Jeremy Wanamaker | Nov 15, 2022
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When it comes to managed IT services pricing, rates vary, but the benefits for you as a business owner can be astronomical.
There are few things that can derail your business’s workflow faster than faulty technology. In fact, even just a single minute of network downtime can lead to massive losses. How massive? One study estimates losses to be as high as $9,000 per minute. The good news is that your business can avoid these costly disruptions with proactive managed IT services.
In other words, the benefits of managed IT services are manifold. In fact, investing in a managed services provider (MSP) can be among the most cost-effective investments you make–they can improve productivity, eliminate the threat of downtime, keep your business safe from debilitating cybersecurity breaches, etc.
Of course, all of that is only useful if it falls into a price range that is acceptable for your business.
So let’s examine what you can expect to pay for an IT services plan, the different pricing models, and which one is best suited for your business.
The good news about managed IT services pricing models is that they are easy to customize to fit your business’s exact needs.
In fact, one of the best ways to ensure maximal ROI is to get these services tailored to address your specific needs–while ditching any superfluous services that would otherwise eat into your IT spend and provide little value (see sections below for managed IT services ROI calculator).
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The flip side of these adaptable managed IT pricing models is that it can be difficult to determine exactly what you’ll pay until you enter into a services agreement with an MSP.
But we can start off with the two distinct types of IT service plans: fixed price and break/fix (also known as pay-as-you-go).
As the names imply, you can either opt to pay per IT issue you encounter or an hourly rate for your IT support (which can vary depending on experience, size of the team, expected hourly commitments, etc.).
This is ideal for very small businesses that don’t anticipate that they’ll encounter many IT issues. If you anticipate larger IT projects or issues cropping up (like digital transformations, server migrations, or cybersecurity threats) then this model can quickly become very expensive.
Some businesses also opt for a pay-as-you-go arrangement if they want to supplement their already extant team of in-house IT workers.
Fixed managed IT pricing takes all the guesswork out of your IT budget. But how much does managed IT service cost per month? Well, that depends.
First, you have to take into account the managed IT services price list that your MSP will provide. This will outline the discrete set of services that your MSP offers.
From there, each service will either have a variable cost that’s based on number of users per month managed or number of devices per month managed, or a flat rate.
In other words, a medium-sized business can expect to pay more than a small business but less than a large enterprise, essentially fixing the managed IT pricing to the anticipated workload.
Per-device support typically charges per:
And so on, with the price varying depending on the type of device. Typical pricing for managed IT on a per-device basis ranges from $10-$150 per device per month.
Per user usually covers users with:
And pretty much any other device in your IT environment that your covered users will operate. Typical pricing ranges from $100-$500 per user per month, depending the size, scope and complexity of your IT infrastructure.
Now that we understand the general range of service offerings available to your business, it’s time to determine which one is best suited for you.
If you’re looking for general, light support, you can opt for monitoring-only services. One of the cheaper options available, this will outfit your business with monitoring of your key IT assets like your network and infrastructure, while also providing cybersecurity support and data protection.
Considering that the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. is almost at $10 million in 2022, it’s critical that your business has the data protection and cybersecurity it needs to eliminate vulnerabilities. The FBI also showed that ransomware attacks (where your data is captured and held hostage by an assailant until a ransom is paid) are up 60%.
Any managed IT services ROI calculator would show that securing your data can be among the best investments you make in IT. That said, monitoring-only service plans won’t be able to support your business in other ways like optimizing your network or migrating operations to a cloud environment, both of which can lead to massive yields for your business.
As the name implies, this involves paying for services you need as you go.
This model allows you to maintain total flexibility as well as target the specific area of IT need.
For instance, if you’re comfortable with your current cybersecurity array but want to complete a cloud migration, you may want to enlist extra support for that IT project. This model allows you to add and remove support as needed.
The drawback is that this can get expensive when unexpected IT issues come up and you start paying for a variety of services which are often more expensive when paid for individually then when included as part of a fully managed IT plan.
The best option if you want a set-and-forget arrangement with your IT partner.
As the name suggests, your entire IT environment will now be monitored, managed, updated, protected, enhanced, and otherwise fully taken care of by your MSP. This is often the best choice for a business that is anticipating growth and doesn’t want IT hurdles to impede said growth.
What’s more, things like network improvements and cloud support can also speed up workflows and improve productivity. You’ll also typically benefit from a full assessment of your IT environment and assets at the start of your partnership, allowing your MSP to determine ways that they can immediately make an impact. When done right, your managed IT services calculator will show the highest ROI yield on a fully managed plan.
For flexibility, these plans often come in tiered pricing models, so you can pay for the level of service you anticipate that you’ll need.
The drawback to a fully managed plan is that it does require a certain degree of commitment, so finding a proven, experienced, and leading MSP to be your partner is critical to generating the best outcome.
Now that we’ve answered ‘how much does managed IT service cost’, the next step is to find your business a proven IT partner.
Complete Network is a leader among MSPs, helping you save on managed IT costs while never sacrificing quality.
With our team, you won’t have an account manager but an experienced virtual CIO who will totally relieve your business of its IT management burden. This ensures that there will never be an IT oversight and that your long-term technology strategies will be designed to foster growth, anticipating roadblocks and preempting them before they can impair your business.
With Complete Network, you’ll have access to:
And so much more. We offer both comprehensive IT services and supplemental services plans, catered to meet your business’s precise needs – with no wasted spend.
Get in touch with us today if you’re ready to relieve you and your business of its burden, while also experiencing significant gains in productivity.
In an ideal world, technology would be a consistent source of competitive advantage and benefit for small and midsized businesses. The reality is that many fail to realize that confidence.
Without the right resources and support, even a highly skilled technology team can become overwhelmed by the growing list of technology management duties. When important tasks get neglected, it creates ripple effects throughout an organization that damage productivity and efficiency.
The co-managed IT services model solves these problems by providing your existing IT team with all the support and resources they need to successfully plan, manage, and defend your network technology.
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