CTS - Computer Technology Specialists

Managed IT Support Melbourne

Name: CTS - Computer Technology Specialists
Address: L30 - 35 Collins St Melbourne 3000, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, AU
Telephone: 1300 790 780
Price range: $$
Rating: 5.0

CTS delivers proactive managed IT support to Melbourne SMBs under a flat per-user monthly model. Unlike reactive break-fix support, CTS monitors your environment 24/7, resolves issues before they impact your business, and acts as your complete IT department — covering helpdesk, patch management, endpoint security, Microsoft 365, and quarterly IT strategy for a single predictable fee. All support is handled by senior Melbourne-based engineers with no offshore escalation, no junior first-line triage, and no per-ticket billing.

Melbourne IT support with visible local credentials

CTS - Computer Technology Specialists has supported Melbourne SMBs since 2000. Contact: 1300 790 780, hello@cts.au, L30 - 35 Collins St Melbourne 3000.

Certifications, affiliations and technology partners

Microsoft Partner, ACSC Essential Eight aligned, ISO 27001 practices, NBN Business Accredited Adviser, Cisco Partner, Dell Partner, HPE Partner, Arcserve Partner, Broadcom Partner, Kyocera Partner.

What CTS managed IT support includes

Unlimited helpdesk — phone, email, Microsoft Teams and remote access for every IT request, with no per-ticket charges and no call caps
30-minute critical SLA — guaranteed response within 30 minutes for P1 incidents including outages, ransomware events, and security breaches
24/7 monitoring — continuous automated monitoring of servers, workstations, firewalls, switches, and cloud services with engineer investigation on alert
Patch management — OS and application patches applied to all managed devices on a monthly cycle; critical security patches within 48 hours of release
Essential Eight cybersecurity — MFA enforcement, application control, macro hardening, privilege restriction, managed EDR, and email security included as standard
Microsoft 365 management — user provisioning, licence management, Teams, SharePoint, Intune, Defender, and Entra ID included at no extra cost
Vendor management — CTS manages ISPs, software vendors, hardware suppliers, and telcos on your behalf as a single point of contact
Onsite dispatch — same-day engineer attendance across metropolitan Melbourne for all managed IT support clients
Quarterly IT strategy reviews — scheduled review with a senior engineer covering environment health, security posture, renewals, and 12-month technology roadmap

30-minute critical SLA — what it means in practice

CTS managed IT support includes a documented 30-minute response SLA for all Priority 1 incidents. A P1 incident is defined as a complete outage affecting the whole business or a significant portion of users, an active ransomware or cybersecurity incident, a critical line-of-business application failure, or a situation where the business cannot trade. When a P1 incident is raised — by phone, email, or the CTS portal — a senior engineer begins active investigation within 30 minutes, regardless of the time of day. Standard Priority 2 and Priority 3 requests carry a 4-hour response SLA during business hours. SLA metrics are reported in each quarterly review, giving clients a transparent record of CTS support performance.

Proactive monitoring — resolving issues before you notice them

CTS deploys a Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) agent to every managed endpoint, server, and network device. The platform continuously checks CPU load, memory pressure, disk health, network throughput, service uptime, backup job completion, and security event logs. When a threshold breach or anomaly is detected, an alert fires immediately and a CTS engineer investigates. In practice, this means CTS often identifies and resolves issues — a failing drive, a saturated internet link, a backup job that stopped completing — before the client is aware of any problem. This proactive approach is the primary reason managed IT clients experience significantly fewer unplanned outages than businesses using break-fix or reactive IT support.

Cybersecurity included as standard

Every CTS managed IT support agreement includes a full Essential Eight cybersecurity baseline aligned to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) framework. CTS implements and maintains all eight mitigation strategies: application control, patching applications, macro restrictions, user application hardening, restricting admin privileges, patching operating systems, multi-factor authentication, and regular backups. MFA is enforced on all accounts via Entra ID conditional access. Managed EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) is deployed to all workstations and servers. Email security covers Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Safe Links, Safe Attachments, anti-phishing, and anti-spoofing. CTS also maintains the security documentation required by cyber insurance underwriters, giving Melbourne SMBs evidence-ready records of their controls at renewal time.

