Server Maintenance Contract - Planned Operations Instead of Firefighting
Fixed maintenance windows, monthly patch cycles, backup checks and monitoring including response - contractually defined for Linux servers at any provider. Restore tests are agreed to match the environment.
Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT
The following are trademarks of their respective owners: Hetzner (Hetzner Online GmbH), OVHcloud (OVH Groupe SAS), IONOS (IONOS SE), netcup (netcup GmbH), Contabo (Contabo GmbH). WZ-IT is an independent service provider and has no business, partnership, or contractual relationship with these companies. We offer independent migration, installation, hosting, and operations services.
Why a Maintenance Contract for Your Servers
Linux server maintenance is not a project, it is a cadence. Without a contract, experience shows it does not happen exactly when it matters.
Unpatched servers are the biggest entry point
Most successful attacks exploit known vulnerabilities for which a patch has long existed. A server that "just runs" and is therefore never touched collects exactly these gaps - month after month, until someone exploits them.
Ad-hoc hourly rates are unpredictable
Without a contract, every incident becomes a one-off job: availability unclear, hourly rate open, priority a matter of negotiation. A server maintenance contract turns unpredictable emergency costs into a fixed, calculable item in the IT budget.
Responsibility needs a contract
Who patches, who verifies the backups, who responds to alerts? Without a written agreement, operations rely on gut feeling and shouting across the room. A maintenance contract defines responsibilities, cadence and response times bindingly.
What the Maintenance Contract Includes
Six building blocks that together form server maintenance - from patch cycle to report.
Monthly Patch Cycles
Fixed monthly maintenance cycles for OS and package updates on your Linux servers. Critical security updates do not wait for the cycle - they are applied promptly.
Planned Dist Upgrades
Major upgrades (e.g. Debian, Ubuntu LTS) are planned ahead: testing, a coordinated maintenance window and a rollback strategy - instead of an upgrade backlog until end-of-life.
Monitoring incl. Response
Your servers run on our highly available Zabbix cluster, and our team responds to the alerts - with a defined response time. Grafana dashboards are available as an option.
More about Managed ZabbixBackup Checks & Agreed Restore Tests
We monitor the agreed backup jobs and retention. Restore tests, test frequency and RTO/RPO are explicitly defined in the recovery scope for the environment.
Maintenance Windows & Change Docs
Changes happen in coordinated maintenance windows - not in the middle of daily business. Every change is documented: what was changed when, why and with what result.
Patch Reports & Recommendations
After each maintenance cycle you receive a report: applied patches, handled alerts, backup status and concrete recommendations for the next steps.
The Maintenance Contract Is Tier 3 - with a Fixed Cadence
Our operations model has three tiers. Many customers start with monitoring and hand over step by step - the maintenance contract is the third tier: full operations on a fixed maintenance cadence.
Monitoring
from €79.90 / month
The entry point: we connect your servers to our HA Zabbix cluster, alerts go to your team. You see how we work - and respond yourself.
- Zabbix onboarding & templates
- Maintained triggers & escalation
- Alerts to your team
Monitoring + Response
by scope
We respond to the alerts: analysis, countermeasures and escalation with a defined response time. Patching and maintenance stay with your admins.
- Defined response times
- Incident handling included
- Escalation & incident report
Maintenance Contract: Full Operations
from €149.90 / month
We take responsibility for the agreed server maintenance scope: monthly patch cycles, planned distribution upgrades, backup checks and monitoring with response - governed by the SLA and service schedule.
- Monthly patch cycles & maintenance windows
- Backup management; restore tests by scope
- Patch reports & SLA
Standard Linux server management starts at €149.90 net per month with progressive volume pricing for additional servers. Final scope is confirmed after reviewing the environment. Response times and responsibilities are governed by an SLA.
How Your Maintenance Contract Goes Live
Four steps from the first look at the systems to the ongoing maintenance cadence.
- 01
Server Audit
We assess the current state of your servers: update status, security, backups and monitoring gaps - documented and prioritized.
More about the server audit - 02
Maintenance Plan & SLA
The audit results in the maintenance plan: patch cadence, maintenance windows, backup strategy and response times - bindingly defined in the SLA.
