Remote IT Support in Cambridge

Choosing remote IT support - what your options are and what each one actually means

Businesses in Cambridge have no shortage of IT support companies to choose from. The question is not whether to get support; it is which type of support arrangement suits the way your business runs. This page sets out the real options honestly, with their practical advantages and drawbacks, so you can make a decision that makes sense for your situation rather than the one that sounds best in a sales pitch.

What remote IT support is - and what it is not

Remote IT support means a technician connects to your Windows PC or laptop over a secure internet connection and works on the machine directly, in real time. For the vast majority of day-to-day business IT problems - software errors, Microsoft 365 configuration, Outlook problems, slow machines, failed updates, user account issues - a remote session resolves the problem without anyone needing to visit your office.

Remote support does not cover hardware failure that stops a machine turning on, physical installation of new equipment, or network cabling. Those need an on-site visit, and the honest answer is that any support arrangement should be clear about what triggers a visit and what it costs.

We support Windows PCs and laptops, and Microsoft 365. We do not support Apple Mac hardware or software.

Option one: a monthly support contract

A monthly contract gives you a predictable cost and ensures your machines are actively monitored between support calls. Updates, backups and security checks happen as a matter of course rather than only when something goes wrong. For a business that relies on its IT daily, this is the most straightforward arrangement.

The practical advantage is that problems are often caught before staff notice them. A failed backup or a stalled Windows update shows up in monitoring before it causes a crisis. The trade-off is a fixed monthly commitment per computer, which some smaller businesses find easier to manage as they grow.

We offer two contract tiers, both priced per computer per month and both excluding VAT.

Business Essentials

Unlimited remote and phone support during office hours, with updates, backups and security monitoring included. On-site visits are available but are charged separately at a £60 call-out fee plus labour.

• 1 computer: £36 per month
• 2-3 computers: £31.20 each per month
• 4-9 computers: £25.20 each per month
• 10-17 computers: £22.20 each per month
• 18 or more: £21.60 each per month

This tier suits businesses where on-site visits are rare - perhaps because the office is small, staff are partly remote, or the hardware is relatively new and unlikely to need physical attention.

Business Premium

Everything in Business Essentials, with on-site labour and call-outs included in the monthly price. There is no separate charge when a technician needs to come to your office.

• 1 computer: £54 per month
• 2-3 computers: £42 each per month
• 4-6 computers: £38.60 each per month
• 7-9 computers: £33.80 each per month
• 10-12 computers: £31.20 each per month
• 13-15 computers: £28.40 each per month
• 16-19 computers: £25.40 each per month
• 20 or more: £24.40 each per month

Business Premium suits offices where the IT infrastructure is more complex or where hardware issues come up often enough that unpredictable call-out costs would be a nuisance. It also suits businesses that want a single monthly figure with no variables.

Both contracts come with response options to suit different business needs.

Option two: pre-purchased time blocks

If a monthly contract does not suit your business - perhaps because your IT needs are irregular or you want to try the service before committing - pre-purchased time blocks are an alternative. Each block includes monthly monitoring and priority service and is valid for up to six months.

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

The honest trade-off here is that time blocks work well when your needs are light or unpredictable, but they can run out at awkward moments. If you find yourself buying blocks frequently, a monthly contract usually works out cheaper and gives you the monitoring benefits on top.

Managed email

A managed email service is available separately. Pricing is quoted on request depending on the number of mailboxes and the level of management needed.

Microsoft 365 - what support actually covers

Microsoft 365 is not a single product; it is a platform that includes Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and the admin tools that sit behind all of them. Problems with any of these - licensing errors, sync failures, account lockouts, Teams configuration, shared mailbox access, SharePoint permissions - are all within scope for remote support.

A technician working remotely can access the Microsoft 365 admin centre on your behalf, check user account settings, review sign-in logs, apply security policies and troubleshoot specific app behaviour. These are not tasks that require anyone to be in your office.

Microsoft 365 licencing itself is a separate cost paid directly to Microsoft. If you are unsure which plan you are on or whether it matches what your staff actually use, that is a straightforward thing to check in a remote session.

What to ask any IT support provider before you sign up

Before committing to any support arrangement, it is worth asking a few direct questions. The answers tell you a lot about how a provider actually operates.

• Is support priced per computer or per user? Per-user pricing can be significantly more expensive if several users share machines or if you have part-time staff.
• Are on-site visits included or charged separately, and at what rate?
• What hours does support cover? Office hours only, or evenings and weekends? (Not every business needs out-of-hours cover, and paying for it when you do not need it is wasteful.)
• What systems do they actually support? A provider that lists everything including Mac, Linux and specialist software may support none of them particularly well.
• Is there a minimum contract length, and what are the exit terms?

Should Cambridge businesses use a local IT support company?

There is a genuine argument for using a provider based nearby rather than a national helpdesk. A local company accumulates knowledge of your specific setup over time. When something unusual happens - a bespoke piece of software behaves oddly, a server that was installed years ago causes a problem - a team that knows your history is faster to diagnose than one reading your details for the first time.

For businesses in Cambridge, working with IT Support Bury St Edmunds means a team established in 1990. When remote support is not enough and an on-site visit is needed, that is a realistic option rather than an empty promise.

Windows 10 end of support - what Cambridge businesses need to know now

Windows 10 reaches end of Microsoft support in October 2025. After that date, machines running Windows 10 will stop receiving security updates, which means known vulnerabilities will go unpatched. For any business handling client data or financial information, running unsupported software is a real risk.

Not every machine currently running Windows 10 can be upgraded to Windows 11 - it depends on the processor and a hardware security feature called TPM 2.0. The practical step right now is to find out which machines in your office are upgradeable and which need replacing before that deadline. This is something that can be assessed in a remote session without any disruption to your working day.

Ready to talk through your options?

If you want to discuss which support arrangement suits your business in Cambridge, call us during office hours. We can talk through your current setup, the number of machines you have, and what level of cover makes sense before you commit to anything.