Key points
- Managed IT hands day-to-day IT management to a provider, for a monthly fee.
- It prevents outages through monitoring instead of repairing them afterwards.
- A good contract sets out scope, response times and reporting.
- At AroData, the Essential plan starts at €25 excl. VAT per device per month.
- Scope is set after a written inventory of your estate.
What is managed IT?
Managed IT means an external provider runs all or part of your IT: monitoring of computers and servers, updates, backups, security and user support. It replaces ad hoc call-outs with continuous follow-up.
The concrete benefits
- Fewer outages: alerts (full disk, failed backup) are handled before a computer stops;
- a predictable budget, per device per month;
- several skills in networking, security and Microsoft 365, without hiring;
- one contact for your staff;
- time given back to management and teams.
What a good contract should include
- the exact scope: computers, servers, licences, network, printers;
- support hours and response times, in writing;
- backup frequency and restore tests;
- on-site visit terms;
- a periodic report;
- reversibility: handover of access and documentation at the end.
How much does it cost?
At AroData, the Essential plan starts at €25 excl. VAT per device per month. The Premium plan, with enhanced protection and monitored backups, is quoted after a review.
Managed IT or on-demand repair?
IT repair steps in when something is already broken; managed IT tries to stop it breaking. In the first case you pay for each job and nobody watches your estate between calls. In the second, a monthly fee covers monitoring, updates, backups and user support.
On-demand repair suits a very small business whose IT rarely changes. As soon as the business depends on its computers, email and data, managed IT is usually more predictable, both in budget and availability.
What you should receive every month
- backup status and restore test results;
- updates applied and those pending;
- alerts handled (disk nearly full, unprotected computer, expired licence);
- user requests and how they were resolved;
- recommendations: hardware to replace, risks to address, budget to plan.
Without this report it is hard to know what the contract actually covers.
Typical cases
Typical cases to illustrate the approach: these are not client references.
- A business whose computers are ageing with nobody in charge: inventory, a staggered replacement plan and monitoring of the oldest machines.
- A business with several branches: the same rules everywhere, accounts created and closed on the day people join or leave.
- A practice whose business software crashes mid-appointment: computer and server monitoring, updates scheduled outside appointment hours.
Switching provider without disruption
- Recover admin access, licences and existing documentation.
- Carry out a joint inventory with the new provider.
- Install monitoring and check backups before the old contract ends.
- Give staff the new support number and email address.
AroData provides managed IT for small businesses in Cannes, Nice, Antibes, Mougins and Sophia Antipolis, remotely and on site: see the managed IT and maintenance page.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need an audit before signing?
Yes: an inventory of your equipment sets a fair scope and avoids surprises.
Can we keep our in-house IT person?
Yes, managed IT can support them with monitoring, security or holiday cover.
Is managed IT worthwhile for 3 or 4 computers?
Yes, as pricing is per device. For a very small business, we compare honestly with on-demand repair.
Who owns the access and the data?
You do. Admin access, licences and documentation belong to you and are handed back at the end of the contract.
Do we need a server for managed IT?
No. Managed IT covers computers on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace as well as an office server or NAS.