The fee-for-service technique of delivering information technology (IT) services to organizations is referred to as break/fix or breaking fix. Using this strategy, an IT solution provider provides services as needed and charges the customer solely for the task completed. Repairs, upgrades, or installation of systems, components, peripheral equipment, networking, or software may be included in the service.
The alternative to break/fix is managed services[2], which is a service plan in which the client pays a fixed sum for services included by the plan and extra amounts for repairs or other work that is not covered by the plan.
In the current market, the analogous practice is that of out-of-warranty appliances, where the buyer can pay for repairs as needed (break/fix) or purchase an extended warranty (managed services).
The initial decreased cost of maintenance is one advantage of break/fix IT management. Maintenance, on the other hand, is reactive rather than proactive since issues are only handled as they happen. Because of the emphasis on cost, little issues that go neglected can snowball into catastrophic failures. Unscrupulous suppliers are rewarded for using inefficient or harmful methods to maximize break/fix effort and consequently income.