While everything gets more expensive, nxtbit makes it easier for small businesses to get started

⏱ Reading time: ± 3 minutes

Software licences are getting more expensive. Cloud storage is getting more expensive. Support contracts are getting more expensive. At nxtbit, things are going the other way.

Our entry-level subscription, NXT start, is getting a lower monthly price, and at the same time more is included as standard. We spoke to co-founders Raf Vandelaer and Gunther Schepers about what prompted the change, what it means in practice, and the wider vision behind it.

Why is this change happening now?

The conversation that started it all took place between Raf and Gunther themselves, in a coffee shop. "We noticed that we often missed out with smaller businesses," says Raf. "We want more clients to be able to benefit from the MSP model. Working proactively has become indispensable in this world, and it makes all the difference for start-ups in particular: they need that kind of ongoing care from day one, even when their budget is still limited. Our previous plan partly covered that, but it wasn't a full monthly pricing model. We wanted to change that."

Gunther nods. "That's exactly the gap we wanted to close. Not by building yet another in-between layer on top, but by making the existing entry-level plan itself better."

What actually changes for clients?

"In practice, it means the monthly price comes down, and a block of support time that clients used to have to buy separately is now included as standard," Gunther explains. "The plan also reaches further than before: more businesses now fall within its target group."

The terms themselves are changing too. "We've deliberately not tied this plan to a long-term contract, just a one-off setup fee to cover the full onboarding. With the higher plans, that cost disappears," says Raf. "That suits the kind of client who chooses this plan: someone who wants to get started without committing for years right away. If at some point they'd rather do something else, they can simply stop."

And if you sign up today, you needn't worry that the next change will leave you behind. "We don't want any distinction between those who join early and those who come later," says Gunther. "Everyone who works with us automatically benefits from improvements to the plan they're on. It's as simple as that."

The wider vision

For Raf and Gunther, this is more than a price adjustment. "We encourage every business to make the move to managed services, even the smallest," says Raf. "An IT environment that's looked after in a structured way prevents problems. One that only gets attention once something has already gone wrong always ends up costing more, in time and often in money too."

Gunther adds: "We want to make that barrier to entry as low as possible. Not by cutting back on quality, but by looking more closely at what a small business really needs on day one and including that as standard."