Frequently Asked Questions about Managed IT Services in NZ

We take responsibility for the technology behind your business: supporting your staff, maintaining Microsoft 365, devices and networks, keeping systems patched and backed up, and planning the work ahead. Security monitoring runs 24/7 in the background. Break-fix IT means you only get help after something has already gone wrong. Managed IT means someone owns the environment between support requests, so problems are more likely to be found early.

Our focus is professional services organisations - particularly healthcare and allied health practices, law firms, and insurance and other professional services businesses. They share similar IT needs: reliable systems, strong data security, privacy obligations and the reputational stakes of handling sensitive client information. If your business sits outside that focus, we will tell you if we are not the right fit.

Our managed service starts at $675 + GST per month for five users. The final monthly cost depends on the number of users and whether Advanced or Security Plus is the right fit, and we confirm it before you commit. Microsoft 365 licensing is additional.

Day-to-day support for your staff, including remote support, and ongoing management of Microsoft 365, devices and networks. It also covers our security and backup controls, monitoring, monthly reporting, and Business Technology Reviews with an IT Roadmap. Initial remediation and larger projects are scoped separately and normally quoted at a fixed fee, and the Security & Productivity Kick Start is priced in your Proposal. Microsoft 365 licensing is not included in the managed-service fee. See what we look after →

Our managed services agreements are typically three years. That structure helps us protect your pricing and plan properly for the long term. If circumstances change, you can exit at any stage with 90 days' written notice. Services continue to be paid during the notice period, and any Microsoft licences with an annual commitment remain payable until that commitment ends. We do not rely on punitive lock-in clauses.

Yes. The first step is a 15-minute IT Fit Check to understand how your IT is currently managed and whether there is anything worth discussing further. Where we need more visibility before making a recommendation, we carry out our Systems Review at no cost. It covers roughly a hundred checks across your technical environment and the policies, processes and governance around it.

Our remote monitoring tools handle both platforms - patching, health checks, and early-warning alerts run across Mac and Windows devices. If something starts acting dodgy, we'll usually know before you do.

Yes. MDM (Mobile Device Management) can be configured to your requirements - we'll agree on the policies, then roll them out across all devices so your fleet stays consistent and secure.

Technically yes, but we recommend Managed Apple Accounts tied to your business. If a staff member leaves or loses a device, personal Apple Accounts can create access and security headaches. Managed accounts avoid that.

Not a problem. We apply extra security rules for overseas team members and can arrange local on-site partners if needed. Your setup stays consistent regardless of where your people are based.

We resolve most issues remotely, which is usually faster. Advanced clients can request onsite support at the onsite rate in our Rates Schedule. Security Plus includes onsite support within Christchurch. For work outside Christchurch, we confirm the arrangements and any applicable charge before the visit is booked.

Your staff contact our Christchurch-based service desk directly by phone, email or the client portal. Every request is logged and prioritised by business impact. For managed-service clients, guaranteed response times during Business Hours are: Critical 1 hour; High 2 hours; Medium 4 hours; Low 8 hours. Critical and High issues should be lodged by phone, and for a live security incident you call us rather than logging a ticket and waiting. Our Rates Schedule is the contractual reference for response times. After-hours support is available by phone and is charged separately.

We use a layered 7+2 model: seven layers of protection (people and awareness, identity and access, email and collaboration, web and network protection, device security, patch and vulnerability management, and 24/7 monitoring and detection) and two recovery layers (incident response, and backup and recovery). Security Plus adds further controls for organisations with higher security requirements. No responsible provider can guarantee you won't be breached. The aim is to reduce risk, detect problems early, and respond and recover well if something gets through. See how we manage cyber security →

Managed backups are monitored, and we perform a manual restore test each month on approved backup systems and report the result to you. It is an additional human check that data can actually be recovered, rather than relying only on a successful backup status.

Yes. Ongoing security-awareness training and phishing simulations are included. They are designed to be short and practical, not punishing.

Yes. A managed business password manager is included. If you already use one, we'll review whether it should be retained rather than changing it unnecessarily.

We manage the technical handover with the outgoing provider, collect access and documentation and plan the transition around keeping the business operating. We involve you where authority or a business decision is required. Staff may need a short session to set up their devices, but they should not need to coordinate the handover themselves.

Where we need more visibility first, the Systems Review comes before anything changes. After the handover, every new managed client goes through our Security & Productivity Kick Start - the initial implementation work where we put our management and security controls in place, complete the required configuration changes, document the environment and prepare users and devices. Work that can reasonably wait is documented and planned through your IT Roadmap rather than crammed into the handover. The Kick Start is priced in your Proposal.

Managed clients receive monthly reporting together with Business Technology Reviews at the cadence agreed in your Proposal. A BTR is where we step back from individual support requests and review your IT Roadmap, risks and priorities, upcoming work, device lifecycle and indicative technology expenditure, so future costs can be planned rather than discovered at short notice. When a roadmap item becomes a defined project, we scope it at a fixed fee before work begins.