About Architel
In 2001, Architel® was founded with a simple question, ‘would it be possible to align the interests of business owners and an IT support provider?’ Traditional computer and network support models require that a business take all of the risk. By charging by the hour, IT support providers have an incentive to a) send the least qualified resource, b) take as long as possible to repair an issue and c) fail to prevent future problems. Business owners, on the other hand hope to a) get the best qualified resource, b) get their issues repaired as fast as possible and c) prevent future problems. We saw this misalignment as an opportunity.
Architel’s core business, Fractional IT Support, was developed specifically to provide business owners with a technology support solution that aligns their interest with ours. By charging a flat-month fee for unlimited, all-you-can-eat support Architel’s interest are almost completely aligned with the business owner’s interests. Specifically, if Architel can make a company’s technology work better resulting in fewer support calls, we make more money on the account. On the other hand, if we make a mistake or fail to prevent problems we can lose money on the account. Either way, the business owner has a predictable cost and knows that Architel is working in his best interest.
Architel does not resell hardware or software, instead we handle procurement (using our client’s accounts with Dell, HP and other resellers). This means we have no incentive to push new hardware or software, instead our interest is in making existing technology solutions last as long as possible. Sometimes we have to upgrade equipment and software and when we do, there is no additional charge to our clients, but the client can be sure it is absolutely necessary as it increases our cost.
Finally, Architel’s contracts are all month-to-month allowing business owners to reevaluate their relationship each month. Just like a full-time employee, our relationship is ‘at-will’ and can be terminated at any time. Our contracts range from $42,000 (our minimum) per year to $200,000 per year, the average being $65,000 per year.
