Editor's note: This post was originally published on November 17, 2020, and has been revised for clarity and comprehensiveness.
At ITS, managed IT costs range from $125 to $250 per user per month. Your final price depends on the level of IT support and cybersecurity your business needs.
Knowing this range upfront is important because IT is a major business expense. The lowest price also does not always give you the best value.
Your monthly cost can change based on your team size, service level, security needs, and IT environment. Understanding these factors can help you compare providers, avoid surprise costs, and build a more accurate IT budget.
This guide explains what affects ITS pricing, what each plan includes, and which service level may fit your business.
You'll learn:
What Factors Determine Managed IT Cost at ITS?
Your managed IT cost depends on several parts of your technology environment. Four of the biggest factors are service level, management model, user count, and infrastructure complexity.
1. Service Level
Businesses with basic IT and security needs often pay less than those that need stronger cybersecurity or compliance support.
For example, healthcare organizations that must follow HIPAA may need added security controls and monitoring. They may also need more policies and records to protect sensitive health data.
Businesses that deal with CMMC, cyber insurance, or other rules may also need added security.
As your security needs increase, you may need more tools, monitoring, and expert support. This can raise your managed IT cost.
2. Fully Managed or Co-Managed
Your pricing can also depend on how much responsibility your provider takes on.
With fully managed IT, an MSP takes primary responsibility for supporting and managing your IT environment.
With co-managed IT, the MSP works alongside your internal IT team. The provider may add technical expertise, tools, additional support capacity, or help manage specific parts of your environment.
Your final cost depends on the level of support your internal team needs.
3. User Count
ITS mainly uses per-user pricing. This means the number of people who use your IT systems affects your monthly cost.
A business with 100 supported users will usually pay more than one with 50 users.
Per-user pricing can also make budgeting easier. As your team grows or shrinks, your IT costs can adjust with it.
4. Infrastructure Complexity
Your IT setup can also affect your price.
A business with one office and a simple network may need less support than a company with several locations, remote workers, servers, firewalls, and cloud systems.
Special business software can also add more work for your IT provider.
The condition of your current systems matters too. Old hardware, unsupported software, missing records, or security gaps may need to be fixed during onboarding.
This work can add to your starting cost before ongoing managed IT services begin.
Note: ITS typically works with small and midsize businesses with 40 or more users. We have also worked with organizations below that range, but fit depends on the company's environment, service requirements, and IT needs.
ITS currently offers two primary managed IT service levels: Core and Core + Secure.
Core: $125–$170 per user per month
Core provides the foundational IT management, support, and security services businesses need to keep their technology running.
Core includes services such as:
- 24/7 IT support
- Emergency response
- Unlimited on-site support
- Support ticketing and asset inventory
- Operating system patching
- Vendor management
- Technology alignment assessments
- Strategic IT planning and guidance
- 24/7 network operations center monitoring
- Infrastructure monitoring and documentation
- Endpoint protection
- Multi-factor authentication for Microsoft 365
- Email anti-spoofing
- Malicious web filtering and DNS security
Some services may cost extra based on your needs. These can include Microsoft 365, backup and disaster recovery, cloud services, and other custom solutions.
Core may be a good fit for businesses that want reliable IT support with basic security protections.
Core + Secure: $160–$250 per user per month
Core + Secure includes the services available with Core while adding more advanced cybersecurity capabilities for organizations with higher security, cyber insurance, or regulatory requirements.
Additional services include:
- Critical third-party patching
- 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC)
- Threat intelligence
- Threat hunting
- Intrusion detection
- Incident response
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
- Dark web monitoring
- Phishing simulations
- Security awareness training
- Internal and external vulnerability scanning
- Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for network and cloud environments
This plan may be a better fit for businesses with higher security risks. It can also support companies that face cyber insurance or compliance requirements.
However, buying an IT package does not make a business compliant by itself.
HIPAA, CMMC, and other frameworks may require policies, processes, records, security controls, and staff training. Your exact needs will depend on your business and the rules that apply to it.
3 Reasons Managed IT is Priced Per User (Even If You Don’t Contact IT Daily)
Need a Trusted MSP With Transparent Managed IT Pricing?
Managed IT pricing reflects more than help desk support. Your investment also covers the people, processes, security tools, monitoring, and strategic planning needed to keep your technology reliable and secure.
ITS has supported businesses since 2003, helping small and midsize organizations manage their IT, strengthen cybersecurity, and plan for future technology needs.
Our two managed IT service levels give businesses a clearer starting point for comparing their needs and budget:
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- Core: $125–$170 per user per month
- Core + Secure: $160–$250 per user per month
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Your actual price will depend on your number of users, infrastructure, management needs, cybersecurity requirements, and any additional services your organization requires.
Ready to find out what managed IT could cost for your company? Visit our ITS Pricing Estimator for a ballpark estimate, or schedule a consultation to discuss your specific IT and cybersecurity needs.
Explore more managed IT resources in our Learning Center:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are there extra fees for setting up managed IT services?
A: There may be onboarding or remediation costs depending on your existing IT environment. These costs can cover documentation, deployment of management tools, security improvements, or other work needed before ongoing support begins.
Ask your provider what is included in the initial quote and whether any one-time costs apply.
Q: Why do some industries pay more for managed IT?
A: Businesses in regulated industries may require additional security tools, monitoring, reporting, and specialized support.
Healthcare organizations, government contractors, and financial businesses may have requirements that increase the scope of services needed.
Q: What's the difference between Core and Core + Secure?
A: Core focuses on everyday IT management, support, monitoring, and foundational security.
Core + Secure adds advanced cybersecurity services such as 24/7 SOC monitoring, threat hunting, EDR, MDR, vulnerability scanning, security awareness training, and incident response.
The right plan depends on your business risk, security requirements, and technology environment.