- 03
Onboarding
Your servers are connected to our Zabbix cluster, access and escalation chains are set up and documented - the contract goes live.
- 04
Ongoing Cycles with Reports
Monthly maintenance cycles, prompt security updates and regular patch reports - you always see what happens on your servers.
Define the maintenance scope
Choose the appropriate starting point for your existing server environment.
Ad-hoc Support vs. Maintenance Contract
Ad-hoc support repairs what is already broken. A maintenance contract makes sure it does not get that far in the first place - with a fixed cadence, clear responsibility and calculable costs.
| Maintenance contract (WZ-IT) | Ad-hoc support | |
|---|---|---|
| Response | Defined response times per SLA - alerts land directly with our team | Response when someone happens to have time - often only after the outage |
| Predictability | Fixed maintenance windows and monthly patch cycles | Intervention only when something breaks - updates pile up |
| Cost structure | Calculable monthly fee, transparent in the initial consultation | Open hourly rates per incident - emergencies get expensive |
| Responsibility | Contractually defined: patching, backups and monitoring sit with us | Effectively stays with you - the provider works on demand |
| Documentation | Change docs, patch reports and maintained operations documentation | Rare - knowledge stays in heads and ticket histories |
Further Guides
The right entry points and additions to the maintenance contract.
More Managed Operations Services
SLA & Service Levels
Four tiers with clearly defined response times.
Monitoring Only
24/7 monitoring from €79.90; alerts go to your team.
Managed Zabbix
Platform operations from €79.90; alerts go to your team.
CVE Monitoring
Vulnerability scanning and patch management.
Compliance
GDPR, ISO 27001 and BSI C5.
Contract & Maintenance Model
How scope, maintenance cadence, and responsibilities are defined.
Legacy Operations
Operation and modernization of legacy systems.
Standard management of an existing Linux server starts at €149.90 net per month. Progressive volume pricing applies to further servers in one coherent customer environment. Criticality and the selected service level can increase the price; complex platforms and non-standard applications are quoted after the infrastructure audit. You continue to pay the hardware provider directly.
Debian, Ubuntu and RHEL derivatives such as AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux are our daily business. We also take older systems (e.g. CentOS 7 or Ubuntu 18.04) into maintenance - including hardening the current state and a joint plan for the dist upgrade to a supported version.
The standard is a monthly maintenance cycle with a fixed maintenance window for OS and package updates. Critical security updates do not wait for the cycle - they are applied promptly. We adapt the cadence to your environment, for example for systems with their own release processes or tight operating hours.
We handle critical vulnerabilities outside the regular cycle: we assess whether your systems are affected, apply the patch promptly or implement a workaround if no patch is available yet. Afterwards you receive a short note on what was done and why.
Yes, within the agreed service level. Monitoring runs around the clock. For P1 incidents, Production provides 24/7 response within 60 minutes and Critical within 30 minutes including callback. Essential and Business use defined service windows. The SLA and service schedule define what qualifies as P1.
No. Your servers stay where they are: with your provider, in your account and under your contract. For maintenance we only need administrative access (SSH key, technical user). There is no forced migration and no vendor lock-in - you retain full commercial and technical control.
The term and notice period are stated clearly in the offer and contract. Servers and provider contracts remain with you; access credentials and the operations documentation owed under the agreement are handed over in an orderly manner at the end of the contract. This keeps a future change of operator technically manageable.
Operations that visibly relieve customers
Customer feedback on monitoring, updates, maintenance, support and stable production systems.
“Professional, honest and technically thoroughly sound: WZ-IT set up our Proxmox and backup infrastructure securely and future-proof. The consulting from Timo and Robin was objective and needs-driven, the implementation smooth and the final documentation exemplary. You can tell immediately that business-critical infrastructure is thought through holistically from the outset here and implemented with clear ownership.”
Pascal Block
Project Manager, Stadtwerke Brühl GmbH
Stadtwerke Brühl - municipal energy and infrastructure utility.
