{"id":4598,"date":"2026-11-04T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/?p=4598"},"modified":"2026-11-01T23:36:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T05:36:23","slug":"hourly-break-fix-or-flat-monthly-the-real-math","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/hourly-break-fix-or-flat-monthly-the-real-math\/","title":{"rendered":"Hourly Break Fix or Flat Monthly: The Real Math"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plenty of firms around Boston still pay for IT by the hour. Something breaks, they call someone, the clock runs, and an invoice shows up a few weeks later. That made sense for a long time, and for some very small offices it still does.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The question I hear in budget season is whether it still makes sense for them. The honest way to answer it is to look at the whole math, not just the invoices.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Hourly Looks Cheaper<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hourly looks cheaper because the quiet months cost close to nothing. Add up a year of invoices after a good year and it can look like a bargain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The problem is what those invoices do not show.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What the Invoice Does Not Show<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The hours your own people lose while they wait. When email goes down at nine in the morning, you are paying for more than the technician&#8217;s time, because everyone in the office stops working until it is fixed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The work nobody calls about. Updates,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/world-backup-day-dont-just-back-up-test-restores\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">backup checks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and removing accounts for people who left. Under hourly billing, these get done when someone remembers. Sometimes they only get done after something goes wrong.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The setup that never happened. With break fix, a new laptop usually gets switched on, loaded with software, and handed to whoever needs it. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nobody stops to check whether the device itself is secured, whether<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/productivity-applications\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Microsoft 365<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or Google Workspace has been set up properly for the whole firm, whether email is being filtered before it reaches your staff, or whether all that data is actually backed up somewhere you could restore it from.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The budget you cannot plan. One bad month can erase the savings from several quiet ones, and it usually comes at a bad time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The hesitation. When every call costs money, people put off calling, and small problems grow into bigger ones.<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4600\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-5-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-5-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-5-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-5-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-5.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How Flat Monthly Changes the Math<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/from-break-fix-to-predictable-it-calculating-the-roi\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">flat monthly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> arrangement works the other way around. You pay a predictable amount, and the provider is responsible for keeping things running.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That changes the incentive. With hourly billing, the provider earns more when your systems have problems, but with a monthly arrangement I do better when things run smoothly, which is why the routine work actually gets done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My team provides<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/managed-it-services\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">around the clock monitoring<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for client systems, including nights, weekends, and holidays. A good share of issues get handled before anyone in the office notices them. When something does need a person on site, I am based in Newton, not across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Run the Math for Your Own Firm<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can do this with your own numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pull last year&#8217;s IT invoices and add them up.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Estimate, honestly, how many hours your staff lost to technology problems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Estimate how much time someone senior spent handling IT instead of the work they were hired for.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Add a line for anything you know has been put off, like a server past its prime, backups nobody has tested, or a setup nobody has ever reviewed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That total, rather than the invoices alone, is what hourly billing really cost you. Then put a monthly quote next to it and read the quote closely. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ask<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/managed-services-made-simple-included-vs-excluded\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">what is included<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, what would cost extra, and how the price changes when you hire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4601\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-3-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-3-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-3-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-3-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/11\/boston-nov-blog-3.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>When Hourly Still Fits<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If your office is very small, runs on a few laptops and cloud email, and rarely has a problem, hourly may be the right call, and I would much rather point you in that direction than sell you something you do not need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most of the firms I talk to around Newton and Waltham are past that point. Most of them grew past it gradually, without really noticing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>A Straightforward Next Step<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you would like a second set of eyes on the math, I am happy to go through it with you. It is a short conversation with no obligation.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p><strong><em>Call me at (617) 221-4100<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn--red\" style=\"color: white\" href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/\">Request a consultation <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 100%;background: #f4f8fa;padding: 60px 20px;font-family: Segoe UI,Arial,sans-serif\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;color: #000;font-size: 40px;line-height: 1.2;font-weight: 800;margin: 0 0 45px\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div style=\"width: 100%;max-width: 1100px;margin: 0 auto\">\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">1. What is hourly break fix IT support?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Something breaks, you call a technician, the clock runs, and an invoice arrives a few weeks later. You pay only when you need help.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">2. Why does hourly billing look cheaper?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Quiet months cost close to nothing. After a good year, the total of your invoices can look like a bargain. The problem is what those invoices do not show.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">3. What costs don\u2019t show up on an hourly invoice?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Five things: the hours your own people lose while they wait, the routine work nobody calls about, the setup that never happened, a budget you cannot plan, and the hesitation to call when every call costs money.