How much do IT services cost?
If you've been getting quotes and every one looks different, you're not imagining it. Here's a straight answer, then the reasoning behind it.
Short answer: fully managed IT for a small or midsize business typically runs $150 to $230 per user, per month. Where you land in that range depends on how many people you're supporting, how complex your systems are, and how much risk you're willing to carry.
That price is usually more than just support time. It typically includes your Microsoft 365 licensing and our full security stack, so you're not stacking a separate licensing bill and a separate security bill on top.
This is a starting range, not a quote. Businesses with heavier compliance needs, older infrastructure, or higher support volume often land toward the top. Simpler, well-maintained environments often land toward the bottom.
What actually changes the number
An MSP quote isn't a fixed price list. It's a reflection of how much work your environment actually takes to keep running and secure. A few things move the needle more than anything else:
Team size
More users means more devices, more accounts, and more support tickets. Pricing is usually per user for this reason.
Environment complexity
A handful of cloud apps is a different job than on-site servers, specialty software, and multiple locations.
Compliance and risk
Healthcare, finance, and manufacturing clients often carry requirements (HIPAA, cyber insurance, client contracts) that add real work.
Current state of things
A clean, well-documented environment costs less to maintain than one with years of deferred maintenance and workarounds.
Why we show one number when it's really three
We display pricing per user because it's the easiest number for most people to compare against. But under the hood, a fully managed plan is really priced across three pillars of your environment:
Networks
Firewalls, wifi, switches, and the internet connection everything runs on.
Identities
Your users, their accounts, and how securely they log in and access company data.
Devices
Laptops, desktops, and servers, kept patched, monitored, and backed up.
Think of it as a three-lever switch rather than one flat rate. A business with a simple network but a lot of identities to secure gets priced differently than one with a small team but a complicated network. Per-user pricing is a simplified way of expressing all three, not a sign that only one of them is being priced.
What you're actually paying for
A per-user rate isn't just "someone to call when something breaks." A fully managed plan is built to prevent the call in the first place. That typically includes:
- Microsoft 365 licensing for your team, built into the plan rather than billed as a separate line item
- Help desk support for your team, not just your equipment
- Patching and updates handled on a schedule, not when someone remembers
- Our full security stack, including endpoint protection, email security, and identity safeguards like multi-factor authentication
- Backup and disaster recovery, tested, not just installed and forgotten
- Vendor management so you're not the one on hold with your internet provider
- Strategic planning to align your technology with where the business is actually headed
If a quote comes in well below that range, it's worth asking which of these it's actually covering, and whether licensing and security tools are included or billed on top.
Per-user, per-device, or flat rate
Most MSPs price one of three ways:
- Per user covers a person across all their devices. This is the most common model and the one we lead with, because it matches how people actually work now.
- Per device charges for each laptop, desktop, or server individually. It can undercount the real support load in a business where people use multiple devices.
- Flat rate bundles everything into one number regardless of usage. Simple, but it can hide what you're actually getting.
If you're a small team
Not every business needs the full support layer of a fully managed plan, especially with only a handful of employees. For smaller teams, we offer a lower cost option that strips out some of the proactive support work but keeps the parts that matter most: our security tools stay in place, and you still have access to our help desk when you need it.
It's a way to stay protected and covered without paying for a level of ongoing support a two or three person team may not fully use yet.
A few things worth knowing
No long-term contracts
We don't lock clients into multi-year agreements. If the fit isn't right, you're not stuck.
Project work included
We're one of the only providers in the region that builds a level of ongoing project work into our fully managed plans, instead of billing separately for every request.
Why we won't just give you a flat number up front
Every environment we look at is different, and so is every business's tolerance for risk. A ten-person accounting firm and a ten-person manufacturer with a shop floor full of legacy equipment aren't the same job, even though the headcount matches.
Instead of quoting off a spreadsheet, we start by understanding your goals and where you're most exposed, then build a plan across networks, identities, and devices that actually fits. That's how we land on a number inside that $150 to $230 range that reflects your business, not a generic tier.
Common questions about IT pricing
Is $150 to $230 per user too expensive for a small business?
It depends on what you're comparing it to, and what's included. Against a single in-house IT hire, it's usually far less expensive once you account for salary and benefits. Against doing nothing until something breaks, it's an investment that prevents the far more expensive outage or breach. It also typically includes your Microsoft 365 licensing and security tools, which many quotes leave out.
What's the difference between managed IT and break-fix support?
Break-fix means you call someone when something goes wrong and pay for that visit. Managed IT is a monthly plan built around preventing the problem, monitoring systems, patching, and securing your environment before something breaks. It's the difference between a maintenance plan and a tow truck.
Does managed IT pricing include hardware, licensing, and security tools?
With us, licensing and our full security stack are typically built into the per-user rate. Hardware itself (laptops, servers, networking equipment) is usually billed separately, though we help plan and budget for it so it isn't a surprise.
What if I only have a few employees?
Very small teams often don't need the full proactive support layer yet. We offer a lower cost option that keeps our security tools in place and access to our help desk, while scaling back some of the added support until you're ready for it.
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. We don't lock clients into long-term agreements. We'd rather earn the relationship month to month than hold you to a contract.
How do I know if I'm being overcharged for IT support?
Ask exactly what's included in the number. A rate that seems low is often missing pieces like licensing, backup, or security monitoring. A rate that seems high should come with a clear explanation of what's driving it, not just a bigger number.
How does 574 Technologies price its services?
We start with a conversation about your goals, your risk tolerance, and what your environment actually looks like today across your network, your users, and your devices. From there we scope a plan and land on a per-user rate, generally in the $150 to $230 range, that matches what you actually need instead of a one-size-fits-all package.
Want a real number for your business?
Tell us about your team and your environment, and we'll walk you through what a plan would actually look like, no generic package required.
Talk with us about your environment Or email [email protected] directly