“WZ-IT provided very competent support in implementing our server and virtualization infrastructure. As part of the project, a Proxmox-based virtualization environment was set up along with a virtual machine for our application systems. Additionally, a structured backup concept was implemented. A particular focus was on security: the setup of a VPN tunnel and the clean implementation of encryption and access concepts were professionally executed. The structured consulting as well as the reliable and swift implementation deserve special mention. We are very satisfied with the services provided and are happy to recommend WZ-IT.”
John Hellmerichs
Managing Director, AInergy GmbH
AInergy - consultancy for energy and facility management.
“WZ-IT manages our Proxmox cluster reliably and professionally. The team handles continuous monitoring and regular updates for us and responds very quickly to any issues or inquiries. They also configure new nodes, systems, and applications that we need to add to our cluster. With WZ-IT's proactive support, our cluster and the business-critical applications running on it remain stable, and high availability is consistently ensured. We value the professional collaboration and the noticeable relief it brings to our daily operations.”
Pascal Hakkers
Aphy AG
Aphy AG - AI platform for hotel back-office.
“Communication with WZ-IT was open, friendly and professional from the very beginning. Mr. Wevelsiep and Mr. Zins responded to every one of our questions patiently, promptly and respectfully, and contributed their own suggestions and good ideas on how to modernize our server infrastructure and adapt it even better to our needs. Throughout, WZ-IT consistently kept our need for data sovereignty and GDPR compliance in mind. Even short-notice adjustments and change requests from our side were implemented quickly and patiently and integrated consistently into the overall concept. From planning to the final handover, every step was documented transparently and comprehensively - so if a provider change should ever become necessary, the documentation would let us onboard a successor into our infrastructure very quickly. We are extremely satisfied with WZ-IT and hope to continue working together for a long time.”
Christoph Mußmann
Project Officer, DGHO e.V.
DGHO - German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology.
“Timo and Robin from WZ-IT set up a RocketChat server for us - and I couldn't be more satisfied! From the initial consultation to the final implementation, everything was absolutely professional, efficient, and to my complete satisfaction. I particularly appreciate the clear communication, transparent pricing, and the comprehensive expertise that both bring to the table. Even after the setup, they take care of the maintenance, which frees up my time enormously and allows me to focus on other important areas of my business - with the good feeling that our IT is in the best hands. I can recommend WZ-IT without reservation and look forward to continuing our collaboration! (translated)”
Sebastian Maier
Managing Director, Yonju GmbH
Yonju - business coaching and AI products.
“I got to know Timo and Robin as dedicated and professional partners who make a lot of things possible for their clients that initially seem impossible. I felt very well advised. The services offered have thoroughly convinced me. (translated)”
Andrea Pawlowski
Communications Manager, Golem.de
Golem.de - leading German IT news outlet.
“While looking for a partner to integrate a local AI solution, we came across Timo and Robin - and could not have made a better decision. They quickly understood our requirements and solved technical challenges competently and pragmatically. We were particularly impressed by the straightforward collaboration, their high level of expertise and the speed of implementation. We are delighted to have Timo and Robin at our side as reliable business partners and look forward to our next projects together. (translated)”
Henrik Jeche
Head of IT Administration
ml&s - full-service provider for the electronics industry.
“With Timo and Robin, you're not only on the safe side technically - you also get the best human support! Whether it's quick help in everyday life or complex IT solutions: the guys from WZ-IT think along with you, act quickly and speak a language you understand. The collaboration is uncomplicated, reliable and always on an equal footing. That makes IT fun - and above all: it works! Big thank you to the team! (translated)”
Sonja Aßer
Data Manager, ARGE
ARGE Neue Medien - master data & digital standards for plumbing and building technology.
“I recently worked with Timo and the WZ-IT team, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best tech decisions I have made for my business. Right from the start, Timo took the time to walk me through every step in a simple and calm way. No matter how many questions I had, he never rushed me. The results speak for themselves. With WZ-IT, we reduced our monthly expenses from $1,300 down to $250. This was a huge win for us.”
Aleksandr Shuliko
CTO, EVA Real Estate
EVA Real Estate - leading real-estate agency in Dubai.
