Success Story
The 3 AM phone doesn't ring anymore.
How 24×7 NOC coverage turned midnight emergencies into next-morning updates.
What it is
Reserve the hours. Draw on them as needed.
Some work calls for senior Linux expertise on tap: a project to push through, a migration to run, a tricky problem to solve, or an emergency to handle. That's true whether your own team runs Linux day-to-day or we already manage it for you under Proactive.
Reactive Flextime gives you that expertise on demand. You commit to a recurring monthly block of hours, or a larger annual block, and draw from them whenever work comes up that needs an expert. Monthly hours stay available for 60 days from the month they're allocated, so there's room to accumulate a bit if you don't use them right away. No lengthy procurement when something urgent comes up, and no hourly-billing paperwork every time we open a ticket.
The result is simple: expert Linux help, done right the first time. No hiring, no training, no ramp-up, just senior engineers who solve the problem and move on. Use your hours for one-off projects, routine ticket support, or emergency break/fix work, and get your team's time back for the work that actually grows the business.
What reactive covers
The kind of work we handle.
Reactive hours can be applied to almost any authorized Linux engineering work. Some of the common uses:
Configuration changes
Emergency troubleshooting
Migrations and upgrades
System remediation
Documentation and discovery
Software programming
Project management
IT consulting
New user and computer setup
Special projects
Security remediation
Other Linux work you authorize
The real payoff
What’s in it for you.
01
Senior expertise on tap
- Reach engineers who've run Linux in production for decades
- Skip the cost and lead time of a full-time senior hire
- The same people over time, so they learn your environment
- Escalate a tricky problem without starting from scratch
02
Budget you can plan around
- Pre-purchased blocks at rates set in your quote
- A discounted hourly rate on the monthly term
- Overage billed cleanly the following month, never a surprise
- One predictable line item instead of ad-hoc invoices
03
Flexibility, no lock-in
- Use the hours for projects, changes, or emergencies
- Adjust your monthly commitment with advance notice
- No managed-services relationship required to get started
- Pairs with Proactive when you're ready for more
04
Help when it actually counts
- A bench that's already in place when something breaks
- Business-hours work for every client, after-hours with proactive services or NOC
- No scrambling to find a specialist mid-incident
- Your team stays focused while we take the hard parts
Two terms
Pick the one that fits.
Both terms draw from the same bench of engineers and cover the same scope of work. The difference is how much you use, how often, and how you want to plan for it.
Option 01
Monthly Term
For teams that use expert Linux help regularly. Predictable monthly cadence, discounted hourly rate.
What you get
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✓
A monthly block of hours Added on the 1st of each month, sized to the work you expect.
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✓
Discounted hourly rate Rates specified in your quote. Best available for reactive work.
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✓
Hours available for 2 months From the month they're allocated. Room to accumulate a bit if you don't use them right away.
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✓
Adjust your commitment Increase or decrease monthly hours with advance written notice.
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✓
Overage handled cleanly Work above your allocation is billed the following month at your quoted rate.
Option 02
Annual Term
For teams that use expert help less frequently but want a longer window to draw from. Standard hourly rate, more flexibility on when to use it.
What you get
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✓
An annual block of hours One block, one commitment, one year.
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✓
Standard hourly rate Rates specified in your quote.
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✓
12-month usage window Use your hours whenever they're needed, up to a year from purchase.
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✓
Automatic overage If your usage exceeds the purchased block, overage is invoiced automatically at your quoted rate.
Expecting a heavier stretch? Ask about a Prepaid Block. It adds hours beside your regular allocation, drawn after it and before overage, and usable for two months from purchase.
Coverage windows
Linux doesn't always break during business hours.
Reactive hours can be used inside or outside business hours. Rates vary based on when the work happens, and the windows outside business hours depend on what else you hold with us.
Window 01
Business hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM (MT)
Planned work, scheduled maintenance, day-to-day project work. Standard hourly rate applies.
Window 02
After-hours
Any day, 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM (MT), scheduled
Maintenance windows, migrations, and deployments that can't happen during business hours. Must be scheduled in advance, on a best-effort basis.
Requires:
Proactive services or the 24/7 NOC Add-on. Elevated rate applies.
Window 03
Emergency
Unscheduled outside business hours, or 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM (MT)
For production outages, security incidents, and other unscheduled emergencies outside normal or after-hours windows.
Requires:
24/7 NOC Add-on. Premium rate applies.
Challenges we address
Problems Reactive is especially good for
Challenge
Limited Linux Expertise
Senior Linux help for teams that can't justify hiring a full-time engineer for the work.
Read moreChallenge
Infrastructure Migrations
Moving off old platforms, upgrading old distributions, standing up new environments.
Read moreChallenge
Security & Compliance
Audit response, hardening projects, remediation of security findings.
Read more
Other engagements
Explore our other engagements.
There are a few different ways to work with us. Here are the other engagements you can explore.
Ongoing · managed
Proactive Managed Services
Continuous, scheduled care of your Linux: monitoring, patching, backups, and maintenance across your whole stack.
Read about Proactive One-time · flat fee Get Me Out Of TroubleFast, best-effort help for an urgent one-off problem at a fixed price, with no ongoing commitment.
Read about GMOOT Add-on · 24/7 24/7 NOC Add-onRound-the-clock emergency response with a 1-hour SLA on critical issues. Layers on top of Proactive and Reactive coverage.
Read about the 24/7 NOC Add-on Ongoing · clusters Cluster ManagementProactive management of your container platform clusters: upgrades, node ops, observability, and incident response.
Read about Cluster Management For partners White LabelLinux engineering delivered behind your brand for MSPs and IT firms. You own the client relationship; we do the work.
Read about White Label Add-on · recovery DR Services Add-onTurns the backups in your proactive scope into a documented, validated recovery: runbook, agreed targets, backup validation, and readiness reporting.
Read about the DR Services Add-on Add-on · security High Security Add-onHost-based security monitoring, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and access audits on the Linux servers you list.
Read about High Security Add-on · detection and response MDR Add-onIncluded with the High Security Add-on. A Security Operations Center (SOC) watching your covered Linux servers around the clock.
Read about MDRThe Crafty Penguins Way
How We Become Part of
Your Team
We don't just hand over a monitoring dashboard and disappear. Here's how we build a lasting partnership.
Step 01
Discovery Call
We learn your environment, pain points, and goals. No scripts, no sales pressure, just an honest conversation about what you need.
Step 02
Onboarding
A structured, practical onboarding process. We set up the services you chose, deploy monitoring where they include it, and tune alert thresholds with you through the first month.
Step 03
Your Services Begin
Whichever services you chose go live, delivered by engineers who already know your systems. From day one, the work keeps your infrastructure healthy and improving.
Step 04
Long-Term Partnership
We become an extension of your team. Strategic input, roadmap planning, and continuous improvement, not just keeping the lights on.
Start the conversation
Need a Bench of Linux Experts?
Let's discuss how we can help support, grow, and optimize your Linux infrastructure, done right the first time.