Managed IT services will bring your business increased uptime, heightened cybersecurity, streamlined workflows, and reduced costs. But how do you know what services or model is best for your company?
Understanding the different managed IT service pricing models in Arizona, New Mexico, and across the American Southwest will help you on the road to finding the right solution.
What are managed IT services?
Managed IT services comprise of IT support and solutions outsourced to a third-party provider. It involves anything from computer service and repair, to network support and maintenance, to backup and disaster recovery planning, and much more besides.
Managed service providers (MSP) help save your business time and money, as well as reduce workloads while freeing up valuable staff time. In addition, with appropriate security measures in place, managed IT services can help protect sensitive data from being compromised or used without consent.
Managed IT services include:
Remote support: a technician who can access a user’s computer remotely will diagnose problems and fix it using their own computer, which has been connected to the user’s computer.
Onsite support: provides technical support to computer users with the help of an on-site technician, who will visit the customer’s location to provide assistance with their computer system.
IT consulting: the process of providing advice to organizations on how to use technology to solve their business problems.
Backup and disaster recovery: backup is the process of copying data to an external data center in case of a disaster. Disaster recovery is the process of restoring data after it has been lost.
Software and hardware: help with the maintenance, installation and troubleshooting of software and hardware.
Factors influencing MSP cost
A managed service provider will assess the complexity of your IT infrastructure before deciding on a fee. Whether your business has complicated infrastructure, or needs advanced services rather than basic monitoring and management, will also influence the IT services cost. This price – and any future scaling up or down of services – will be agreed upon in the service level agreement (SLA).
- Service time required
- Complexity of your IT infrastructure
- Number of users/devices
- Evolving needs
Questions to consider:
- What is my budget?
- What are my IT needs?
- What are the legal or compliance risks of not meeting those requirements?
- What IT issues can my in-house team cover?
MSP pricing models
Break/fix services
Break/fix services are a one-off transaction between you and an IT service provider, with no SLA or future obligations included. If your computer breaks, or you need hardware installed, you can call on the services of a break/fix technician to remedy these issues.
A break/fix technician will charge you on an hourly basis generally upwards from $150 per hour, plus any parts needed to complete the job. This model works for businesses that do not require ongoing IT services, or do not have complex IT systems.
Flat rate
A flat-rate model will cover the basic or essential needs of your business. Your MSP will charge you a flat fee to support your systems whenever you experience system downtime. This fee will be charged monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on your SLA agreement.
This model is ideal for SMBs as it is easy to incorporate into their overall budget, as well as businesses that only require basic system maintenance.
Per device
Your MSP will charge you for the number of devices that require IT services. This includes firewalls, desktops, and servers, but the different kinds of devices will attract different prices. You can expect to pay anywhere between $50 to $250 per device, per month.
If your employees use multiple devices for their work, this model may be more costly. On the flipside, if you have part-time employees who utilise the same devices, this model could be more cost-effective.
Per user
Similar to per device, this managed service model will charge you on the number of users they monitor and support. If your employees use multiple devices, this model could be more cost-effective. An MSP will charge an estimated $70 to $250.
The per user, per month model will generally not include your servers; you will need to ensure they are included in your SLA in another form.
What services do MSPs offer?
Most MSPs offer a wide range of IT services to cater for the majority of businesses. Some will offer specialized IT support, such as database services, and others will cater to specific industries, such as biotechnology.
General MSP services offerings include:
- Onsite and remote IT support
- Managed desktop
- Network management
- Managed cybersecurity
- Backup and disaster recovery
- 24/7 service desk and troubleshooting
- IT consulting
- Business continuity planning
- Cloud services
Essential IT services
These services will cover your basic IT needs. An IT team will monitor your network environment and flag any issues that arise.
Mid-range IT services
A step up from the essentials, your MSP will proactively fix any issues that arise in your IT environment, and will generally also include basic cybersecurity, 24/7 service desk, backup and disaster recovery, and strategic IT, depending on your needs.
Fully managed IT
If your IT environment requires advanced IT solutions, this will be the ideal service. It generally includes cloud services, fully hosted systems, advanced cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance control.
Find the right service model for your business
With a wide range of price models and IT services to choose from, the perfect solution for your business needs and budget isn’t hard to find.
The IT experts at Technology Solutions have all the IT services needed to keep your business running securely and at optimal performance. Talk to them today and customize your managed IT service package today.
Hi Gregory,
I would be interested in Mid-range IT services for a company of 6 people. So I’m looking at close to $1500? Is this correct?
Hi Rick,
That’s not an unreasonable assumption, but many variables play into that, and we’d have to have a audit or discovery conversation to better understand. The audit is no charge. Let us know and we can set one up with you.
Thank you for breaking all this down. It’s easier to see what goes where and how much it could cost. When you’re a bit on a budget you need read more to find the proper services that fit that budget.