How much should IT support cost for a small business?

There's no single right number

A five-person office above a shop and a fifteen-person manufacturer with a server and CNC machines shouldn't pay the same. Geography, response times, after-hours cover, and whether you want proactive monitoring all move the price.

What you can compare is what's included and what happens when things go wrong.

Typical pricing models

Per user / per month (managed) — predictable, includes remote support and monitoring. Common range for West Yorkshire SMEs: roughly £25–£45 per user depending on scope. Watch for minimums and what's "out of scope."

Per device — suits firms with shared kit more than named users, but can get expensive if everyone has a laptop, phone and tablet "counted."

Pay-as-you-go / block hours — good for stable environments or overflow. Hourly rates often land £75–£95 for business-hours remote, more for urgent on-site.

Project quotes — migrations, network installs and website builds should be fixed-price with written scope.

Red flags in cheap quotes

• "Unlimited support" with a fair-use clause that isn't defined
• No mention of backup monitoring or patching
• After-hours emergencies billed at triple time with no cap
• You're still the admin on Microsoft 365 and they never mentioned it

Getting a quote you can trust

We quote after understanding user count, servers (if any), compliance needs, and how painful downtime is for you. A ten-minute call beats a guess from a price list.

Request a quote or book a free consultation — we'll give you numbers you can show finance, not a surprise invoice later.