
The more things break, the more the technician gets paid. There's no financial incentive to prevent problems or optimize your systems. Quick fixes are more profitable than permanent solutions.
The fewer problems that occur, the more profitable the MSP. This aligns incentives with your goals: stable, secure, efficient IT. Prevention is more profitable than emergency repairs.
Pay per incident
Unpredictable costs
Fixed monthly fee
Predictable budgeting
Hours to days
Depends on availability
Minutes to hours
SLA-guaranteed response
Reactive
Fix problems after they occur
Proactive
Prevent problems before they happen
None
You discover issues first
24/7 monitoring
Issues caught early
Manual/On request
Often delayed or missed
Automated
Always current
Minimal
Technician-dependent
Comprehensive
Full network documentation
No commitment
Use as needed
Monthly contract
Ongoing relationship
Pay only for what you need
Good for rare issues
Included in monthly fee
May be overkill for simple needs
| Feature | Break-Fix | MSP |
|---|---|---|
| Payment Model | Pay per incident Unpredictable costs | Fixed monthly fee Predictable budgeting |
| Response Time | Hours to days Depends on availability | Minutes to hours SLA-guaranteed response |
| Approach | Reactive Fix problems after they occur | Proactive Prevent problems before they happen |
| Monitoring | None You discover issues first | 24/7 monitoring Issues caught early |
| Security Updates | Manual/On request Often delayed or missed | Automated Always current |
| System Documentation | Minimal Technician-dependent | Comprehensive Full network documentation |
| Flexibility | No commitment Use as needed | Monthly contract Ongoing relationship |
| Simple One-Off Fixes | Pay only for what you need Good for rare issues | Included in monthly fee May be overkill for simple needs |
See how each model handles common IT situations
Technician unavailable until Monday. Business down for 3 days.
Monitoring detected warning signs Tuesday. Preventive maintenance applied. No crash.
No backups verified. Outdated antivirus missed threat. Data encrypted.
Endpoint protection blocked attack. Automated backups ready if needed.
Call technician. Wait 1-2 days. Pay hourly rate.
Submit ticket. Setup complete within hours using documented procedures.
The hourly rate is just the beginning. Here's what break-fix really costs.
Average small business loses $427/minute during IT outages. Break-fix model means longer downtime.
Proactive monitoring and faster response significantly reduces downtime.
Average breach costs small businesses $120,000-200,000. Outdated systems increase risk.
Continuous security monitoring and updates dramatically reduce breach probability.
Employees waiting for IT fixes cannot work. Slow computers get ignored until they fail.
Issues resolved before users notice. Regular optimization keeps systems fast.
You spend time managing IT vendors instead of growing your business.
Single point of contact. Strategic IT planning aligned with business goals.
See how proactive IT management can reduce your costs and eliminate downtime. Free assessment with honest recommendations.