Managed IT
Your Complete IT Department, Without Building One Internally
Fully managed IT means Mayer Networks becomes your IT department: user support, systems administration, network and server management, Microsoft 365, cybersecurity, backup oversight, vendor coordination, hardware lifecycle and long-term planning, with support available 24/7/365. We do not wait for something to break and send another hourly bill. We are paid to operate the environment as an ongoing managed relationship at a predictable monthly cost.
What the agreement covers
What a Mayer Networks Managed Agreement Actually Gives You
Fully managed IT starts with the standard Mayer Networks managed-service model: an ongoing operating relationship across your people, endpoints, servers, network, Microsoft tenant, security layers, backups, vendors and long-term plan. This is what your organization receives every month.
User support
When technology stops an employee from working, they have somewhere to go that is not a coworker who is good with computers.
- Remote support and onsite support across Southern Illinois
- Workstation, access and application troubleshooting
- Microsoft 365, printers and supported peripherals
- Employee onboarding and offboarding
Your employees spend their time doing their jobs instead of becoming their own IT department.
Proactive monitoring & management
We do not depend entirely on a user noticing something first.
- Device and server health monitoring
- Service failures and error conditions surfaced automatically
- Patching requirements identified and scheduled
- Infrastructure conditions watched continuously
Actionable problems are found earlier, often before they turn into a disruption anyone feels.
Endpoint management
Workstations and laptops are the tools your staff touch every hour of the day.
- Standardized configuration and deployment
- Operating system and application patching
- Security tooling installed and monitored
- Age, warranty and lifecycle visibility
Machines behave the same way across the organization, so support is faster and surprises are rarer.
Server & infrastructure management
The systems everything else depends on need maintenance whether anyone is watching or not.
- Physical servers, virtualization and storage
- Hosted and private cloud infrastructure
- Operating system maintenance and updates
- Monitoring, capacity and performance
Core systems are maintained on a schedule rather than repaired on a deadline.
Cloud & InfrastructureNetwork management
If employees depend on it to connect, it is part of the IT environment.
- Firewalls, switching and wireless
- Internet connectivity and carrier coordination
- Configuration changes and documentation
- Monitoring and network troubleshooting
Connectivity problems get diagnosed by engineers instead of debated between vendors.
Network InfrastructureMicrosoft 365
Most organizations now run their email, files and collaboration inside one Microsoft tenant.
- Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive
- Identity, licensing and tenant administration
- Security configuration and policy
- Migration and adoption support
The tenant is administered deliberately rather than accumulating settings nobody remembers choosing.
Microsoft 365Cybersecurity
Managed IT and cybersecurity are no longer separate conversations.
- Endpoint protection, EDR and MDR
- Identity protection and multi-factor authentication
- Email security and vulnerability management
- Microsoft 365 security and monitoring, with SIEM where appropriate
Security layers are designed for your environment and risk, then actively managed. Which layers apply depends on the security design and agreement.
CybersecurityBackup & recovery oversight
Backup is not software somebody installed once. It is a responsibility somebody has to hold.
- Backups monitored and failures investigated
- Recovery requirements understood, not assumed
- Protected recovery copies maintained
- Restoration performed when it is actually needed
The question stops being whether backups exist and becomes whether you can recover. That is the one that matters.
Backup & Data ProtectionVendor coordination
Stop being the middleman between your IT vendors.
- Line-of-business software vendors
- Internet providers and phone carriers
- Copier, cloud and specialized application vendors
- Escalation handled on your behalf
When vendors point at each other, we take the call so nobody at your organization has to diagnose the problem before they are allowed to ask for help.
Documentation
A technology environment should not exist only in one person's memory.
- Systems, infrastructure and configurations
- Vendors and escalation paths
- Relevant processes and access records
- Maintained as the environment changes
The organization is less dependent on any single employee or technician remaining available.
Procurement & hardware lifecycle
Know what needs replaced before it becomes an emergency.
- Specification, sourcing and configuration
- Deployment and ongoing support
- Age and warranty tracking
- Replacement forecasting
Hardware becomes a planned line item instead of an unbudgeted purchase made under pressure.
IT Procurement & Hardware LifecycleTechnology strategy & budget planning
A managed relationship should help leadership see what is coming.
