A managed IT support contract should give your business more than a telephone number to call when something breaks. It should clearly explain what is supported, how quickly your provider will respond, what happens when an issue falls outside the agreement and what you can expect to pay.

The right questions to ask are often as important as the services included.

What should managed IT support include?

A managed IT support agreement will typically cover day to day technical support, monitoring and maintenance. Depending on the provider, it may also include cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 support, backups, device management and business continuity.

Before signing, check that the contract clearly defines:

• What systems, users and devices are covered
• How support requests are logged
• Response times for different priorities
• Remote and onsite support
• Monitoring and maintenance
• Backup and business continuity arrangements
• Security and patch management
• Out of hours support
• Reporting and service reviews

VectorCloud has supported Scottish businesses since 1997, providing managed IT services alongside business continuity, IT disaster recovery and information security. We are also Cyber Essentials practitioners and work with Microsoft and Datto technologies.

What should an IT support SLA include?

Your Service Level Agreement should explain how quickly different types of problems receive a response.

For example:

• Critical: complete business outage or major security incident requiring immediate attention.
• High: a significant issue affecting multiple users or an important business function.
• Medium: an individual user issue that has a workable alternative.
• Low: routine requests, advice or minor technical problems.

A response time is not necessarily the same as a resolution time. A good contract should make that distinction clear rather than promising an unrealistic fixed resolution period.

VectorCloud’s Glasgow service, for example, currently states a 30 minute telephone response, remote access within 60 minutes and an onsite visit within 120 minutes.

What is usually excluded from managed IT support?

This is the section many businesses overlook.

Common exclusions can include:

• New hardware and replacement equipment
• Third party software support
• Major IT projects or migrations
• Work outside the agreed service scope
• Out of hours support where 24/7 cover is not included
• User training
• Support for personal or unmanaged devices
• Onsite work where additional charges apply

Always ask a prospective provider to explain these exclusions before signing.

How are managed IT support contracts priced?

Providers commonly use per user, per device or blended pricing.

Per user pricing can work well where employees use several devices. Per device pricing may suit businesses with simpler environments. A blended model combines elements of both.

The important point is not simply finding the lowest monthly price. You need to understand exactly what that price covers and which costs could sit outside the agreement.

What should you ask an IT support provider before signing?

Ask for clear answers on response times, exclusions, security, backups, project work, out of hours cover and how the service will scale as your business changes.

VectorCloud provides managed IT support across Glasgow, Hamilton, Hillington and Kilmarnock, alongside wider Central Scotland coverage. If you want an IT support contract built around your business rather than a generic package, speak to the VectorCloud team.