“We have had very good experiences with Mr. Wevelsiep and WZ-IT. The consultation was professional, clearly understandable, and at fair prices. The team not only implemented our requirements but also thought along and proactively. Instead of just processing individual tasks, they provided us with well-founded explanations that strengthened our own understanding. WZ-IT took a lot of pressure off us with their structured approach - that was exactly what we needed and is the reason why we keep coming back. (translated)”
Matthias Zimmermann
Managing Director, Annota GmbH
Annota - healthtech startup with an AI documentation assistant.
“Counting on WZ-IT team was crucial, their expertise and solutions gave us the pace to deploy in production our services, even suggesting and performing improvements over our configuration and setup. We expect to keep counting on them for continuous maintenance of our services and implementation of new solutions.”
Gabriel Sanz Señor
Managing Director, Odiseo Solutions
Odiseo Solutions - software engineering for the space industry.
“Professional, honest and technically thoroughly sound: WZ-IT set up our Proxmox and backup infrastructure securely and future-proof. The consulting from Timo and Robin was objective and needs-driven, the implementation smooth and the final documentation exemplary. You can tell immediately that business-critical infrastructure is thought through holistically from the outset here and implemented with clear ownership.”
Pascal Block
Project Manager, Stadtwerke Brühl GmbH
Stadtwerke Brühl - municipal energy and infrastructure utility.
“WZ-IT provided very competent support in implementing our server and virtualization infrastructure. As part of the project, a Proxmox-based virtualization environment was set up along with a virtual machine for our application systems. Additionally, a structured backup concept was implemented. A particular focus was on security: the setup of a VPN tunnel and the clean implementation of encryption and access concepts were professionally executed. The structured consulting as well as the reliable and swift implementation deserve special mention. We are very satisfied with the services provided and are happy to recommend WZ-IT.”
John Hellmerichs
Managing Director, AInergy GmbH
AInergy - consultancy for energy and facility management.
“WZ-IT manages our Proxmox cluster reliably and professionally. The team handles continuous monitoring and regular updates for us and responds very quickly to any issues or inquiries. They also configure new nodes, systems, and applications that we need to add to our cluster. With WZ-IT's proactive support, our cluster and the business-critical applications running on it remain stable, and high availability is consistently ensured. We value the professional collaboration and the noticeable relief it brings to our daily operations.”
Pascal Hakkers
Aphy AG
Aphy AG - AI platform for hotel back-office.
“Communication with WZ-IT was open, friendly and professional from the very beginning. Mr. Wevelsiep and Mr. Zins responded to every one of our questions patiently, promptly and respectfully, and contributed their own suggestions and good ideas on how to modernize our server infrastructure and adapt it even better to our needs. Throughout, WZ-IT consistently kept our need for data sovereignty and GDPR compliance in mind. Even short-notice adjustments and change requests from our side were implemented quickly and patiently and integrated consistently into the overall concept. From planning to the final handover, every step was documented transparently and comprehensively - so if a provider change should ever become necessary, the documentation would let us onboard a successor into our infrastructure very quickly. We are extremely satisfied with WZ-IT and hope to continue working together for a long time.”
Christoph Mußmann
Project Officer, DGHO e.V.
DGHO - German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology.
“Timo and Robin from WZ-IT set up a RocketChat server for us - and I couldn't be more satisfied! From the initial consultation to the final implementation, everything was absolutely professional, efficient, and to my complete satisfaction. I particularly appreciate the clear communication, transparent pricing, and the comprehensive expertise that both bring to the table. Even after the setup, they take care of the maintenance, which frees up my time enormously and allows me to focus on other important areas of my business - with the good feeling that our IT is in the best hands. I can recommend WZ-IT without reservation and look forward to continuing our collaboration! (translated)”
Sebastian Maier
Managing Director, Yonju GmbH
Yonju - business coaching and AI products.
“I got to know Timo and Robin as dedicated and professional partners who make a lot of things possible for their clients that initially seem impossible. I felt very well advised. The services offered have thoroughly convinced me. (translated)”
Andrea Pawlowski
Communications Manager, Golem.de
Golem.de - leading German IT news outlet.
