First published April 2021. Rewritten and last reviewed 18 August 2026.
A technology system in a house or a venue is not finished on the day it is handed over. Firmware moves, streaming services change, a router is replaced by the broadband provider, a new phone will not pair, a projector lamp reaches the end of its life. None of that is a fault in the installation. It is what happens to any system that is used, and it is why we offer a maintenance and support agreement on everything we install, and on a good many systems we did not.
What a support agreement covers
The detail is set for each client, because a private cinema and a restaurant do not need the same thing. The shape is the same.
- Scheduled visits. A planned inspection of the whole system: cabling, equipment, cooling, connections, calibration. Faults are found before they are noticed.
- Firmware and security updates. Control processors, network equipment, cameras, displays and audio electronics are updated on a schedule, with the manufacturer’s support period tracked so that nothing is left running on known flaws. We explain why this matters in Cyber and network security: designed in, not bolted on.
- Remote support. Many issues can be diagnosed and fixed without a visit, through a secure connection into the system that is agreed in writing, uses individual credentials, and can be withdrawn by the client at any time. No forwarded ports, no shared passwords.
- Priority response. A defined response time for faults, and a known engineer rather than whoever answers the phone.
- Documentation kept current. The record of the system, every device, every setting, every credential, is updated whenever something changes, and it belongs to the client.
- Advice. When something in the system should be replaced, and when it should not. We would rather tell a client that a ten-year-old amplifier is fine than sell a new one.
Systems we did not install
We are often asked to take on a system installed by someone else, sometimes because the original company has gone, sometimes because the relationship has. The first step is a survey, and we are direct about what we find. Some systems are sound and simply undocumented; those we document and support. Some have been built in ways that cannot be made secure or reliable without change, and we say so with the reasons, so that the client can decide with the facts in front of them.
Why this is part of the design, not an add-on
A system that will be supported is designed to be supportable. Equipment in a location with cooling and access, not in a cupboard behind the coats. Managed network switches that can be reached remotely. Labelled cabling. Spare capacity in the containment. A control system whose configuration is backed up. These are decisions made at RIBA Stage 3 and 4, and they are the difference between a fault fixed in twenty minutes and a fault that needs a day and a joiner.
Questions we are asked
Is a support agreement compulsory?
No. Every system we install is handed over working, documented and under warranty. The agreement is for clients who want the system kept current and want a known response when something changes.
What does remote access mean for our privacy?
Access is to the equipment, not to your content or your cameras’ footage unless you ask us to look at a specific fault. It uses named credentials and you can switch it off. The terms are written into the agreement.
Do you cover commercial premises?
Yes. Bars, restaurants, offices and venues, where a failure costs trade, are where scheduled maintenance earns its keep most obviously.
Maintenance and support across Scotland
Support agreements are offered on residential systems and commercial installations alike. If you have a system that nobody is looking after, or one you would like us to take on, start a conversation and we will arrange a survey.