It is not unusual for companies offering IT support to offer different levels of service, as per the budget and requirements of the clients. These can be: Pay-as-you-go support: In this case, you are asked to pay on hourly basis, or a set amount. Generally, this arrangement works out more expensive. Break-fix support: This may be charged on hourly basis, and paid in advance or later after the job is done.
This may also be paid periodically, like at the end of each quarter or half year, or once a year. Managed service support: In this case, the support company aggressively supervises your systems to minimize the likelihood of anything going bad. Usually, it amounts to the signing of an annual maintenance contract.