Pricing

You’ve heard that managed IT services save businesses money. Is that possible for your organization? Absolutely. This solution is often the most labour-efficient approach, letting you outsource the entire IT function to trained experts. They handle all issues, from simple bugs to devastating complexity. However, finding the exact pricing for managed IT services can be a challenge for small and medium-sized businesses. Financial due diligence is a major concern, and unfortunately, pricing can seem opaque. That’s why we created this guide. We walk you through different pricing strategies and the costs you should expect.

How Much Does Managed IT Services Cost?

When there’s that much variability in managed IT services deliverables and responsibilities, you can expect significant variation in the PRICE of managed IT services as well.

This is why it’s impossible to give a single, straightforward answer when faced with the question: “How much do managed IT services cost?” The answer truly is “It depends.”

But before you throw up your hands in disgust and dismiss this article as a waste of time, let me reiterate – just because pricing is variable does NOT mean it is opaque or unreasonable. What matters is that the criteria for pricing are clear and accessible.

In general, the price range for managed IT services packages in Canada runs from $100 flat fee per month to $400 per user, per month.

In this case, “per user” refers to employees who use technology to do their jobs. If you have 30 employees who use IT devices for work, be it PCs, laptops or tablets, you’ll pay for 30 users. Where your company stands on this $100 flat per month to $400/user/month price range depends on the scale of the services you require.

Factors Affecting Pricing

The biggest factor in determining managed IT services pricing is the type of services provided and the level of involvement required from your managed IT services team.

An externally-managed (but fully-integrated) IT support team will cost more in flat fees than just monitoring services, but you won’t have to worry about paying thousands of dollars in variable extra charges. And you’re also getting WAY more – you essentially get an entire IT department!

The complexity of your infrastructure is also an important consideration for pricing managed IT services. The presence of technology devices and systems, such as the ones below, helps managed services providers determine how complex your business IT environment is and price their services accordingly.

Here are just a few of the technologies that are considered for pricing complexity:

Workstations and Servers
Laptops, Tablets, and Smartphones
Wi-Fi for Guests and Internal Users
Services Onsite and in Data Centers
Endpoint Detection and Response Software
Web Filtering
Cloud Applications
Remote Site Connectivity

Business Software
Warehouse Management
Warehouse Connectivity
Regulatory Compliance Needs
Cybersecurity Tools & Requirements
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Number of Offices & Locations
Firewalls

How Much Will My IT Support Cost?

Finally, the big question – how much will your managed IT services cost?

That’s going to be very difficult for you to figure out on your own without contacting IT service providers for full descriptions of their services

Here are a few questions to help get you closer to a ballpark number, and to ensure managed IT firms can give you a more accurate quote: Do you want to have internal IT staff?

Do you want to pay a flat amount each month, or is a low monthly fee with varying additional charges okay?
How complex is your technology environment? (This is a bit of a trick question because it can be in the eye of the beholder – it’s not uncommon for someone to call us and say that they have a simple IT network only for us to find out that the company’s needs are MUCH more complex from a technical perspective than they ever knew.)
Do you want remote and onsite services?
Is your network in the cloud or on-premise?