What it costs to run a clinic's IT
It is the first question every owner asks, and most IT companies will not answer it on their site. We do not quote before we have seen what is there, but we can explain exactly what sets the number.
| People | 14 |
| Devices | 3 |
| Servers | 2 |
| Sites | 1 |
| Response | same day |
Five things, and all of them countable
There is no secret formula. These are the figures we count during the survey, and the monthly cost follows from them.
- PeopleHow many people work at a screen. Physicians, technologists, front desk and management. This is the largest variable.
- EquipmentHow many devices are connected. An imaging or laboratory device needs maintenance and vendor contact, and is nothing like a workstation.
- ServersWhat runs with you and what runs in the cloud. Study server, file server, database, and how much space they take.
- SitesHow many physical locations. A second branch is not double the price, but it is another line and another set of infrastructure.
- ResponseHow fast you need an answer. A clinic that works eight hours and one that sees patients in the evening are two different agreements.
What the monthly fee covers
This is what you get without paying separately each time. It goes into the agreement.
A service desk, a tracked ticket, and remote handling. Without counting minutes and without asking permission for every call.
We watch the servers, the backups, the disk space and the updates, and act before something falls over.
Permissions, security updates, firewall, remote access and a periodic review.
Running it, monitoring it and testing restores. If a backup fails, we know before you do.
The software vendor, the device vendor, the telecoms company. We handle the technical side.
A current map of the network, servers, permissions and vendors. It belongs to you.
What is billed separately, and why that is fair
Three things sit outside the monthly fee, and we say so up front so there is no surprise.
Hardware and licensing. A new PC, a server, disks, licences. These are products we buy for you, and the quote shows their price separately from labour.
Projects. Replacing a server, opening a branch, migrating a study system. A project gets its own quote with a scope and a timeline rather than being absorbed into the retainer.
Work that follows a decision not to fix something. If we recommended replacing a part, it was deferred, and the part then failed, that repair is a project. This only ever applies after a written recommendation.
Four steps, and no commitment until the third
Fifteen minutes. How many people, what equipment, and what hurts most today.
We come, we count, and we test the existing backup. You get the document even if we do not go on together.
Monthly cost, what is included, what is separate, and the response times. One number, not a range.
If it fits, we set a transition date. If not, you are left with a document worth having.
What we get asked
Why is there no price list on the site?
Does the price rise when we add staff?
Is there a lock-in period?
What about an unusually busy month?
Can we start small?
Want a number for your clinic?
Tell us how many people work there and what equipment you have. We will come back with the next step.