How much should your business IT support cost in 2026?
Choosing the best IT provider for the best price can be tricky! We are here to simplify that decision for you, providing a rundown of different types of support and average costs for your business it!
Contents:
How much is the UK average IT support cost?
Ad hoc IT support rundown.
Fixed-rate IT support rundown.
Pricing calculator.
Conclusion.
How much is the UK average IT support cost?
IT support costs in the UK typically depend upon:
- Your employee count
- Your location (London is expensive to get to!)
- The complexity of the IT systems you need (servers to run software?)
- The IT ability of your staff
- The cost to remedy any issues left behind from previous ‘IT help’
Let’s break this down further!
You may have google’d IT support prices for small business and the average starting price is around £ 30-50 per user. With this being said most IT companies have a minimum user starting point too, or minimum price. The reason for this is no matter the size there is always the overhead of proactively maintaining the common systems we all use eg. Microsoft 365 email, device security policy and software, Microsoft 365 security and 2 factor authenticaion, internet, networking and wifi of your office etc, licensing support, IT road map and of course our award winning IT support 24/7.
For example, at Liberate IT we have our starting price set for £395 per month. This cost covers a typical new starter small business IT needs. Obviously this doesn’t include the cost of any hardware you will need to purchase such as laptops and PC’s but it ensures your business IT is set up in a scalable and secure way, avoiding any unnecessary migrations and moves later.
Now that we have had a look at the average IT support costs for SMEs across the UK, we will take a look at a couple of different types of IT support starting with Ad Hoc support.
Ad Hoc IT Support (Costs more in the long run)
Ad-hoc IT support or “a break it fix it approach” means you just pay for what you use, sounds great right? The trouble is no one is actually looking after your systems and we typically see the following issues:
- Ex-Employees and devices are left with full access to your systems.
- Not all devices are protected by your IT security as they are never proactively periodically checked.
- Your IT systems are not fit for purpose becuase they’re never reviewed proactively. Your business is essentially inefficient.
- You are paying too much as you are paying for licenses for old/un-used accounts.
- You do not have the latest IT security measures in place leaving you vulnerable to cyber attack.
- Slow/old devices are being purchased, as getting the right IT kit can be confusing for business owners.
All of the issues above can be costly, and even end your business! The risk of not checking and maintaining your IT security to the latest standards leaves your vulnerable to cyber attack and in turn, huge fines from the ICO and reputation damage that can turn your clients away from you.
In real terms the cost Ad hoc support is always higher in the long run. You need an IT company that is constantly alongside your business to help your manage your systems proactively so you can work more efficiently and keep your systems and data as safe as possible.
Let’s have a look at some of the pros and cons of using Ad hoc support:
Pros:
- one-off charges and no rolling monthly costs.
- No commitment.
Cons:
- No one is checking and looking after your systems leaving you vulnerable and paying more in licenses.
- You cannot be compliant with modern security standards leaving your data vulnerable and your business as risk
- Often companies will overlook major issues with short-term fixes which can cause problems down the line so issues repeat and cost you more in time and money.
- The company will not be familiar with your business setup and therefore take longer to resolve issues and not specifiy the best solution for you.
Let’s have a look at Fixed-rate IT support as a comparison!
Fixed-rate IT support rundown:
Fixed-rate It support is a rolling contract with your IT provider, like a mobile phone contract or internet agreement. With fixed-rate support your IT provider works remotely, proactively monitoring your IT Systems so that we can spot issues before they stop you working or cause a data breach!
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of using a fixed-rate IT support service for your business IT:
Pros:
- You will always pay a fixed monthly rate so no unexpected invoices!
- Your IT systems will be constantly monitored by professionals reducing the risk of a cyber-attack or downtime.
- You will have unlimited access to IT support engineers who know you and your systems.
- Your IT systems will be the best they can be, providing efficiency savings to your staff, and in your licensing and other IT costs.
Cons:
- Fixed-rate support can seem like a big commitment but Liberate IT offer monthly terms without long tie ins.
- Getting more for from your IT company can cost more but the benefits hugely outweigh the costs.
- We have included our Liberate IT price calculator below so you can see how much your IT support will cost!
The conclusion:
In conclusion, it’s always best to use fixed-rate IT support for your business IT infrastructure to ensure maximum security, a reduction in downtime, and practical IT solutions whenever you need them! For some companies, there will be times when ad Hoc works out cheaper but as ad-hoc dramatically increases the risks you are taking with your IT data and your business. At Liberate IT, we only provide fixed-rate service/MSP for your IT support as we only want to work with businesses that give IT security the attention it deserves and to be compliant you must have a full time IT team looking after you.
If you are considering the a new IT support team why not check out the rest of our website or call us for a chat now.