sector7 takes over the ongoing operation of your IT infrastructure — network, server, storage, cloud, and security — at predictable flat monthly rates. The scope of service is set out in service descriptions, not in open hourly quotas: you know in advance what regular operation costs and what it covers. In doing so, you retain authority over your systems, access, and personnel at all times; we take over specifically delineated infrastructure tasks — as a relief for your IT, not as its replacement.
What we take over
The scope is tailored to your environment — typical building blocks are:
- Network & security: operation of secure networks including firewalls and VPN — with patch, configuration, and change management.
- Server & storage: installation, maintenance, and backup of your server and storage systems — on site with you or on our own infrastructure.
- Monitoring: automated monitoring around the clock via our NOC — faults and anomalies are detected, assessed, and handled according to the contractually agreed processes and urgencies.
- Updates & patches: planned, documented updating of systems and security components instead of ad-hoc interventions.
Service levels in numbers
Our service hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am–5 pm. Within these hours, fixed response times apply per priority:
| Priority | Situation | Response |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | Critical outage or security incident | ≤ 1 hour – then continuous work until the fault is cleared |
| P2 | Significant impairment | ≤ 4 hours |
| P3 | Fault affecting individual users or components | ≤ 8 business hours |
| P4 | Requests and changes | Scheduling within ≤ 2 business days |
“Response” means the start of qualified analysis by an engineer – not the automated acknowledgement of receipt.
Three levels, clearly separated:
- Round-the-clock monitoring: our NOC monitors managed environments 24/7 and triggers automated immediate measures.
- Response by engineers: qualified work by an engineer takes place within service hours (Mon–Fri, 8 am–5 pm).
- On-call outside service hours: human on-call as a bookable option – on request.
Maintenance windows are announced and scheduled outside business hours.
Onboarding: assessment first, then regular operation
No regular operation without an assessment. At the start of every takeover come the capture and documentation of your systems, the connection to our monitoring, and the written delineation of responsibilities — only then does the agreed operation begin, with a transition phase of parallel support. Poorly documented, historically grown environments are no obstacle here, but the normal case: the documentation created during onboarding is a stand-alone result and stays with you — even if the collaboration ever ends.
One provisioning option: infrastructure from our server park (IaaS)
Where it fits the requirement, we provide compute and storage capacity from our own server park in Germany — as infrastructure as a service. Within this option, billing is based on actually used resources; the operation itself remains part of the agreed flat-rate model. IaaS is one provisioning form among several, not a precondition: we operate your existing hardware just as well.
Your advantages at a glance
- Monitoring around the clock: your systems are monitored 24/7 automatically; the handling of detected faults follows the contractually agreed urgency.
- Predictable flat monthly rates: clear flat-rate contracts instead of unplanned additional costs — your IT budget stays calculable.
- Clear delineation: responsibilities are set out in writing at the start — you keep authority over systems, access, and decisions.
- Relief for your IT: recurring operational tasks run with us, your specialists concentrate on projects and business applications.
As an owner-led provider, we combine technological competence with direct responsibility: you talk to the person who is also technically responsible for your environment. Our regional focus is in the Bergisches Land, the Rheinland, and the Ruhrgebiet; for companies in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, Dortmund, or Wuppertal we are quickly reachable.
If you want to know what the operation of your environment would cost: at the start is an assessment, at the end an offer with a monthly figure.
CatalogWhat the flat rate includes – and what it doesn't: the service catalog
Frequently asked questions
How does the pricing model for managed services work?
You pay predictable flat monthly rates for a clearly described scope of service — defined through service descriptions and agreements, not through open hourly quotas. Unplanned additional costs for regular operation are thereby eliminated. Projects outside the agreed operation are quoted separately and transparently in advance.
Do your managed services replace our internal IT department?
No, they relieve it. We take over specific infrastructure subtasks such as monitoring, patch management, or firewall operation, while your IT keeps authority over systems and priorities and can focus on projects and business applications. Responsibilities are delineated in writing at the start so that no gray areas arise.
How does the takeover of our existing environment into operation proceed?
The onboarding follows a fixed sequence: assessment and documentation of the systems, connection to our monitoring, definition of the operating processes and escalation paths, then a transition phase with parallel support. Only once the environment is cleanly captured does regular operation begin. Even poorly documented environments are no obstacle to this — they are the normal case.
What exactly does 24/7 mean at your company?
Your systems are monitored automatically around the clock; incidents and anomalies are detected, assessed, and handled according to the contractually agreed processes. Which systems are handled with what urgency and how escalation happens we define together in the service contract — tailored to the actual criticality of your processes.