Know What IT Support Should Cost

Managed IT support typically costs £50-80 per user per month for comprehensive services. This usually includes helpdesk support, endpoint security, patch management, and monitoring. Volume discounts of 10-20% are common for larger teams (20+ users). Very small businesses may face minimum monthly charges of £100-150 regardless of user count.

Comprehensive managed IT services typically include: unlimited helpdesk support (phone, email, remote), endpoint detection and response (EDR), Microsoft 365 management, patch management for operating systems and applications, antivirus/antimalware protection, dark web monitoring for credential leaks, cyber awareness training for staff, password management tools, asset documentation, and quarterly business reviews to align IT with your goals.

Cyber Essentials certification support typically costs £25-60 per month for preparation and audit support. The NCSC certification fee itself is approximately £300-500 annually. Cyber Essentials Plus, which includes hands-on external testing by an assessor, costs more at £110-150 per month for support plus £1,500-2,500 for the audit itself. Many government contracts now require at least basic Cyber Essentials certification.

MSP (Managed Service Provider) support is proactive with a fixed monthly fee covering all IT needs, while break-fix is reactive where you pay per incident. MSPs include 24/7 monitoring, maintenance, security updates, and support as standard, preventing issues before they cause downtime. Break-fix often costs more long-term due to emergency callout fees (£100-150/hour), unpredictable bills, and the cost of downtime while waiting for repairs. MSP contracts also typically include business-grade security tools that would be expensive to purchase separately.

ISO 27001 costs vary significantly by organisation size and complexity. Ongoing ISMS (Information Security Management System) support typically costs £350-1,000 per month for quarterly audits and full management respectively. Initial implementation projects range from £14,000-30,000 depending on your starting point and scope. External certification audits by accredited bodies cost £6,000-12,000. Many organisations start with Cyber Essentials and progress to ISO 27001 as they grow or when required for enterprise contracts.

Most MSPs charge a one-time onboarding fee to cover documentation, system auditing, security tool deployment, and migration work. Simple setups for small teams (under 10 users) with straightforward requirements are often free. Standard onboarding for typical businesses costs £500-1,000 and includes documentation, training, and tool setup. Complex enterprise deployments with server migrations, multiple sites, or compliance requirements can cost £2,000-5,000 or more.

Yes, most MSPs offer discounts for registered charities, typically 10-15% off standard rates. Microsoft also offers significant discounts on 365 licensing for eligible non-profits through their Tech for Social Impact programme. Some MSPs also offer startup discounts (usually 10%) for businesses under 3-5 years old. These discounts are reflected in our calculator - just tick the relevant options.

MSPs typically offer rolling monthly contracts and fixed terms of 12, 24, or 36 months. Rolling contracts offer flexibility but usually carry a 10% premium. Standard 12-month agreements are most common with no premium or discount. Longer commitments of 24 months (-3%) or 36 months (-5%) offer savings in exchange for stability. Most MSPs require 30-90 days notice to cancel, and early termination of fixed contracts may incur fees.