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Learning Center · Managed IT

Managed IT for Small Businesses

What managed IT actually covers, how to determine if your current approach is working, and what to look for when evaluating a managed service provider.

The IT support spectrum

IT support for small businesses exists on a spectrum from fully reactive (break-fix, pay per incident) to fully proactive (flat-rate managed IT, with continuous monitoring and maintenance). Most businesses sit somewhere between these two extremes, often without having made a deliberate choice about where.

Break-Fix

Pay when something breaks. No ongoing relationship. Reactive by design.

Co-Managed IT

Internal IT person plus MSP support. Best for businesses with one IT generalist.

Fully Managed IT

MSP handles all IT. Flat monthly fee. Proactive monitoring and maintenance.

What a managed IT agreement typically includes

24/7 system monitoring

Servers, workstations, and network devices are monitored continuously. Problems are caught before they cause outages.

Patch management

Operating systems and applications are updated on a scheduled basis. Security vulnerabilities are addressed systematically.

Helpdesk support

Employees have a place to call or submit a ticket. Problems get resolved without requiring the business owner's involvement.

Endpoint security management

Antivirus, endpoint detection, and security tools are deployed and actively monitored across all devices.

Backup monitoring

Backup jobs are monitored for failures. Restores are tested periodically. You're not discovering the backup problem during a crisis.

Vendor coordination

Internet outages, software problems, and hardware failures are handled by your MSP, not by you calling vendors on hold.

Signals that your current IT approach has gaps

The same problem recurs repeatedly without a root cause fix.
IT-related problems regularly interrupt employee productivity.
You don't know whether your systems are patched and up to date.
You can't confirm whether your backups are working without checking manually.
Employees have left the company but still have access to systems.
Your IT support person handles everything themselves with no documentation.
You don't have a clear plan for what happens if a server goes down.

Tools and resources in this cluster

Tool

Managed IT Readiness Assessment

Evaluate your current IT situation across 5 categories

Tool

Downtime Cost Calculator

Estimate the cost of IT downtime for your business

Guide

Managed IT vs. Break-Fix

True cost comparison of IT models

Guide

How to Evaluate an MSP

Questions to ask, red flags to watch for

Service

Managed IT Services

Edge Secure managed IT offering

See where you stand

Take the free Managed IT Readiness Assessment to evaluate your current situation across support, systems, security, and documentation.

Start Free AssessmentRequest an IT Assessment

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