When you hire a Managed Service Provider (MSP), the shared goal is simple: reduce technology disruptions to your organization. Your MSP exists to help you execute technology consistently, minimize issues, and keep your environment stable. But many businesses are surprised when they discover that projects such as moves, adds, and changes (MACs) aren’t included in their MSP agreement. Instead, they’re billed separately.
To answer this, let’s step back and look at the bigger picture: MSPs build their services around consistency & standards. These standards are the “box with defined edges,” guiding how systems are supported day after day. Projects, however, introduce a level of variability and risk that fall outside of that well-defined box. To protect your business—and ensure projects succeed—MSPs handle changes to the environment as unique engagements.
Imagine two shapes:
Supporting IT with standards is like working inside that well defined box. Everything has boundaries, processes are repeatable, and outcomes are predictable. Supporting IT without standards is like chasing a blob—it changes shape, has no clear rules, and slows everything down. That’s why MSPs operate with well-defined practices:
For Morefield, achieving this goal means applying a set of standards to every environment we manage.
Standards aren’t just abstract rules. They’re structured, written guidelines that touch on every area of technology critical to your business. Here’s how Morefield organizes our standards:
This isn’t guesswork. Standards are written with yes|no questions that provide clear edges to the “box.” For example:
By sticking to measurable parameters, MSPs keep environments predictable. Every system is checked, measured, and aligned to the standard. The result? A stable IT environment where support tickets are resolved quickly because surprises are minimized.
But here’s the catch: no IT environment stays frozen in time. Changes, upgrades, and product replacements are inevitable. Hardware ages, software vendors retire applications, businesses expand into new locations, and users demand new capabilities. This is the normal life cycle of technology. When it’s time to make changes, they can’t just be slotted into the “standards box.” A project is bigger than a support ticket. Projects introduce:
If MSPs tried to include all of that within the flat monthly fee of a managed service agreement, one of two things would happen: Costs would spiral, forcing higher costs for technology support. Standards would erode, and projects would be rushed without proper planning.
Neither outcome benefits you the client. That’s why MSPs treat projects as separate events.
When Morefield undertakes a technology project, the objective isn’t just to “install the new thing.” It’s to manage the chaos of change so that your employees are happy with the outcome. Done correctly, projects:
This is possible when projects are planned, budgeted, and executed as standalone efforts outside the monthly MSP agreement.
The good news is that project planning isn’t an afterthought. It’s built into the very fabric of the MSP relationship. At Morefield, we include strategic planning sessions as part of our agreements. These typically happen quarterly or bi-annually. During these sessions, we:
Because the data is based on standards reviews that are conducted during monthly site visits, the conversation is grounded in facts, not guesswork. From there, Morefield will work with your organization to:
This process ensures you’re not blindsided by surprise costs or rushed projects. Instead, each project is anticipated, budgeted, and aligned with your business goals.
Think of it like remodeling your kitchen. You wouldn’t expect your day-to-day handyman service to cover a full kitchen remodel. That renovation project requires a separate plan, a budget, specialized labor, and a timeline. You’d sit down with a kitchen contractor, agree on a scope, and understand the costs before any work begins. IT projects work the same way.
By keeping projects outside the monthly agreement, MSPs protect your budget, your systems, and your outcomes.
The goal of your MSP is always the same: eliminate disruptions, standardize your environment, and deliver predictable outcomes. That’s why Morefield invests in building clear standards, monitoring them, and working with you to plan strategically. But technology doesn’t stand still. When it’s time to make a change—whether migrating to new hardware, replacing a system, or adding new users—the rules shift. Those projects need to be handled separately to ensure they’re done right. Yes, it means an additional investment. But just as with a home remodel, that investment is managed with a budget and a plan. The result isn’t just new technology—it’s an improved, more stable environment that supports your business for the long term.
At Morefield, we believe that projects aren’t exceptions to your IT strategy—they’re part of the natural evolution of your business. By separating them from the day-to-day support agreement, we give them the attention they deserve. And just like a trusted contractor helps you plan for your next home improvement project, we’ll help you plan, budget, and execute your iMAC projects so that your organization’s technology continues to enrich—not disrupt—your operations.