“While looking for a partner to integrate a local AI solution, we came across Timo and Robin - and could not have made a better decision. They quickly understood our requirements and solved technical challenges competently and pragmatically. We were particularly impressed by the straightforward collaboration, their high level of expertise and the speed of implementation. We are delighted to have Timo and Robin at our side as reliable business partners and look forward to our next projects together. (translated)”
Henrik Jeche
Head of IT Administration
ml&s - full-service provider for the electronics industry.
“With Timo and Robin, you're not only on the safe side technically - you also get the best human support! Whether it's quick help in everyday life or complex IT solutions: the guys from WZ-IT think along with you, act quickly and speak a language you understand. The collaboration is uncomplicated, reliable and always on an equal footing. That makes IT fun - and above all: it works! Big thank you to the team! (translated)”
Sonja Aßer
Data Manager, ARGE
ARGE Neue Medien - master data & digital standards for plumbing and building technology.
“I recently worked with Timo and the WZ-IT team, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best tech decisions I have made for my business. Right from the start, Timo took the time to walk me through every step in a simple and calm way. No matter how many questions I had, he never rushed me. The results speak for themselves. With WZ-IT, we reduced our monthly expenses from $1,300 down to $250. This was a huge win for us.”
Aleksandr Shuliko
CTO, EVA Real Estate
EVA Real Estate - leading real-estate agency in Dubai.
“We have had very good experiences with Mr. Wevelsiep and WZ-IT. The consultation was professional, clearly understandable, and at fair prices. The team not only implemented our requirements but also thought along and proactively. Instead of just processing individual tasks, they provided us with well-founded explanations that strengthened our own understanding. WZ-IT took a lot of pressure off us with their structured approach - that was exactly what we needed and is the reason why we keep coming back. (translated)”
Matthias Zimmermann
Managing Director, Annota GmbH
Annota - healthtech startup with an AI documentation assistant.
“Counting on WZ-IT team was crucial, their expertise and solutions gave us the pace to deploy in production our services, even suggesting and performing improvements over our configuration and setup. We expect to keep counting on them for continuous maintenance of our services and implementation of new solutions.”
Gabriel Sanz Señor
Managing Director, Odiseo Solutions
Odiseo Solutions - software engineering for the space industry.
“Professional, honest and technically thoroughly sound: WZ-IT set up our Proxmox and backup infrastructure securely and future-proof. The consulting from Timo and Robin was objective and needs-driven, the implementation smooth and the final documentation exemplary. You can tell immediately that business-critical infrastructure is thought through holistically from the outset here and implemented with clear ownership.”
Pascal Block
Project Manager, Stadtwerke Brühl GmbH
Stadtwerke Brühl - municipal energy and infrastructure utility.
“WZ-IT provided very competent support in implementing our server and virtualization infrastructure. As part of the project, a Proxmox-based virtualization environment was set up along with a virtual machine for our application systems. Additionally, a structured backup concept was implemented. A particular focus was on security: the setup of a VPN tunnel and the clean implementation of encryption and access concepts were professionally executed. The structured consulting as well as the reliable and swift implementation deserve special mention. We are very satisfied with the services provided and are happy to recommend WZ-IT.”
John Hellmerichs
Managing Director, AInergy GmbH
AInergy - consultancy for energy and facility management.
“WZ-IT manages our Proxmox cluster reliably and professionally. The team handles continuous monitoring and regular updates for us and responds very quickly to any issues or inquiries. They also configure new nodes, systems, and applications that we need to add to our cluster. With WZ-IT's proactive support, our cluster and the business-critical applications running on it remain stable, and high availability is consistently ensured. We value the professional collaboration and the noticeable relief it brings to our daily operations.”
Pascal Hakkers
Aphy AG
Aphy AG - AI platform for hotel back-office.
“Communication with WZ-IT was open, friendly and professional from the very beginning. Mr. Wevelsiep and Mr. Zins responded to every one of our questions patiently, promptly and respectfully, and contributed their own suggestions and good ideas on how to modernize our server infrastructure and adapt it even better to our needs. Throughout, WZ-IT consistently kept our need for data sovereignty and GDPR compliance in mind. Even short-notice adjustments and change requests from our side were implemented quickly and patiently and integrated consistently into the overall concept. From planning to the final handover, every step was documented transparently and comprehensively - so if a provider change should ever become necessary, the documentation would let us onboard a successor into our infrastructure very quickly. We are extremely satisfied with WZ-IT and hope to continue working together for a long time.”
