The cost of IT Support in Los Angeles will vary depending on the type of contract that you have. Typically, there are 3 types of IT Support contracts that include: a Managed IT Support service agreement, pre-paid hours of work and independent contractor hiring (more commonly known as break/fix).
Pricing is not surprising and follows most pricing models of receiving discounts for more work. For example, pre-paid hours will lead to a lower cost per hour, but you're paying a chunk in advance, while a Managed IT Support service agreement will be a monthly subscription and have the lowest per-hour cost.
The indepedent contractor model of IT Support works like this: You experience a problem or something breaks. Then you call an IT Support contractor who sends a contractor and fixes your problem. You are invoiced based on their rate and other expenses. Then advantage is that you're not committing to a subscription nor paying an upfront chunk of cash in advance.
The disadvantage is that your business experiences maximum downtime as you're taking time to find an IT Support provider, and to fit into their schedule. Additionally, you are not being billed at a cost-effect hourly rate. Lastly if you're experiencing an emergency, the break/fix IT Support provider can easily double their rates to provide you with emergency serices.
Pre-paying for your IT Support in blocks troubleshoots a couple of problems. The first is that you already know who your IT Support provider is. The second is that you get a more cost effective solution as you will receive discounts on the hourly rate. However, the disadvantage is that you still experience downtime as the responsbility for identifying that a problem exists still falls on you.
The last option, which is becoming more common everyday, is known as Managed IT Services and is a monthly subscription. The exchange is that you receive superior services in exchange for a monthly commitment. Through the IT Support servie agreement, you receive the most cost-effective pricing as well as the fastest service.
With managed IT services, you will get an IT Support company that's constantly watching your networks and systems that maximizes uptime. While we can't speak for other IT Support companies, BCT Consulting's IT Support technicians proactively identify problems and troubleshoot them within the hour. The goal is to minimize the amount of time you have to spend managing your technology so you can maximize the time you spend running your business.