- Equipment approaching replacement
- Major projects, migrations and infrastructure changes
- Licensing and cybersecurity improvements
- Budget requirements identified early
Especially valuable where spending follows an annual budget cycle: the need is known before the project becomes urgent.
IT Consulting & Strategy
Technology Does Not Stop at 5:00 PM. Neither Do We.
Fully managed clients have access to Mayer Networks support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, because a client with no internal IT staff cannot wait until Monday.
- Employees work early, late and on weekends
- Servers can fail overnight
- Security events happen on holidays
- Public-safety operations run continuously
Coverage and how after-hours requests are handled are defined in the agreement.
What this actually is
What It Means When Mayer Networks Becomes Your IT Department
This is not an unlimited help-desk plan. It is operational responsibility for the technology your organization runs on, in the situations that actually come up.
An employee cannot work?
They call Mayer Networks, and an engineer works the issue remotely or onsite.
A new employee starts?
We help prepare and configure their computer, accounts, email and access before day one.
An employee leaves?
We help secure the accounts, revoke access and preserve what the organization needs to keep.
Microsoft 365 needs administration?
We manage the tenant: licensing, identity, mailboxes, Teams and SharePoint.
A server or switch has a problem?
We investigate it and manage the infrastructure rather than handing you a vendor phone number.
A software vendor says it is your network?
We take that call and work the issue with the vendor until it is resolved or proven.
Cybersecurity requirements change?
We help design, deploy and manage the security layers the organization needs.
A backup fails?
We investigate the failure and confirm the protection is working again.
Hardware is aging?
We identify it, track warranty and age, and help plan replacement before it becomes an emergency.
Something goes wrong overnight?
Fully managed clients have access to support 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
One person, many disciplines
You Are Not Hiring One IT Person. You Are Gaining a Team.
A modern environment needs depth across a dozen disciplines and coverage outside business hours. A single employee rarely provides both, and no organization should have to build an entire internal department to get them.
Disciplines a single environment needs
- Desktop support
- Servers
- Virtualization
- Networking
- Microsoft 365
- Cybersecurity
- Backup
- Cloud
- VoIP
- Vendor management
- Lifecycle planning
- Disaster recovery
And even a small internal team still faces
- Vacation coverage
- Illness
- Turnover
- After-hours support
- Specialized projects
- Cybersecurity expertise
- Documentation
- Succession
Fully managed IT gives the organization access to a broader team rather than depending on one or two individuals and hoping both stay.
Coverage
Your IT Department Does Not Clock Out.
Fully managed clients have access to Mayer Networks support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- A server problem discovered at 2:00 AM
- An Internet outage over the weekend
- A user who cannot log in before the office opens
- A security event on a holiday
- Public-safety departments operating overnight
- Month-end and payroll work that cannot wait for Monday
How the relationship works
We Are Paid to Keep Your Environment Running, Not to Bill More Hours
When Mayer Networks becomes your IT department, the agreement is built around continuously operating and supporting the environment rather than selling labor after something fails. A quiet, stable month is the outcome both sides are working toward.
24/7/365 support
Managed clients can reach us whenever technology stops work, without weighing the cost of the call first.
Flat monthly pricing
A predictable operating cost that leadership can budget, rather than an invoice that grows when things go wrong.
Monitoring and maintenance
Continuous monitoring, patching and maintenance are the work we are paid to do, not an upsell after an outage.
Qualifying project labor
Selected packages can incorporate qualifying project labor, so needed improvements are less likely to be postponed. Which projects qualify depends on the package and agreed scope.
Lifecycle and budget planning
Aging equipment is identified early and planned into a budget cycle instead of replaced under pressure.
Documentation
The environment is documented and maintained, so knowledge does not live only in one person's memory.
We succeed when your technology succeeds.
Budgeting
Replace Unpredictable IT Labor With a Planned Monthly Cost.
A managed agreement gives leadership a predictable monthly operating cost instead of another hourly invoice every time staff need help, so nobody hesitates to call and improvements are not postponed to avoid a bill.