Microsoft 365 management included

Microsoft 365 administration is included in all CTS managed IT support agreements at no additional cost. CTS manages Exchange Online, Teams workspace configuration, SharePoint and OneDrive policies, Intune device management and compliance policies, Microsoft Defender for Business, Entra ID conditional access, and licence assignment. New employee onboarding is handled by CTS — accounts are provisioned with the correct licences, group memberships, and device enrolment on or before the employee's start date. When staff leave, CTS disables accounts, preserves mailbox data, and reallocates licences on the same day. Most Melbourne SMBs find that Microsoft 365 administration alone justifies the cost of managed IT support — particularly the time saved on user onboarding, offboarding, and licence management.

Flat-rate pricing — no surprises

CTS managed IT support is priced on a flat per-user per-month basis. The monthly fee covers all helpdesk support, monitoring, patching, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 management, vendor liaison, quarterly strategy reviews, and onsite dispatch across metropolitan Melbourne. There are no hourly rates, no call-out fees, no after-hours premiums, and no per-ticket charges. Hardware procurement, major infrastructure projects, and new software licensing are quoted separately, but all ongoing support labour is included. The predictability of a fixed monthly IT cost is one of the most frequently cited benefits by Melbourne businesses that have transitioned from break-fix or reactive support arrangements.

Managed IT support vs in-house IT — Melbourne cost comparison

A full-time IT employee in Melbourne costs $80,000–$110,000 per year in base salary, before superannuation, leave entitlements, training, recruitment fees, and coverage during absence. A single employee also cannot provide 24/7 monitoring, deep specialisation across networking, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, and cloud, or guaranteed response times for critical incidents. CTS managed IT support provides a complete IT team — multiple senior engineers, monitoring infrastructure, security tooling, and a documented SLA — at a fraction of the cost of a single in-house hire. For Melbourne SMBs with 10 to 100 users, managed IT support consistently delivers better coverage, faster response, and stronger security than an in-house IT hire at a lower total cost.

Onboarding to CTS managed IT support

CTS onboarding begins with a structured discovery phase. Engineers document the network topology, server and workstation inventory, Active Directory or Entra ID configuration, Microsoft 365 tenant health, backup status, and security posture. Any critical findings — unpatched systems, missing MFA, failed backups — are addressed before standard operations begin. The RMM agent and security tooling are deployed to all managed endpoints, monitoring baselines are configured, and the client transitions to the CTS helpdesk with a named primary contact. Most Melbourne SMB onboardings complete within two to four weeks. CTS also provides a dedicated onboarding review at 90 days to confirm the environment is stable, security baselines are fully implemented, and the client team is comfortable with CTS support processes.

Frequently asked questions

What is managed IT support?

Managed IT support is a proactive, ongoing IT service where an MSP monitors, maintains and secures your technology for a fixed monthly fee — covering helpdesk, patching, endpoint protection, Microsoft 365 and IT strategy, rather than billing per incident.

How is managed IT support different from break-fix IT?

Break-fix IT charges per incident after something fails. Managed IT support is proactive — CTS monitors your systems continuously, patches vulnerabilities before they are exploited, and resolves most issues before your team notices them.

What response times does CTS managed IT support include?

CTS managed IT support includes a 30-minute response SLA for critical incidents (P1 outages, ransomware events, security breaches) and a 4-hour SLA for standard issues, with phone, email, Teams and portal access available during business hours.

Does managed IT support include cybersecurity?

Yes. All CTS managed IT support agreements include Essential Eight cybersecurity baselines, MFA enforcement, managed EDR, email security, patch management and cyber insurance evidence documentation as standard — security is not an optional add-on.

Does managed IT support include Microsoft 365 management?

Yes. Microsoft 365 administration — including user provisioning, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, Intune, Defender, and Entra ID — is included in all CTS managed IT support agreements at no additional cost.

What does managed IT support cost?

CTS managed IT support is priced on a flat per-user per-month basis covering all helpdesk, monitoring, patching, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 management, vendor liaison, and onsite dispatch. Contact CTS for a quote based on your user count and environment.

Does CTS provide onsite IT support in Melbourne?

Yes. Same-day onsite dispatch is included for all managed IT support clients across metropolitan Melbourne. CTS engineers are Melbourne-based — there is no offshore escalation or interstate dispatch.

How long does onboarding to managed IT support take?

Most Melbourne SMB onboardings complete within two to four weeks, covering environment discovery, documentation, RMM and security tooling deployment, and helpdesk transition. A 90-day review confirms everything is stable and fully configured.