Managed IT Terms Explained
8 terms you will meet when buying IT support, in plain English.
Quotes and contracts for IT support are full of acronyms. If you run a Singapore SME, these are the words that decide what you actually get for your monthly fee: who answers when staff are stuck, how fast, and what is checked behind the scenes. Read these before you compare providers or sign an agreement.
Service model
MSP (Managed Service Provider)
An outside IT company that looks after your technology for a monthly fee. Learn what MSPs cover and how they charge.
Read definition →Contracts
SLA (Service Level Agreement)
The written promise of what support you get and how fast. See what a good SLA should state.
Read definition →Tools
RMM (Remote Monitoring & Management)
Software that watches your computers and lets IT fix them remotely. Find out what it monitors and what to ask.
Read definition →Helpdesk
L1, L2 & L3 Support
The three levels of an IT helpdesk. See example tickets handled at each level.
Read definition →Service model
Break-Fix IT Support
Paying for IT help only when something breaks. Learn when it suits a small team and when managed IT costs less.
Read definition →Maintenance
Patch Management
Keeping Windows, macOS and apps updated on a schedule. Includes how Patch Tuesday works.
Read definition →Maintenance
Preventive IT Maintenance
Scheduled checks that catch problems before they stop work. Comes with a sample checklist you can adapt.
Read definition →Contracts
Response Time vs Resolution Time
How fast support starts compared with how fast it fixes. Includes an example P1 to P4 table.
Read definition →Ready to compare managed IT support?
See what StarLabs managed IT plans include for Singapore SMEs.
