IT Maintenance Contract vs Break-Fix: Which Is Cheaper for Your Dubai Business?

The Real Comparison

Break-fix looks cheap until you have a critical failure at 3 PM on a Friday. Then costs spike and you wait hours or days for a repair.

Maintenance contracts cost more monthly but eliminate surprise costs and provide faster response.

Real-World Example: 20-User Dubai Office

Break-Fix Reality (Typical Year):

• Routine support calls: AED 2,000 to 4,000
• Hardware failures (2 per year): AED 5,000 to 10,000
• Software licensing help: AED 1,000 to 2,000
• Emergency repair (after hours): AED 3,000 to 8,000
• Lost productivity (5 hours downtime): AED 8,000 to 16,000
• Total annual cost: AED 19,000 to 40,000

IT AMC (Annual Maintenance Contract):

• Fixed monthly fee: AED 1,500 to 3,000 × 12 = AED 18,000 to 36,000
• Includes helpdesk, preventive maintenance, patches, monitoring
• No emergency fees
• Faster response (30 min remote, 4hr on-site)
• Total annual cost: AED 18,000 to 36,000

When Break-Fix Works

• Fewer than 5 staff
• Minimal IT dependency
• High risk tolerance for downtime

When Maintenance Contracts Make Sense

• 5 to 50+ staff
• Cannot afford downtime
• Want predictable IT budgeting
• Need proactive security updates

Hidden Costs in Break-Fix

• Premium pricing for emergency out-of-hours
• Lack of preventive maintenance → more failures
• No cost control — you never know the monthly bill
• Delayed responses during busy periods

SAS IT AMC contracts fix costs and prevent emergencies. Get a free quote | +971-526716178

*Related: IT AMC Dubai | IT Support Dubai | Managed IT Services Dubai*