Insights & GuidesGuide

How Much Managed IT Costs

An honest breakdown of IT support pricing in the UK. What you should pay, what's included, and how to avoid hidden costs.

9 min

Key Takeaways

1Quality managed IT support in the UK typically costs between £40-60 per user per month for comprehensive service
2Be wary of prices significantly below this range - providers often make up the difference with hidden extras or reduced service
3Per-user pricing generally offers better value and aligned incentives than hourly or block-hour models
4The total cost of ownership matters more than the headline price - factor in what's included and what's extra

Looking for Genmar's specific pricing? This guide explains the UK market generally. See our transparent pricing page

Pricing Models Explained

IT providers use several different pricing models. Understanding how they work helps you compare options fairly and avoid surprises.

Per-user per-month: Fixed monthly fee for each user. Most common for SMEs. Typically includes unlimited support. Aligned incentives - provider succeeds when systems run smoothly.
Per-device per-month: Similar to per-user but charged per device. Can be complex if users have multiple devices. Less common now.
Block hours: Pre-purchase a block of support hours monthly. Unused hours often expire. Can lead to overage charges. Provider may be incentivised to use hours quickly.
Break-fix (hourly): Pay only when something breaks. Unpredictable costs. No proactive management. Provider benefits when things go wrong. Not recommended for most businesses.
Project-based: Fixed price for specific projects. Good for one-off work. Usually sits alongside a support contract.

What Per-User Prices Include

The industry standard for SME managed IT support is a per-user per-month model. But what's included at different price points varies significantly. Here's a rough guide to what to expect.

£25-35/user: Budget tier. Basic monitoring and reactive support. May exclude mobile devices, onsite visits, security basics. Often has response time issues. Suitable only for very basic needs.
£40-60/user: Standard comprehensive. Should include everything: unlimited support, monitoring, security basics, mobile devices, onsite visits, account management. This is where most quality providers sit.
£60-80/user: Premium with enhanced security. Includes advanced security services like SOC monitoring, EDR/MDR, enhanced backup. Good for businesses with higher security requirements.
£80+/user: Enterprise-adjacent. Dedicated resources, advanced compliance support, custom SLAs. Usually overkill for SMEs.

Common Hidden Costs

Many providers keep their headline price low by charging extra for things that should be standard. Watch for these common add-ons that erode the value of a seemingly cheap quote.

Onsite visits charged separately (per visit or per hour)
Mobile device support as an add-on
Line of business application support not included
After-hours support charged at premium rates
New user setup and offboarding charged per instance
Printer and peripheral support excluded
Security features treated as premium add-ons
Backup monitoring separate from backup storage
Account management or strategic reviews charged extra

Server and Infrastructure Costs

Servers, whether on-premises or in the cloud, typically cost extra. This is reasonable - they require different skills and more intensive management. But you should understand what you're paying for.

On-premises servers: Usually £100-200 per server per month for management. Includes monitoring, patching, backup management.
Cloud servers (Azure, AWS): Often included in per-user pricing for standard configurations. Complex environments may be charged separately.
Hybrid environments: Pricing varies based on complexity. Get a clear breakdown.
Server hardware: Separate from support - budget for replacement every 5-7 years.

Microsoft 365 Costs

Most businesses use Microsoft 365. Understanding how this affects your IT support costs matters because it's often the largest single software expense.

License costs are separate from support - you pay Microsoft directly or through a reseller
Business Basic: Around £5/user/month. Email, web apps, basic features.
Business Standard: Around £10/user/month. Full desktop apps, most common choice.
Business Premium: Around £18/user/month. Adds advanced security and device management.
Your IT provider should help you choose the right tier and optimise your tenant
Some providers offer bundled licenses at a small markup - can simplify billing

Security Add-Ons Worth Considering

Basic security should be included in your core support. But advanced security services that genuinely cost more to deliver are reasonable add-ons.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR): £8-15/user/month. 24/7 SOC monitoring and threat response.
Security Awareness Training: £2-4/user/month. Phishing simulations and training modules.
Email Security (advanced): £3-5/user/month. Enhanced anti-phishing, impersonation protection.
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR): £5-10/user/month. Monitors identity systems for compromise.
Dark web monitoring: £1-3/user/month. Alerts if credentials appear in breaches.

Calculating Total Cost of Ownership

When comparing providers, look at the total cost of ownership rather than just the headline per-user price. Create a realistic scenario for your business.

Base per-user cost × number of users
Server management if applicable
Any excluded items you'll definitely need (mobile devices, onsite, etc.)
Realistic security add-ons based on your risk profile
Any setup, onboarding, or project fees
Don't forget Microsoft 365 licenses if quoted separately
Compare 12-month totals, not just monthly figures

What You Should Pay: Realistic Expectations

For a typical 50-user UK business with standard requirements, expect to pay in the range of £3,000-4,500 per month for quality managed IT support including security basics. This breaks down to roughly £60-90 per user including servers and enhanced security. If you're quoted significantly less, scrutinise what's excluded. If significantly more, ensure you're getting proportionally more value.

Where Genmar Fits in This Framework

We've written this guide to be useful regardless of who you choose as a provider. But since you're reading it on our site, here's where we sit honestly within the framework above. We offer two clear tiers: Essential — £45/user/month sits in the "standard comprehensive" tier (£40-60). Everything from this guide's checklist is included as standard: unlimited remote and onsite support, mobile device support, line of business apps, new user setup, account management, and foundational endpoint protection (Bitdefender AV, full patch management, 24/7 RMM monitoring). Secure — £55/user/month is what we recommend for most businesses. It includes everything in Essential plus Huntress MDR (24/7 monitored detection and response) and Petra ITDR (24/7 identity threat monitoring) — the advanced security capabilities this guide identifies as legitimate add-ons in the £8-15 and £5-10 ranges respectively. By bundling them, we bring full security-inclusive support to £55/user, near the lower end of the £60-90 range we quote in this guide for security-conscious businesses. We don't charge setup fees. Microsoft 365 licences are passed through at retail with no markup. Server management is £90/server/month. For a typical 50-user business with standard requirements on Secure, including 2 servers and Microsoft 365 Business Standard, expect to pay around £3,415/month all in — well within the realistic range we quote above.

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