How to calculate IT support costs

Calculating IT support costs is important, particularly when running a small business. In this article, find out how to roughly calculate the cost of outsourcing IT support.

It is worth highlighting that the cost of IT is dependent upon a number of variables including the level of service you need, so it is always worth contacting an IT support company to get an exact quote. This guide will enable you to find out your options and the cost of:

IT support cost for a small business in the UK
IT support package options and average industry prices
Factors affecting the cost of IT support
IT contracts and payments
IT support cost calculator
Best value IT support
Cost of IT support in Birmingham

cost of IT support for a small business in the UK

The cost of IT support for a small business in the UK can vary, but you can expect to pay between £30-50 per user, per month for a managed IT, subscription-based service. If you are after ad hoc IT support, then the average cost of IT support is between £90-100 per hour in the UK. 

IT support package options and cost

If you are unsure what you need, then it is useful to look at the options or IT support packages available from the IT industry. These are:

• Support by the hour
• Support bundles
• Fixed-rate, contract
• Fully managed service 
• Project work

IT support companies offer a number of options and IT support packages, however, these 'bundles' regularly differ from one IT company to another. As it is not always clearly advertised what's included in the IT support package, it is worthwhile clarifying this, particularly when comparing IT companies.

Most IT companies will specialise in one or two types of IT support packages or bundles. The table below has a * next to the services that Superfast IT offer. 

SUPPORT BY THE HOUR: £90-£100/hour

Ad hoc and pay-as-you-go. Call on support IT business as and when you need them, paying for their time at an hourly rate.

SUPPORT BUNDLES: £80-85/hour

Purchase a bundle of hours for a discounted rate - use as and when they are needed, then purchase your next bundle when your hours are up.

FIXED RATE, CONTRACT: £20/month, per user

Pay monthly, per user for unlimited IT support. We say unlimited, but costing around £20/month per user, the suppliers are limited to the service they can provide. Often described as 'reactive' and with slow response times, you can expect to be waiting some time for your ticket to be resolved and there are likely to be hidden costs, for example, for call outs.

FULLY MANAGED SERVICE: £30-50 per month, per user

This is the package we offer because we want to deliver a fast response rate and take pride in delivering a high level of customer service.

PROJECT WORK: Cost based upon the project

Every now and then, you may have a big technology project. This could include replacing your server or moving to the cloud. We also assist clients with their digitalisation strategy and implementation. This type of project will not be covered in a managed service agreement. They will be quoted as projects, as they don't happen often and often require senior IT technicians due to their technical nature.

Factors affecting the cost of IT support

The cost of IT support in a managed service agreement will depend upon a number of factor they include:

• Number of users
• Number of workstations
• Number of servers
• The complexity of your IT infrastructure and applications
• Your security requirements
• Level of support
• Where you are located

In the video below, James explains how we provide an accurate quote.

Number of users

How many IT users do you have in your business? This includes remote workers. Anybody who has an account for your systems is counted as a user, even if they share a device.

Number of workstations

How many workstations are in your business? To you, this will be the number of computers, rather than the number of employees.

Number of servers

How many servers are in your business? Are they onsite or cloud-based?

The complexity of your IT infrastructure and applications

IT infrastructure is composed of:

Hardware

Servers, personal computers, routers, switches, and other equipment.

Software

Applications used by the business, such as Microsoft 365, web servers, content management systems or Sage.

Networks

the way computers communicate; their digital interconnections for the purpose of sharing resources.

IT infrastructure can be traditional (physically based in your office), cloud, or hyper-converged (managed using a single interface).

Your security requirements

Each business will have different security risks depending upon their individual vulnerabilities. You may only need a basic level, but this will depend upon what your business does, the data you store and your industry. For example, IP theft would be a great threat in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, whereas accountants and recruitment businesses hold huge amounts of data; financial and personal.

Level of support

Whether you need support 8am - 5pm, on weekdays or 24/7.

Location

The cost can differ depending upon the physical location of your business. Businesses based in central London will pay the most expensive rates in the UK, as you can imagine, with prices often doubling compared with businesses based outside of the southeast.

IT contracts and payments

Rolling contact or fixed-term contract?

If you have a fully managed service or fixed-rate contract, then you will fall into either two payment options; a rolling contract or a fixed-term contract. The difference is that a rolling contract only requires one month's notice to leave the supplier. Fixed-term contracts typically last between 12-36 months - whatever your agreement states.

IT companies typically offer either:

• only fixed-term, or
• rolling contact and fixed-term.

For example, Superfast IT offer both rolling contracts and fixed-term contracts. Monthly rolling contracts enable flexibility to leave an IT supplier at short notice and you are not tied into to a long-term commitment with that supplier.

If that doesn’t suit your business, then a fixed-term contract lasts between one to three years. They create stability and ensure costs remain fixed for that period of time.

How to calculate IT support costs

IT support calculator

We use an IT support calculator to work out how much IT support may cost your business. We have created a pricing webpage to provide you with an idea of IT support package costs. If you are looking at cybersecurity costs specifically, we have created a cybersecurity cost guide. 

Contact us to get a quick quote and we can calculate the cost of your IT support.

best value outsourced IT support

The best value IT depends on how much outsourced IT your business needs. A micro-sized business is likely to only need ad hoc IT services, with the pay-as-you-go option.

But as a business grows and the team size increases, more complex and resilient IT is needed. Many business owners and leaders get to a point where they spend too much of their time addressing IT niggles or IT becomes too complex. This is where managed IT services or a monthly IT subscription service will offer the best value.

Costs are predictable and you gain unlimited access to IT support and experts. For example, in March 2020, all of our clients were able to quickly move to remote working as a part of their ongoing subscription cost, at no extra cost.

If you are weighing up outsourced IT vs in-house, visit our guide to understand the pros and cons.

Cost of IT support in Birmingham

We can help you to calculate your IT support costs, simply request a quote.

You can also visit our pricing page to understand how much IT support may cost your business. Learn more about IT packages we offer.