Key takeaways
- Break-fix IT support fixes problems when they happen and is billed per call or per job.
- Managed IT services monitor, maintain and secure your systems proactively for a fixed monthly fee.
- Managed services usually mean less downtime, predictable costs and better security as you grow.
- Small offices with few devices may start with ad-hoc support and move to managed services later.
In this guide
When a laptop crashes, email stops or the network goes down, every minute of downtime costs money. Businesses usually handle IT in one of two ways: call a technician when something breaks, or pay a provider to manage IT proactively. Which is right for you?
Traditional IT support (break-fix)
You call for help when there is a problem and pay per visit or job.
- Pros: no monthly commitment, suits very small offices.
- Cons: unpredictable costs, slower response, problems found only after they cause downtime.
Managed IT services
A provider monitors and maintains your systems continuously for a fixed monthly fee.
- Help desk for staff.
- Device and network monitoring.
- Updates, patches and antivirus.
- Backups and recovery. See our backup guide.
- Email, cloud and user account management.
- Security and regular IT reports.
Side-by-side comparison
| IT support | Managed IT | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Reactive | Proactive |
| Cost | Variable per incident | Predictable monthly fee |
| Downtime | Higher | Lower |
| Security | Ad hoc | Continuous |
| Best for | Few devices, simple needs | Growing teams, critical systems |
Which should you choose?
If you have a handful of devices and rarely face issues, ad-hoc support may be enough. Once you have around 10 or more staff, servers, cloud systems, multiple branches or sensitive data, managed IT usually saves money by preventing downtime.
Our IT support and networking team offers both on-demand support and managed IT plans.
Permalink Business Ltd. helps Kenyan businesses with websites, software, branding, networking and security. Request a free quote today.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between IT support and managed IT?
IT support is reactive and solves issues as they arise; managed IT is a proactive ongoing service covering monitoring, updates, backups, security and help desk.
How much do managed IT services cost in Kenya?
Pricing is usually per user or per device per month and depends on the number of devices, servers, response times and services included.
When should a business switch to managed IT?
When downtime becomes costly, you have more than about 10 staff, you rely on servers or cloud systems, or you need stronger security and compliance.
A Nairobi IT company helping Kenyan businesses grow with websites, software, marketing, networking and security. Our guides are written from real client projects.
