Wondering how to make your business’ IT run better without costing more? One popular option to consider is managed IT services companies. But how much you should be paying for Managed IT Services? And on the other hand, do you know what type of services you should be getting for what you’re currently paying?
Using Managed IT Services to Save You Money
Let’s start by defining what a managed IT service is and is not. A managed IT service provides you with a range of services. You pay a monthly subscription cost, and in exchange, the service takes care of your IT needs that are covered under those services.
These services can include software updates, managed software-as-a-service options, backup services, website management, and similar possibilities.
Because they are responsible for these IT assets, these assets are carefully managed to provide you with optimum performance, security, and efficiency.
Increase Team Efficiency By Reducing Downtime
Well-run IT systems with technology strategies allow your employees to work at their highest levels of efficiency instead of focusing on computer problems and wasting their time updating systems and being on hold with a help desk.
Wouldn’t you rather have your people focusing on what your company is best at, promoting growth? When there’s a problem with your IT assets under your managed IT service, your employees don’t have to worry about fixing the problem – the managed IT service handles the entire process.
Every week, 140,000 hard drives fail. An estimated 44% of companies believe that an hour of downtime costs them about $10,000.
Instead of having your companies have to stop their work and deal with distractions caused by an IT failure, they can simply continue on another device while the managed IT service takes care of the problem.
Enjoy Peace Of Mind With Better Network And Data Security
Every day, we hear about another company that has had its data exposed through a security breach.
In fact, in the first four months of 2018, over 260 million records containing sensitive data were exposed. You don’t want your company to be the source of the next big data breach, losing your company’s credibility and trustworthiness in the market, do you?
When you work with a managed IT service, their primary focus is making sure that your IT assets are current on all security patches, updates, and anti-virus software, not the rest of the activities that your company undertakes. That allows you to focus on building your business, rather than on whether you’ll be one of the 60% of companies that go out of business within six months of a major data disaster.
Lower Your Company’s Overall IT Costs
Though it seems counterintuitive that hiring out your company’s IT needs would save your business money, it’s actually been proven time and again.
If you don’t hire a professional for your company, thinking it’s an unnecessary expense for a small business, then you’ll have employees wasting time trying to troubleshoot their own computer issues or waiting on hold for help desk personnel.
Even if you do hire a professional to handle your in-house work, how will they spend their time if there isn’t enough work to keep them occupied?
For these reasons, businesses typically find that the expense of a managed IT service is lower than that of trying to manage their own IT assets in-house.
Because the managed service is only focused on the IT costs of your company and is focused on improving their own efficiency, these companies are focused on providing you with the most efficient service possible. They’re able to share the cost of education, new technology, and equipment across a number of clients, reducing the cost.
The Big Problem With Managed IT Services Marketing
Unfortunately, it’s common practice in many industries, including the IT world, to keep from explicitly stating the price until it’s absolutely necessary.
The thinking is that, the more a potential customer learns about the service before knowing the price, the more likely they’ll keep an open mind once they finally do find out what it costs.
It feels like this stems from an antiquated sensibility, which dictates that you should never be too forward about money – but when it comes to finding the right Managed IT Services, you obviously need to know what it will cost you.
Budgeting for your technology can be difficult enough without having to do in-depth research to actually find the price tag.
Managed Services Pricing Calculator
The cost of managed IT services varies depending on the size and complexity of your business network. But don’t worry, we have a pricing calculator that will give you an instant estimate. Just enter some basic information about your company and we’ll do the rest.
If you’re not sure what type of managed IT services you need, our team of experts can help. We’ll work with you to create a plan that fits your budget and meets your business needs. Our services can include:
- Workstation Cleanups
- Virus and Malware Removal
- Desktop Optimization
- User Management (Add, Remove, Change, rename, etc.)
- Vendor Management
- Network Reviews and Consultations
- Business Application Support
- Expert Microsoft 365 Support
- Managed Microsoft Updates and Patching
- Advanced Endpoint Protection (Anti-Virus)
- Hardware and Software Audits and Inventory
- Performance & Preventative Maintenance Reports
- VPN and Remote Access Management
- Computer and Server Health Reports
- 24 x 7 Monitoring and Management Tool
- Remote Support (8 AM – 6 PM)
- Quarterly Email and Network Security Audits
- Average Response time of less than an hour
Cost Calculator
This calculator is meant to provide an estimate only. Your final proposal will be based on a complimentary detailed sales quote.
As you can see, working with a well-run managed IT service can save your company time, money, and potential risk.
Are you ready to consider the options that are available to you? We offer a range of services, either in a package form or a la carte, should you only want help with a couple of areas.
Please feel free to reach out today to discover how we can help your business get ahead through solid managed IT service solutions.
FAQ About Managed Services Pricing
Despite being one of the most important factors in deciding between one service or another, the price of IT support can often be difficult to nail down. If you’re considering investing in Managed IT Services, you should know how much you need to budget.
When researching a potential service, there’s a lot that you need to know about it. What it includes, how effective other customers have found it to be, how it stacks up against the competition, etc.
But there’s one bit of information that’s often as important, if not more, than the rest.
The price.
It’s important to understand the model that Managed Services pricing is based on.
The vast majority of Managed Service Providers (MSP) across the country operate on a “per user” or “per device” basis. Therefore, charges are based on the number of users or devices on the network.
The MSP incurs the cost for the agent (a management device that is installed on all devices), anti-virus, any extras, and of course the support for each endpoint. Therefore, this flat number should cover their expenses and provide a level of profit that allows the business to grow.
This is compared to, for example, “Break/Fix” services.
Break/Fix service is the traditional style of outsourced IT services, which works by fixing your computers once they’re broken. In a nutshell, when something goes wrong — data loss, hardware failure, virus, etc. — you then get in touch with your Break/Fix support provider and have them fix it.
Our calculator above can help you get a better estimate!
If you’re currently using Break/Fix IT support, or perhaps relying on a tech-savvy employee at your business to fix problems when they happen, then yes, Managed IT Services will definitely be more expensive.
That’s just the cost of doing business – if you want to overcome issues that you’re currently experiencing with a more limited form of IT support, then you’re going to have to invest more, simple as that.
Managed Services Pricing can range from $10 to $250 per user/device per month.
If you think that’s a wide range, you’re correct – the reality is that the level of support included from one end of that range to the other, and therefore, the type of business that those levels of support are designed for, vary greatly.
Does $10/month sound like a good rate? Of course, it does.
Is it the same quality and level of services as those that charge $250/month?
Definitely not.
There are some business owners that happily pay $250 per user a month to eliminate the worry of hardware cost, additional bills, and a long response time, guaranteeing effective service for what could be a multi-location business or an even larger enterprise.
Generally, though, most business owners prefer the $10-$100 per user range. They are okay working with a smaller IT business, additional bills for projects, onsite work, and sometimes even remote support.
Before you make your decision on what you are willing to pay for support, review the types of agreements below. This will help guide your expectations going into a new agreement or help to evaluate the comprehensiveness of your current agreement.