Christoph Mußmann
Project Officer, DGHO e.V.
DGHO - German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology.
“Timo and Robin from WZ-IT set up a RocketChat server for us - and I couldn't be more satisfied! From the initial consultation to the final implementation, everything was absolutely professional, efficient, and to my complete satisfaction. I particularly appreciate the clear communication, transparent pricing, and the comprehensive expertise that both bring to the table. Even after the setup, they take care of the maintenance, which frees up my time enormously and allows me to focus on other important areas of my business - with the good feeling that our IT is in the best hands. I can recommend WZ-IT without reservation and look forward to continuing our collaboration! (translated)”
Sebastian Maier
Managing Director, Yonju GmbH
Yonju - business coaching and AI products.
“I got to know Timo and Robin as dedicated and professional partners who make a lot of things possible for their clients that initially seem impossible. I felt very well advised. The services offered have thoroughly convinced me. (translated)”
Andrea Pawlowski
Communications Manager, Golem.de
Golem.de - leading German IT news outlet.
“While looking for a partner to integrate a local AI solution, we came across Timo and Robin - and could not have made a better decision. They quickly understood our requirements and solved technical challenges competently and pragmatically. We were particularly impressed by the straightforward collaboration, their high level of expertise and the speed of implementation. We are delighted to have Timo and Robin at our side as reliable business partners and look forward to our next projects together. (translated)”
Henrik Jeche
Head of IT Administration
ml&s - full-service provider for the electronics industry.
“With Timo and Robin, you're not only on the safe side technically - you also get the best human support! Whether it's quick help in everyday life or complex IT solutions: the guys from WZ-IT think along with you, act quickly and speak a language you understand. The collaboration is uncomplicated, reliable and always on an equal footing. That makes IT fun - and above all: it works! Big thank you to the team! (translated)”
Sonja Aßer
Data Manager, ARGE
ARGE Neue Medien - master data & digital standards for plumbing and building technology.
“I recently worked with Timo and the WZ-IT team, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best tech decisions I have made for my business. Right from the start, Timo took the time to walk me through every step in a simple and calm way. No matter how many questions I had, he never rushed me. The results speak for themselves. With WZ-IT, we reduced our monthly expenses from $1,300 down to $250. This was a huge win for us.”
Aleksandr Shuliko
CTO, EVA Real Estate
EVA Real Estate - leading real-estate agency in Dubai.
“We have had very good experiences with Mr. Wevelsiep and WZ-IT. The consultation was professional, clearly understandable, and at fair prices. The team not only implemented our requirements but also thought along and proactively. Instead of just processing individual tasks, they provided us with well-founded explanations that strengthened our own understanding. WZ-IT took a lot of pressure off us with their structured approach - that was exactly what we needed and is the reason why we keep coming back. (translated)”
Matthias Zimmermann
Managing Director, Annota GmbH
Annota - healthtech startup with an AI documentation assistant.
“Counting on WZ-IT team was crucial, their expertise and solutions gave us the pace to deploy in production our services, even suggesting and performing improvements over our configuration and setup. We expect to keep counting on them for continuous maintenance of our services and implementation of new solutions.”
Gabriel Sanz Señor
Managing Director, Odiseo Solutions
Odiseo Solutions - software engineering for the space industry.
Let's talk about your project - honest and no strings attached
- Straight with Timo and Robin - no sales team, no pitch
- An honest take, including when we are not the right fit
- Concrete next steps for infrastructure, software or AI
No risk: worst case, you leave with a clearer understanding of your project than before.
“WZ-IT's advice on our Azure migration was technically sound and completely non-binding right from the intro call - we took away a great deal.”
Let's Talk About Your Idea
Whether a specific IT challenge or just an idea - we look forward to the exchange. In a brief conversation, we'll evaluate together if and how your project fits with WZ-IT.
Arrange a callback
Selected customers and projects
Timo Wevelsiep & Robin Zins
Managing Directors of WZ-IT