In this guide 6 sections
Managed IT support covers the routine running of office technology: a helpdesk, patching, endpoint protection, monitoring, backups with tested restores, account administration and vendor calls. It usually leaves out hardware, licence fees, cabling, office moves, migrations and software development. Those are bought or quoted separately. A clear agreement writes that boundary down.
The routine work inside the monthly arrangement
The monthly part is the work that repeats. Staff raise requests through one channel, and each becomes a ticket with an owner and a priority. Machines are patched and protected on a schedule.
Backups are checked by restoring from them, not by reading a success message. Accounts are opened by role when someone joins and closed on the last working day. The provider also deals with the internet company, the printer vendor and software support on the office’s behalf.
- Helpdesk with tickets, owners and priorities
- Operating system and application patching
- Endpoint protection and disk encryption
- Backup checks with scheduled restore tests
- Joiner, mover and leaver handling
- A periodic review of tickets, risks and renewals
Work that is quoted as a project
Some work happens once and has a clear end. It is usually priced on its own because the effort is large and not monthly.
Moving the office, replacing a server or shifting mail to another platform falls here. So does connecting two business systems, such as linking Tally to other software. Building software is a separate engagement altogether.
- Office moves and new cabling
- Server replacement or migration
- Integration between business applications
- Penetration testing and work on sensitive personal data
- Custom software development
Costs that belong to the business
Hardware, licences, backup storage and the internet line are bought by the business. A provider may advise on them and set them up, but the bills are separate. They should appear as their own lines in a quote.
Ownership matters here as much as cost. Domains, mail tenants, hosting and subscriptions should be registered in the business’s name with its own billing. The provider is added as an administrator. If the arrangement ends, the business changes the access and keeps everything.
Where the boundary blurs
Accounting software is a common grey area. Support usually covers the machine, the licence, the network path, the data folder and its backup. Questions on how to record a transaction go to the accountant or the software vendor.
Security is another. A baseline of two-step login, filtered mail, limited admin rights and patched machines fits the monthly scope. Deeper testing does not.
On-site visits need a stated limit. Agree how often an engineer comes, and who does hands-on work in cities the provider does not cover.
How to read a managed IT agreement
Ask for the quote to follow an inventory. A price set before anyone has counted devices, users and servers is a guess.
Read the priority categories closely. Check which faults sit in the top category and what hours the response targets apply to. Ask how restore tests are reported and where the documentation is kept.
Finally, check the exit. The business should hold the documentation and every account, so a new provider can pick it up.
Managed IT scope table
A three-column sheet listing each piece of IT work, whether it falls in the monthly scope, is quoted as a project, or is a cost the business pays directly. Fill it in with the provider before signing. Disagreements show up on paper instead of on an invoice.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Does managed IT support include buying new laptops?
No. Hardware is bought by the business and listed separately. The provider can keep a replacement plan for ageing machines and set up a new one once it arrives.
Is software development part of managed IT support?
No. Building or changing an application is a separate engagement. GullySystem offers it as its own service, quoted apart from the monthly arrangement.
Are response times fixed for every fault?
They depend on priority. A billing counter that is down sits higher than a slow printer. The agreement sets which fault falls in which category and the hours the targets apply.
What happens to our records if we change provider?
They stay with you. Documentation of what runs where and how to recover it should be handed over, and every account should already be in the business’s name.