Managed vs break-fix
Two ways to pay for IT create two different incentives.
Break-fix bills for the incident. Managed IT is paid to prevent it. Neither model is wrong-but they reward different behaviour, and that difference should drive the decision.
How each model actually works
The difference is not effort. It is what the bill rewards.
Break-fix support
- Billed by the hour or by the incident, with no fixed monthly commitment.
- Proactive maintenance and patching are usually a separate purchase, if offered at all.
- The provider is paid the same whether or not the same problem recurs next month.
- Often a good fit for very light, infrequent need or a single project outside any managed scope.
Managed IT
- Billed as a flat rate per user or device, per month, regardless of how much breaks.
- Proactive maintenance, patching, and recurring review are part of the relationship, not an add-on.
- The provider's revenue does not increase when something breaks-prevention and the bill are not in tension.
- A better fit when the team depends on IT daily and wants a predictable monthly number.
Being fair to both
Break-fix is not a worse choice. It is a different bet.
A break-fix provider can still do excellent work on the incident directly in front of them, and a light, infrequent environment may never need recurring maintenance. The question is not which model is better in the abstract-it is which incentive structure matches how much your business actually depends on IT working every day.
Before choosing
Questions that reveal which model fits.
- How many support requests came up in the last three months, and how urgent were they?
- Has a deferred update or an unpatched system ever caused a preventable outage?
- Does the budget owner want a predictable monthly number, or is a variable bill tied to actual breakage acceptable?
- Is there recurring Microsoft 365, device, or vendor administration work that nobody currently owns between incidents?
Honest limit: the payment model changes incentives-it does not replace evaluating the actual provider. A badly scoped managed agreement can still under-deliver, and a good break-fix technician can still do careful work.
Once managed IT looks right
Decide the shape of the relationship next.
Reach the team
Tell us what needs an owner
Share your team size, current support setup, and the responsibilities you want clarified. We will use that to figure out whether an MSP introduction makes sense.
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