What normally makes IT cost unpredictable
- Hourly labor
- Emergency calls
- Onsite charges
- Project labor
- Consulting time
- Server work
- Network changes
- Troubleshooting
- Unplanned technology projects
Each of those arrives as a separate decision, usually at a bad moment, and usually with the same question attached: how much is this going to cost us?
How we structure it
Mayer Networks builds managed-service packages around the requirements of the organization, priced as a monthly agreement. What is in scope is written down, so leadership knows what ongoing IT costs before something breaks rather than after.
- Scope is defined per organization rather than sold as one universal plan
- Ongoing support, monitoring and administration are part of the monthly agreement
- Security and backup services are selected as part of the package
- Anything outside the agreed scope is discussed before it is done
A real difference
Stop Getting a Separate Bill Every Time IT Changes
Many providers charge a monthly managed fee and then bill hourly or by project the moment anything actually changes.
Typically billed separately elsewhere
- Server changes
- Network upgrades
- Migrations
- Infrastructure projects
- New deployments
- Major configuration work
How Mayer Networks packages can work
Depending on the managed-service package, project work that another provider would bill separately can be incorporated into the monthly agreement. That gives organizations the opportunity to make far more of their technology cost predictable instead of absorbing surprise project invoices through the year.
Predictability is part of the design, not an afterthought.
Which projects qualify depends on the package and the scope agreed with your organization.
How an engagement runs
Step 1
Onboard
We document the environment, gain safe administrative access, and correct urgent risks.
Step 2
Standardize
Systems are brought to a supported, patched, protected and backed-up baseline.
Step 3
Support
Staff get help when something is wrong, and systems are maintained continuously between requests.
Step 4
Advise
Recurring reviews cover lifecycle, risk, budget and upcoming projects.
Public sector
Public Services Need an IT Department Even When the Organization Does Not Employ One
Counties, municipalities, public-safety agencies, multi-building sites and departments with no internal IT staff still need someone accountable for support, cybersecurity, vendors, planning and continuity of operations.
What makes government environments different
- Fixed budget cycles that do not accommodate surprise technology spending
- Limited internal IT staffing spread across many departments
- Elected officials and departments with very different technology requirements
- Vendor-heavy application environments where each department has its own software
- Cybersecurity obligations attached to the data being handled
- Aging infrastructure inherited across administrations
- Departments that operate around the clock, including public safety
- Multiple buildings connected by circuits nobody has documented recently
Why managed IT fits the public sector
A predictable monthly agreement is easier to defend in a budget hearing than a year of unpredictable invoices. Ongoing management means aging equipment and expiring support are known before a fiscal year is planned, not discovered when a server stops. And 24/7/365 coverage matters most in the departments that never actually close.
See government technology servicesPlanning
We Do Not Only Support Today's Equipment
Managed clients should never learn about a replacement from a failure.
What you own
An inventory of servers, workstations, network and security hardware that is maintained as the environment changes.
How old it is
Age and warranty status tracked per device so nothing quietly falls out of support.
When it should be replaced
Expected replacement timing based on the role a device plays, not a generic three-year rule.
What it will cost
Budget guidance for upcoming refresh cycles and projects so leadership sees the number early.
Why Mayer Networks
A Managed IT Partner With Twenty Years Behind It
Serving Southern Illinois since 2006. Managed IT has been the core of the business the entire time.
Engineers you can reach
Local engineers deliver the remote and onsite work and back the 24/7/365 coverage, so after-hours support is not a queue in another time zone.
Business and government experience
Private companies, healthcare organizations, nonprofits and public-sector agencies across the region, each with different compliance and budget realities.
Infrastructure we answer for
Hosting, backup and recovery can run on infrastructure we operate ourselves in Carbondale, so accountability does not end at a vendor boundary.
Which model fits
Fully Managed IT or Co-Managed IT
Both sit under the same Mayer Networks Managed IT model. The difference is who carries primary responsibility for the environment.
Fully Managed IT
- No internal IT required
- Mayer Networks takes primary responsibility
- Mayer Networks handles day-to-day IT operations
- A complete outsourced IT department
- 24/7/365 support for your staff
- Best when an organization wants IT handled for them
Co-Managed IT
- Existing internal IT team
- Responsibilities are shared and documented
- Internal IT and Mayer Networks work together
- An additional engineering bench
- 24/7/365 coverage and escalation behind your team
- Best when an organization wants internal IT strengthened
Already have internal IT?