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">4. How much does downtime really cost under break fix?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">More than the technician\u2019s time. When email goes down at nine in the morning, everyone in the office stops working until it is fixed, and that lost time never appears on the invoice.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">5. What routine work gets missed under hourly billing?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Updates, backup checks, and removing accounts for people who left. These get done when someone remembers, and sometimes only after something goes wrong.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">6. What does \u201cthe setup that never happened\u201d mean?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Under break fix, a new laptop usually gets switched on, loaded with software, and handed over. Nobody checks whether the device is secured, whether Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is set up properly for the whole firm, whether email is filtered before it reaches staff, or whether data is backed up somewhere you could restore it from.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">7. Why is hourly billing hard to budget for?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">One bad month can erase the savings from several quiet ones, and it usually arrives at a bad time.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">8. How does hourly billing lead to bigger problems?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">When every call costs money, people put off calling, and small problems grow into bigger ones.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">9. How does a flat monthly arrangement work?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">You pay a predictable amount, and the provider is responsible for keeping things running.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">10. How does flat monthly change the provider\u2019s incentive?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">With hourly billing, the provider earns more when your systems have problems. With a monthly arrangement, the provider does better when things run smoothly, which is why the routine work actually gets done.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">11. Does flat monthly include monitoring?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">CMIT\u2019s team provides around the clock monitoring for client systems, including nights, weekends, and holidays. A good share of issues get handled before anyone in the office notices them.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">12. What if I need someone on site?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">When something needs a person on site, the provider is based in Newton, not across the country.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">13. How do I run the math for my own firm?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Add up last year\u2019s IT invoices, estimate the hours your staff lost to technology problems, estimate how much time someone senior spent on IT instead of their real work, and add a line for anything you know has been put off.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">14. What kinds of deferred items should I include?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">A server past its prime, backups nobody has tested, or a setup nobody has ever reviewed.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">15. What is the true cost of hourly billing?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">The combined total from the exercise above, not the invoices alone.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">16. How should I evaluate a monthly quote against that total?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Put the quote next to your total and read it closely. Ask what is included, what would cost extra, and how the price changes when you hire.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">17. When does hourly billing still make sense?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">If your office is very small, runs on a few laptops and cloud email, and rarely has a problem, hourly may be the right call. The provider says they would rather point you that way than sell you something you do not need.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">18. How do I know if my firm has outgrown break fix?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Most firms around Newton and Waltham are past that point, and most grew past it gradually without noticing. If the math above shows costs beyond the invoices, it is worth a second look.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">19. Can someone help me review my numbers?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Yes. A short conversation with no obligation can walk through the math with you.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"width: 100%;background: #fff;border-radius: 14px;margin: 0 0 18px;padding: 0 28px;overflow: hidden\">\n<summary style=\"cursor: pointer;position: relative;padding: 24px 48px 24px 0;font-size: 19px;line-height: 1.5;font-weight: 600;color: #111\">20. How do I get started?<span style=\"position: absolute;right: 0;color: #f46048;font-size: 28px;line-height: 1;font-weight: bold\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 24px;color: #444;font-size: 16px;line-height: 1.7\">Call (617) 221-4100 or request a consultation at <a style=\"color: #f46048\" href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/\">cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1625\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-Purple-Minimal-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-copy-1-1024x340.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-Purple-Minimal-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-copy-1-1024x340.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-Purple-Minimal-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-copy-1-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-Purple-Minimal-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-copy-1-768x255.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-Purple-Minimal-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-copy-1.png 1392w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plenty of firms around Boston still pay for IT by the hour&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":331,"featured_media":4599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,48,35,112,93,95,96,101,97,104,43,100,19],"class_list":["post-4598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-it","tag-cmit-boston","tag-cmit-boston-newton-waltham","tag-cyber-security-solution","tag-managed-it-service-provider-boston","tag-managed-it-service-provider-near-me","tag-managed-it-services-boston","tag-managed-it-services-boston-ma","tag-managed-it-services-for-small-business-boston","tag-managed-it-support-boston","tag-managed-it-support-company-boston","tag-microsoftcapilot","tag-msp-companies-boston","tag-waltham"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 5.0.5.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Plenty of firms around Boston still pay for IT by the hour. 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Something breaks, they call someone, the clock runs, and an invoice shows up a few weeks later. That made sense for a long time, and for some very small offices it still does. The question I hear in budget season is whether it Hourly IT support looks cheaper on the invoice. Here is how to run the real math for your own firm before you decide.","og:url":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/hourly-break-fix-or-flat-monthly-the-real-math\/","article:published_time":"2026-11-04T15:00:58+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-11-02T05:36:23+00:00","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:title":"Hourly Break Fix or Flat Monthly: The Real Math | Hourly Break Fix or Flat Monthly: The Real Math | CMIT Solutions Boston","twitter:description":"Plenty of firms around Boston still pay for IT by the hour. Something breaks, they call someone, the clock runs, and an invoice shows up a few weeks later. That made sense for a long time, and for some very small offices it still does. 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