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As an SME, finding cost-effective business IT support in the UK is hard. With so many managed service providers and different levels of support, the vast array of options can be overwhelming.
In this blog we explore the different types of IT support available, the pros and cons of each and answer the question, how much does managed IT support cost?
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£60 – £75 per hour (excluding a call out fee)
The average cost of ad-hoc IT support in the UK appears to range between £60-£75 per hour. However, if your problem requires an on-site visit the cost of IT support can be much higher as your IT provider may charge a call-out fee.
We see a lot of providers charge for the first full hour, and then in 15-minute intervals thereafter. But it is worth checking the IT support rates and terms of each provider.
Ad-hoc IT support serves a purpose and can be helpful for very small businesses with simple IT setups.
The biggest advantage of ad-hoc IT support is that there are no ongoing costs or commitments, as you only pay for what you use.
On the other hand, ad-hoc IT support is far less suitable for businesses with 5+ users and more complex IT infrastructure.
With no maintenance and monitoring included, you’ll likely suffer from regular IT problems and need more support to solve simple fixes.
As a result, your IT expenditure could end up higher than choosing an alternative support solution, such as managed IT support.
£80 per hour (approx.)
Pre-paid IT support is the next step up from ad-hoc IT support but works on a similar model. With pre-paid IT support, you will pay for a block of time you can use when you need it – like topping up a SIM card or an electricity meter.
As pre-paid IT support involves purchasing a block number of hours (usually 10+) in advance, many IT providers will offer a discounted hourly rate, making it a little bit cheaper than ad-hoc.
However, pre-paid IT support shares many of the same disadvantages as ad-hoc IT support, including no real monitoring or maintenance included as part of the package.
Also, unexpected IT problems can drain your allowance, meaning higher expenditure over time.
£20 per user/month – £100+ per user/month
Fully managed IT support is the most common type of support package and is often charged per user/month.
This type of IT support is often done remotely and can be known as outsourced IT support.
The reason the cost of fully managed IT support varies so much is down to service offerings.
Traditionally, fully managed IT support includes everything.
However, an increasing number of IT support providers offer an ‘a-la-carte’ menu, where you can choose the services you want included. Therefore, you won’t pay for things you don’t necessarily need.
Priced per user/month, fully managed IT support gives businesses more control and predictability over their IT costs. Unless an employee leaves or a new starter joins, your IT costs remain the same every month. No matter how much you need or use.
Fully managed IT support includes constant monitoring of your IT systems, which covers hardware faults, software failures, patch management, regular updates, antivirus management, backup monitoring and downtime alerts.
Whilst fully managed IT support is the best option in our opinion, we understand that not every business can afford to pay for a monthly support package.
However, the cost of any IT support package will by far outweigh the loss and/or cost of an avoidable IT disaster.
As you can see, the average price of IT support for small businesses varies greatly and depends on several factors. For example, the type of IT support you need, the size of your business and any additional products/services you require.
We would suggest approaching at least 3 providers to compare costs.
We must say that IT providers shouldn’t be compared on cost alone.
It’s important to take into account things such as their accreditations, average response times and of course, customer satisfaction rate.
Related: What to look out for in an IT support provider