Pay As You Go IT Support in Burwell

IT support when you need it, nothing more

Pay as you go IT support gives you access to professional help without a monthly contract. You buy a block of time, draw on it as problems arise, and pay nothing further until the block runs low. Monthly monitoring is included with every block, so your systems are not left entirely unwatched between calls.

We support Windows PCs, laptops and Microsoft 365 - that covers the core software most small offices depend on, from Outlook and Teams to OneDrive and file sharing. We do not cover Apple Macs.

Block sizes and prices

All prices exclude VAT.

• 4 hours - £312
• 8 hours - £592
• 16 hours - £1,123

Remote support, phone guidance and on-site work all draw from the same block. If a managed email service is something your business needs, that is available - ask for a quote.

Aftercare and maintenance: how to avoid the next problem

Most IT problems in small offices are not random bad luck. They are the result of things that were allowed to drift - updates not applied, old accounts not removed, backups not checked, passwords not changed. Good aftercare is not complicated, but it does need to be done consistently. The businesses that call for support least often are usually the ones that take a few straightforward steps to keep things tidy.

Keep Windows updates current

Windows updates include security patches that close vulnerabilities attackers actively exploit. A machine that has not been updated for several months is measurably more exposed than one that is kept current. Updates should be applied regularly and the machine restarted fully to complete them - simply leaving a machine in sleep mode does not allow updates to finish installing.

If updates are consistently failing on one machine, that is worth investigating rather than ignoring. Failed updates are sometimes a symptom of a deeper software problem, and leaving them unresolved tends to compound the issue over time.

Check your backups, not just that they exist

A backup that has not been verified is not a backup - it is an assumption. A common problem is that a backup process is set up correctly and then never reviewed again. Drives fill up, backup software throws silent errors, and cloud sync settings change when someone moves files around. By the time a business needs to restore something, the backup turns out to be months out of date or missing entirely.

A straightforward aftercare habit is to attempt to restore a small test file from your backup every few months. If it works, you have confidence. If it does not, you have found a problem before it becomes a crisis. Monthly monitoring - included in every block we sell - covers backup status checks, so this is not something you need to do entirely alone.

Remove old user accounts promptly

When a member of staff leaves, their user account and Microsoft 365 licence should be dealt with the same week, not left open indefinitely. An active account belonging to someone who no longer works for you is a security risk - if their password is ever exposed in a data breach elsewhere, an attacker could potentially access your business systems using it. Removing or disabling the account and transferring the mailbox data to someone who needs it takes less than an hour and removes that risk entirely.

Review who has access to what

As businesses grow, people accumulate access to files and folders they no longer need. A member of staff who moved roles two years ago may still have permission to folders from their previous position. Reviewing folder permissions once a year keeps your data tidier and reduces the risk of accidental deletion or unauthorised access. In Microsoft 365, shared drives and Teams channels are worth checking too.

Keep an eye on your broadband performance

Pay as you go IT support covers your Windows machines and Microsoft 365, but a slow or unstable broadband connection affects everything. If Teams calls drop, OneDrive sync is sluggish or your cloud-based applications feel slow, the fault is often the connection rather than the software. Running a speed test at different times of day takes a few minutes and can quickly confirm whether a connectivity problem is consistent or intermittent. Armed with that information, you can have a more productive conversation with your provider.

If your business is still running on an older ADSL line, it is worth checking whether a faster option has become available - the difference in upload speed alone can make a significant practical difference to cloud-based working.

Deal with slow machines before they stop entirely

A machine that is noticeably slower than it was six months ago is telling you something. Common causes include a filling hard drive, background processes consuming resources, or the early signs of a hardware fault. Catching and resolving these issues while the machine is still functional is far less disruptive than dealing with a complete failure. If a machine is running slowly, it is worth calling for support before it becomes an emergency.

Password hygiene: a small habit with a large impact

Weak or reused passwords remain one of the most common routes into business systems. Encouraging staff to use a password manager and to avoid reusing passwords across personal and business accounts is one of the lowest-cost and highest-impact things a small business can do. It does not require any new software beyond what Microsoft 365 already provides.

When to schedule a maintenance visit

Even when nothing is visibly wrong, an annual check by a support provider is worth considering. In an hour or two, a good engineer can spot drives running out of space, updates that have silently failed, accounts that should have been closed and software that is no longer needed or is out of date. Catching those things proactively costs a small amount of block time. Ignoring them can cost a great deal more.

Businesses in Burwell that want to keep their systems running reliably between problems are welcome to call us to discuss what a maintenance visit or ongoing monitoring arrangement would involve.