If your business is looking at hiring a managed services provider (MSP), there will be a number of pricing structures presented to you. While you will be able to give your potential MSP an idea as to what you’re looking for, the decision on which pricing model and program are right for your business and its budget will come down to you.
Here are some of the different pricing model options that your business will be able to choose from:
Block Hours
For businesses with less than 10 users, signing up for a set amount of hours per month is often their introduction into hiring managed services providers. Without the commitment of other options this gives you a set amount of time and total control over how much you spend on your system.
Block hours or block-time billing means invoices are presented at the start of the month for a set amount of hours; be it for access to a helpdesk or basic support services. While your business is provided with a decent amount of coverage, it’s important to know that traditional MSPs will typically prioritise customers who have an active longer-term support contract.
Per Device
Currently the most popular pricing model provided by MSP’s, the per device option is both thorough yet simple. Having assessed your business’ network, a set price is prepared for each item connected to it; servers, laptops, computers, firewalls, etc. This gives a business total confidence knowing they are covered on all angles from any threats.
There are a number of benefits to this, not least the fact it is easy to quote from the MSP’s point of view and simple to understand for the client. That said, the progressive pricing structure isn’t always the best option for those fast-growing organisations, who could be surprised with the increase in costs that come with adding countless devices to the network.
Per User
The real rising star of the MSP pricing model world, it hasn’t taken long for the more innovative managed services providers in Europe to follow in the footsteps of their American counterparts and adopt the per user option. This can often mean providing support and access to an office device for those workers travelling, something that has become more common in the modern world of business.
It’s not uncommon for workers to now operate multiple devices – from desktops to laptops, smartphones to tablets – and this is a flexible pricing option that also offers businesses plenty of security. The flat fee is billed per end user, providing support and coverage for all the different devices used by a company’s workforce.
Monitoring Only
Often the preferred option for medium to larger organisations employing in-house IT personnel, the monitoring only model is the most basic program available from MSPs; offering just system monitoring and updating. If an issue does arise, the monitoring only options do not cover those costs.
The managed services provider will patch programs and update the required antivirus and OS software, but if problems occur throughout the month, this will need to be dealt with in-house or at a later date. Without the same coverage of the other models, the lack of a managed services provider to fix problems right away can end up costing a business more than the MSP would have done.
For more information about the best pricing model for your business and the various managed services provided by Konnetix, call us on 01462 417070.