IT support on a monthly retainer means your IT is continuously maintained, monitored and secured — and when something breaks, a fixed contact person who already knows your systems steps in. Yurtbay.dev looks after small and medium-sized businesses in Recklinghausen, Germany, and the surrounding Ruhr area as a personal IT service provider: from your website to backups, security and the cloud — remotely or on site.
Why a monthly IT retainer instead of on-call support?
On-call support sounds cheap — until the day something breaks: then you pay for firefighting at unclear rates and wait until somebody has time. Managed services turn that around: updates, backups and security checks run on a regular schedule, problems are caught before they stop your business, and costs are predictable as a monthly retainer. For businesses without their own IT department, that's the difference between "IT just works" and "another morning lost".
What exactly does the IT support cover?
Depending on the package: maintenance and updates for your systems, managed hosting and cloud infrastructure, SSL certificates and backups, IT security audits, GDPR compliance documentation, disaster recovery — and of course fast help with incidents and user questions by email or phone. You never have to explain how your systems are set up: I built or took over those systems and know them.
The packages: Starter, Business and Partner
Three levels of care — all cancellable monthly, with no setup fee and personal support. You get the price after a free initial consultation as a firm quote instead of hourly-rate surprises, matched to your systems and your needs.
Starter — for small shops and solo entrepreneurs with straightforward needs (small teams, craftspeople, freelancers):
- Website on a modern CMS or builder
- 4 hours per month of IT support and maintenance
- Basic SSL certificate & backups
- Email support with a response in under 24 hours
Business — for established companies with growing requirements (SMBs, e-commerce, service providers, agencies):
- Managed hosting & cloud infrastructure
- 16 hours per month of technical support
- IT security audits & regular updates
- GDPR compliance documentation
- Enhanced backups & disaster recovery
- Phone support (Mon–Fri), prioritised help for critical outages
Partner — for larger companies or long-term projects with comprehensive support (mid-market companies, complex projects, dedicated support):
- Tailored solution (web, cloud, security, automation)
- Unlimited technical support & consulting
- Regular strategic workshops
- Dedicated account management
- Preferred availability & faster response times
- Custom contracts without standard lock-in
Starter and Business packages run monthly with 30 days' notice; Partner contracts are negotiated individually. You're not locked in — every package can be adapted to your situation.
On site in the Recklinghausen district — or remote
Most issues are solved quickly by phone, video and screen sharing. When it has to be on site — for larger installations or security audits — I'm there at short notice: in Recklinghausen, Herten, Marl, Oer-Erkenschwick and Datteln as well as in Herne and across the rest of the Ruhr area. Short distances instead of a technician dispatched from a far-away head office.
How we get started — in 4 steps
- Intro call (free): We clarify what IT you run today and where it hurts.
- Assessment: I review your systems — website, servers, backups, security — and tell you honestly what's fine and what's a risk.
- Package recommendation with a firm quote: You get a concrete proposal for the package that fits, with a firm monthly quote instead of hourly-rate surprises.
- Ongoing care: From then on, maintenance, updates and backups run on schedule — and I answer questions Mon–Fri within 24 hours.
One fixed contact person instead of a ticket hotline
You always talk to the same person — no ticket queue, no anonymous support agents, no outsourcing abroad. That also means no overengineering: you get exactly the level of care your business needs — not the most expensive solution that can be sold.
Frequently asked questions about IT support
What does monthly IT support cost?
That depends on three factors: how many systems and workstations are covered, which support allowance you need (4 hours in the Starter package, 16 hours in Business, unlimited in Partner) and whether managed hosting and cloud infrastructure are included. After a free initial consultation you get a firm monthly quote instead of hourly-rate surprises — with no setup fee, cancellable monthly.
How quickly do you respond to incidents?
Monday through Friday I respond within 24 hours. For critical outages — for example when your website is down — the Business and Partner packages include prioritised support. Weekends I'm unavailable except for emergencies.
Are there long contract terms or hidden cancellation clauses?
No. Starter and Business packages run monthly with 30 days' notice; Partner contracts are negotiated individually. There is no setup fee and no standard lock-in — you stay because the service fits, not because a contract holds you.
Do you work remotely or do you come on site?
Both. Most issues are solved remotely by phone, video and screen sharing — that's the fastest way. For larger installations or security audits I come on site to Recklinghausen, Herten, Marl, Oer-Erkenschwick, Datteln, Herne and the rest of the Ruhr area.
We already have an IT provider. Can we still work together?
Yes, absolutely. I can act as an additional contact for specific projects or as backup support — we'll discuss the interfaces and work together professionally. Often it also makes sense to consolidate certain services to save costs.
What's the difference between managed services and on-call support?
On-call support only kicks in once something is broken — then you pay for the intervention and bear the downtime. Managed services mean ongoing care: updates, backups, monitoring and security checks happen on a regular schedule so many incidents never occur in the first place. The monthly retainer makes costs predictable.
Further reading: IT know-how from the blog
- Windows 10 is out of support — how SMEs move safely to Windows 11 — essential for any managed IT setup
- Backup strategy for SMBs: the 3-2-1 rule done right — how your data is protected
- Ransomware protection for small businesses — the key levers — prevention instead of ransom
- IT strategy for SMBs — from gut feeling to a plan in 5 steps — the strategic view