There are many benefits to outsourcing your IT to a Managed Services Provider (MSP), but for many decision-makers, it all comes down to how much do Managed IT services cost? While the answer depends on several factors, including how complex your systems are, how many devices you need to support, and whether you choose full or partial IT services, we can help guide your decision by explaining how MSP pricing works.
How Much Do Managed IT Services Cost? It depends…
There are many options for outsourcing IT services. They can be broken down into levels of service, and that depends on what sort of support coverage and infrastructure you need. Which, of course, will affect pricing.
Here’s a basic way to identify what level of service you might require…
Tier 1 – Basic IT Services
This one carries the lowest initial cost but there are variables that can add up. With this entry-level tier you get basic monitoring of your systems and that can cost around $100-$300 a month.
Benefits: Offers the lowest recurring price. You get the added security of someone alerting you when a system is “off”. They can complement an existing IT team by adding in system redundancy, so nothing is missed.
Downsides: Costs can quickly escalate if you need added assistance or do not have an in-house IT team to handle cyber threats or system issues. Expect to pay between $90 and $180 per hour for assistance—depending on the complexity of the issue.
Tier 2 – Intermediate IT Services
This is often the mid-range approach that offers the best value for organizations. This level of service offers not just system monitoring, but essentially gives you ongoing access to an outsourced team of IT professionals that can take steps to solve those problems and to prevent them from recurring.
Benefits: Saves you money in the long-term because you can use the expertise of your IT Services provider to avoid issues in the first place. You also gain access to valuable features, such as IT planning, local 24/7 IT support and disaster recovery.
Downsides: Costs more up front. Mid-range services are usually priced on the number of users or devices you need supported. Typical charges range from $60-$120 per user. Per device, servers could cost you between $100 to $400, and computer workstations may cost between $60 to $120 per station.
Tier 3 – Full IT Services with All Features
If your business requires more comprehensive IT services, including cloud systems, hardware, or software, then the cost will include both the fee to provide those services, plus the cost of the infrastructure.
Benefits: You get the use of the systems, plus the support services that go along with those. Plus, you gain the agility to scale your infrastructure up or down, depending on your needs. Outsourced teams can also help find new efficiencies to boost productivity, and safer ways to run systems for work-at-home employees.
Downsides: Full-spectrum services won’t come cheap. A fully hosted service may cost $125 – $250 or more per user, per month, depending on the complexity of systems and company requirements.
There’s also a fourth option…
Block Rates
You can add some extra support by purchasing a block of time from the service provider at a discounted rate. Many MSPs will allow you to negotiate a contract for a block of time, that is at your disposal, until it is exhausted. One main downside to this approach is that you may have several issues and only one set block of time.
Things to Ponder with IT Services Pricing
To better answer your question of how much do managed IT Services cost, here are a few questions that are essential.
How Complex is My Technology?
Do you have many devices? How many kinds, and how do they need to interact with one another? More numbers, varieties, and connectivity, means a bigger workload, as they must all be maintained. Even if you think you aren’t a high-tech company, just count how many devices your staff uses and how many kinds, and you’ll quickly see how complex it can get to support them all.
Do I Need Partial or Full IT?
Monitoring is one thing. What adds up is the expense of solving any issues. It takes time to assess, develop and implement a solution. If you have the resources to solve issues in-house, then maybe you don’t need full IT Services. However, if you only have one or two staff who are tech knowledgeable, you may need to invest in more resources to support them.
You can address issues on a case-by-case basis with paid blocks of IT support. However, if you have all your IT Services managed by one provider it allows you to have a dedicated team to fix not only your immediate problems, but to also aid you with infrastructure planning, IT security, and preventative measures to keep unwanted downtime at a minimum.
Do I Have Internal IT Staff?
If you don’t have any internal IT staff, outsourcing is a great way for companies to reduce costs. By the time you add up infrastructure, software, and hiring, you may find it more cost effective to hire MSPs that already have that capability and can offer it at scale. You could also hire an outside team for a specialized task. However, the price of individualized services is not always the best deal.
Finding the Perfect Fit
The most important thing is that pricing should be clear, and easy to understand.
At Com Pro, we believe in transparent communication. All service costs are documented clearly, so you know exactly what you’re agreeing to before you sign a contract.
Then, before you go into sticker shock, sit down, and calculate the true cost of downtime.
Imagine you can’t access your network, documents, or data. Imagine that happens for days, or that someone is ransoming your data. Then it’s no longer a question of, ‘how much do Managed IT Services cost?’, but a matter of ‘how much will it cost me if I don’t have the resources to fix or prevent it?’
That’s when the expense of having your IT needs covered suddenly seems like a priceless investment. Find out why Com Pro is the choice for affordable, flexible, and responsive IT Services. Contact us.