You May Not Need Us to Replace That Function
If your organization already has an internal IT professional or department, fully managed IT is probably not the right starting point.
Our co-managed IT model is designed to strengthen the team you already have with additional engineering, cybersecurity, 24/7/365 coverage, project capacity, ticketing, monitoring and escalation support.
Where fully managed makes sense, and where it does not
Fully managed works when an organization has no internal IT staff, or has someone whose real job is something else and who inherited technology by default. It stops making sense once an organization has a capable internal administrator: at that point paying an outside provider to duplicate that work creates two owners for every decision, which is worse than either arrangement alone.
The honest test is whether anyone inside the organization currently owns patching, backup verification, license renewals and vendor escalation. If those quietly belong to nobody, they are being deferred rather than handled, and that deferral is what eventually produces the outage. If they belong to someone specific, co-managed IT is usually the better fit and we will say so.
Why Mayer Networks
- Responsive remote and onsite support from engineers based in Southern Illinois, not a queue in another time zone.
- One organization accountable for support, engineering, security, infrastructure and communications.
- Experienced engineers across Microsoft, networking, virtualization, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure
- Infrastructure and hosting available from our own datacenter when needed
Security considerations
- Identity protection including MFA
- Managed endpoint protection
- Patch and update management
- Verified backup coverage
- Documented administrative access
Do we still need someone internally?
No, though most organizations keep an internal point of contact who understands operational priorities and can help coordinate scheduling.
Is support really available at any hour?
Yes. Fully managed clients have access to support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. What that covers and how requests are handled after hours is written into the agreement.
Is the cost fixed each month?
Agreements are structured around a predictable monthly rate covering the scope selected for your organization. Depending on the package, qualifying project work can also be incorporated into that monthly cost rather than billed separately.
Is hardware included?
Hardware is normally purchased by the client. We handle specification, procurement, deployment and lifecycle planning.
What is not included?
Scope is defined per organization. Some large efforts, such as building moves and new construction cabling, are typically scoped separately so they can be planned and budgeted properly.
How quickly can you start?
After an assessment and agreement, onboarding typically begins immediately, with urgent risks addressed first.
Can you support our line-of-business software?
We support the environment the software runs on and coordinate with the software vendor for application-specific issues.
Related services
- Managed ITManaged IT ServicesMayer Networks provides ongoing managed IT services for businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, healthcare organizations and other organizations throughout Southern Illinois. Our managed IT model provides proactive technology management, 24/7/365 support, monitoring, cybersecurity, infrastructure management, Microsoft 365 administration, backup, vendor coordination, documentation, lifecycle planning and strategic guidance. There are two ways to work with Mayer Networks: Fully Managed IT or Co-Managed IT.
- Managed ITCo-Managed ITCo-managed IT places Mayer Networks alongside your internal IT staff rather than replacing them. Your team keeps ownership of the systems, users, applications and priorities it knows best, and we add engineers, deeper specialization, cybersecurity capability, infrastructure expertise, our ticketing and remote monitoring platforms, escalation support, project capacity and 24/7/365 coverage behind them.
- Managed ITIT Procurement & Hardware LifecycleMayer Networks helps organizations select, procure, configure, deploy, track and replace technology across its full lifecycle, so leadership knows what needs to be replaced, when it needs to happen and roughly what it is likely to cost before the equipment forces the decision.
- CybersecurityCybersecurity ServicesA firewall protects one front. Attacks arrive through endpoints, email, Microsoft 365, identities, credentials, remote access and people. Mayer Networks designs and operates a layered security standard across identify, protect, detect, respond and recover, including the recovery capability that decides the outcome once prevention has already failed.
- Managed ITBackup & Data ProtectionMayer Networks protects critical business and government systems with managed backup, protected offsite copies, restore testing, and disaster-recovery options designed around how quickly the organization needs to recover. For organizations that cannot tolerate extended downtime, we can go beyond backup and design replication and failover so critical workloads stay available even when production infrastructure is not.
Let's talk about your technology
Tell us what you are running and what is not working. We will tell you plainly what we would do about it.