The biggest differences in Managed IT Services versus Break/Fix IT services are proactive and preventative capabilities. At its heart, a managed IT service provider is attempting to prevent hardware issues, software issues, and security issues from crippling the business. A managed service provider installs RMM (remote monitoring and maintenance) tools to get an up-to-date in-depth look at the systems in the business. Alerts can be set up by the MSP when certain issues arise, so that the MSP can act on them before the issue grows into something worse.

For example, if a computer has a drive that throws a SMART failure (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology), an MSP can receive an alert that the drive is about to fail, and take preventative measures to prevent data loss. In a break/fix world, the drive will most likely fail, and all data will be lost before a break/fix computer technician is even notified that there’s a problem.

The “hard drive failure alert” above is a basic example, but there are others, such as:

• Monitoring for device failed login attempts (indicating a brute-force attack)
• Keeping systems up to date on a constant basis for compliance purposes (HIPAA and PCI compliance included)
• Being alerted when viruses are downloaded, even if they’re not executed
• Pro-actively blocking users from reaching certain websites
• Preventing data loss through proper data backup and imaging, while also receiving alerts when a backup has an issue
• Managing email rules and filters to prevent Phishing attempts
• Proactive end-user training for your employees
• Employee access / termination to services
• Vendor handling (if you have an issue with Cox or CenturyLink, your VOIP provider, or a specific software you use like Dentrix for example, an MSP will contact them on your behalf and work toward resolution)

These are additional examples. Not every MSP is built the same way. Our RMM software is typically a blank slate, meaning it’s up the MSP to figure out what they want to monitor and how they want to handle any alerts they’re monitoring.

Yes, but it’s up to the managed service provider whether or not they provide those services, and what they will charge for them. MSPs may offer packaged software/services such as:

• VOIP Services
• Faxing services
• Microsoft Office 365
• Email hosting
• Firewall service subscriptions
• SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) subscriptions
  • Google Workspace
  • Web hosting
  • Email Filtering Services
  • Cloud Backup Services

This can be a double-edged sword for the client of the MSP, as not all MSPs are happy to hand off the services to the client or a new MSP if the client decides to no longer do business with the original MSP. An MSP can spend a lot of time customizing services, settings, protection measures, etc for a client and the MSP might claim ownership over anything they’ve set up for the client and refuse to leave any of it in place if the MSP is being fired. Things like access to their administrative accounts for email services, backup services, VOIP services, etc. We call this “holding the client hostage” and any good MSP would frown upon this behavior.

At RAD Computers, we prefer to manage our core services and leave any critical “daily operation” subscription services separate from our own billing. This way, if for any reason you’re unhappy with the service we provide, transitioning to a different MSP is easy. We provide them the administrative access during “hand off” and you continue paying your bills to the issuing service companies. No need to transition things like Email hosting services from one MSP to the next, as not all MSPs utilize the same service providers and moving from one service provider to the next can cause interruptions in service and even data loss.

Every MSP is different. We’re different, Extreme Micro is different with their managed services, Hyperion Works is different with their managed services, Team Logic IT is different, etc. Every MSP has a different approach and methodology of setting up their version of their managed service offerings. Every MSP hopes to be able to provide blanket coverage for your business so that your business is never the victim of a disaster. RAD Computers is no different in that regard.

As with all good MSPs, we continue to evolve our services and methodologies to fit the needs of our clients to the best of our abilities. Maybe the one thing that makes RAD Computers stand out is that we don’t employ salesmen. We’re honest technicians, we own up to our mistakes and we don’t lock our clients into contracts. We do our best to ensure 100% satisfaction, and if we’ve failed a client for any reason, we feel they should always have the freedom to leave.

Short answer: no.

We understand why an MSP would do this – they want to standardize the systems to make management easier on their end, at the cost of their clients’ wallets. Managing a fleet of identical systems is much easier than managing a cobbled-together infrastructure of mismatched computers, but while we believe every business should have an MSP, we also acknowledge that not every business can afford to just up-and-replace all of their computers every three to five years.

That said, there are some instances where replacing computers is either required, typically for compliance with an industry like medical (HIPAA), or advised because the systems are so old they’re holding the business productivity back. RAD Computers will help your business determine if any systems need to be replaced, and we will work with your business’s budget to provide the best solutions. If you’d prefer systems be replaced on a schedule, please let us know and we can discuss Hardware-as-a-Service options, where the devices we supply are warrantied against all hardware failures throughout the lifetime of their lease and replaced on a schedule that works best for your business.

No. We have never asked our members to sign any contracts. We believe in the freedom to leave at your discretion.

In 8 years of offering Membership plans, we have never raised our rates.

We’ve been providing RAD Care and RAD PREDATOR plans for several years, and despite our own costs being increased by our software vendors, we have not passed those rate increases on to our members.

The only time you’ll see an increase in your bill is if you’ve added additional systems to your service plan, or upgraded your membership to a higher tier.

Simply put, our RAD Plans are designed to take the hassle out of computers. You can certainly piece together your own maintenance and protective measures, but it adds in the hassle.

If you’re up to the task, people wanting to piece together their own maintenance will need:

• Antivirus (we recommend Emsisoft)
• Backup (we recommend Carbonite)
• Legit computer cleaning software to replace our customized cleaning scripts (we recommend CCleaner)
• Re-enable Registry Backups
• Time and understanding to perform all of the maintenance RAD Computers performs on their systems at routine intervals

Businesses wanting to piece together their own monitoring, maintenance, and security will need:

• RMM SaaS for centralized management
• EDR Antivirus (we recommend SentinelOne)
• Backup (we recommend Acronis for imaging, Datto for Servers)
• Legit computer cleaning software to replace our customized cleaning scripts (we recommend CCleaner)
• Accident protection software
• Persistent Threat detection software
• Re-enable Registry Backups
• Time and understanding to perform all of the maintenance RAD Computers performs on their systems at routine intervals
• Regular visits with an on-site (break/fix) computer technician to check every system, network device, and IoT device, or a full-time IT employee to perform these tasks daily for maximum security

We’re always happy to assist, so if you need any recommendations please let us know. If you opt for your own solution and need assistance troubleshooting, please note it will be billed at our standard hourly rate.

Yes, it’s encrypted before it’s sent over the internet to our servers and stored in the encrypted format. We can see the list of files but we cannot read any of the data. Our data storage was designed with privacy in mind, and had to be HIPAA compliant for our medical clients to utilize it.