Aug 12 2025
Cloud

Affordable IT Support Solutions Every Small Business Should Know About

Microsoft CTS and CDW’s Inscape are cost-effective alternatives to recruiting more staff.

Small businesses typically can’t afford services such as Microsoft Unified, which includes everything from IT assessments and trainings, product and service support, and guidance to specialized cloud acceleration and solution care.

This only complicates matters more for small businesses, which may feel the impacts of an aging workforce and the increasing complexity of their IT environments more acutely than at larger companies.

When IT incidents occur, small businesses frequently find themselves on hold with the help desk. And when they get help, it’s not necessarily tailored to their needs. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when support fees are charged by the hour.

Click the banner below to learn more about CDW’s technology support services.

 

Consider CTS Microsoft for Hourly IT Support

Small businesses often find that traditional IT support models are too expensive or rigid for their needs. That’s why alternatives designed specifically for smaller teams and tighter budgets are ideal. CDW Technology Support is one such option. CTS offers scalable, on-demand help without long-term commitments. One of its standout offerings is CTS Microsoft, an IT-to-IT support service built for businesses that rely on Microsoft environments but don’t have dedicated internal experts.

Whether teams are troubleshooting a system issue or need guidance on optimizing Microsoft tools, CTS Microsoft delivers fast, expert-level support with flexible hourly billing that keeps costs predictable and manageable.

At a high level, CTS Microsoft provides:

  • A single point of contact
  • Access to Microsoft-certified engineers
  • Competitive pricing
  • Incident priority
  • 24/7/365 support

CTS also comes with flexible engineering hours. And when the time comes for a deployment, Microsoft-certified engineers can offer strategic and tactical guidance. This is helpful for small businesses that don’t require a full deployment service but need select expertise.

Support applies to all Microsoft software and systems, including but not limited to Microsoft Windows Server OS, Azure, SQL Server, Microsoft 365, Dynamics, Teams, Intune, SharePoint, Copilot, Server (on-premises) and Exchange Server (on-premises).

Windows 11 migration support is another key CTS benefit. (This is particularly beneficial as the October 2025 deadline to upgrade approaches.) CTS can offer support for small businesses as they work through some of the hurdles associated with the migration.

RELATED: Businesses are running out of time to upgrade to Windows 11.

The Benefit of CDW Inscape for Small Businesses

The other core benefit of CTS is access to a complimentary tool called CDW Inscape. Inscape is a cloud and Software as a Service management platform that works with Microsoft cloud products as well as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform.

I cannot overstate how much of a value-add Inscape is for small businesses. Cloud is not a magical cost-saving tool. It certainly offers flexibility and can lower costs in the long run, but that doesn’t happen by default. It requires cost management and thoughtful cloud optimization.

MORE FROM BIZTECH: How CDW and Microsoft solutions work together to support SMBs.

With Inscape, IT managers have all of the cloud business intelligence they need. They can quickly access cloud spending, easily monitor costs, identify trends, manage budgets, report on subscriptions and even create alerts pertaining to spending. The idea is to provide a complete view of their different cloud assets to ease financial management of multicloud environments.

Tech Support Is Not All or Nothing

Small businesses often operate with limited resources, but tech support doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If Microsoft Unified Support is out of reach, affordable alternatives like CTS offer a lower-cost baseline. With solutions from CTS and Inscape, small businesses can maximize their existing resources and get the support they need without overspending.

Click the banner below to subscribe to our newsletter for the latest small business IT insights.

violetaStoimenova/getty images
Close

See How Your Peers Are Leveling Up Their IT

Sign up for our financial services newsletter and get the latest insights and expert tips.