Before Managed Service providers became a common resource, an organization was faced with calling in a tech service provider every time something went wrong with the IT infrastructure.

This usually required paying charges based on the hourly rate of the technician and the cost of the equipment necessary to make the repairs.

And until the service call was made, there was no way to know how much it would cost to get the network back up and running.

An organization could be quite literally held hostage to exorbitant costs because without the repairs, they were unable to service their customers.

Those unpredictable costs, however, meant that managers on tight budgets would often wait to call, avoiding the issue until it was unavoidable, thereby making the costs even higher.

Today, Calgary and Alberta businesses who work with The ITeam benefit from flat-rate, fixed-cost IT services in a variety of ways.

Predictable Repair Costs

One of the biggest benefits of a flat-rate IT department is predictability.

Rather than pay an hourly rate to a technician, or suffer an unknown cost for equipment replacement costs, the organization pays a monthly fee that doesn’t change, regardless of how often services are required.

That predictability allows the organization to operate in confidence, knowing that their own customers will not be without some level service.

Better Planning

For the organization that is trying to remain competitive, agile, and capable of continued growth, turning IT costs into a predictable, monthly utility cost instead of a capital expense is significant.

Not only can you avoid unexpected capital expenditures during your fiscal year, so that you can invest in growth, marketing, and other business needs, but you can also plug IT into your budget with confidence.

Many organizations who use a flat-rate IT service are able to not only have more money for investing in attracting talent and growing their organization but also are able to have access to better, more customized IT solutions.

Flexibility

As we have seen here in Alberta, we’re all impacted by the economic downturn.

But one of the benefits of flat-rate IT is scalability. If your business grows quickly, you can handle that growth by scaling up your services. I

f you lose a big contract and need to tighten your budget, you can likewise scale back your services as needed.

Reduced Downtime

Hiring a flat-rate IT department to provide support to your infrastructure reduces downtime.

Downtime costs you and your business, not only in dollars but in loyalty.

Managers with tight budgets are more likely to call for help when they need it because they know the cost will not change, and the organization experiences less overall downtime as a result.

As well, your flat-rate IT service provider is motivated to keep everything running in peak condition to make sure you don’t have to call them unexpectedly.

The main benefit of flat-rate IT services is to your bottom line.

When your organization no longer has to worry about unpredictable IT bills costs, while at the same time increasing the reliability and functionality of your systems, it’s easier to focus on other aspects of the business that keeps you competitive.

At the same time, you have a team of experts – a strategic partner – to work with you to ensure you are able to leverage technology in ways that strengthen your organization and improve your ability to meet your customers’ needs.

The ITeam is dedicated to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses remain competitive, flexible, and ready to face whatever challenges come their way. We do this by providing essential IT support and customized services designed to meet the needs of your business. The ITeam will work with you to develop a cost-effective and comprehensive flat-rate IT strategy that will help you thrive. Contact us for a free consultation.