What Does Managed IT Cost for a Small Business?

It's usually the first question we hear, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you're protecting. But "it depends" isn't useful on its own — so here's how managed IT pricing actually works, what drives the number up or down, and how to compare proposals fairly.

How managed IT services are priced

Most managed service providers (MSPs), AIS included, price ongoing service as a flat monthly fee based on the size of your environment — typically per device or per user. That fee covers a defined bundle: monitoring, patching, security tooling, and some or all support labor. In the broader market, small and mid-sized businesses commonly see totals ranging from a few hundred dollars a month for a small office with basic coverage to several thousand for larger organizations with full security stacks. Where you land depends on the factors below.

What drives the price

• Device and user count: The biggest factor. Every workstation and server carries monitoring, patching, and protection costs.
• Security depth: Basic antivirus is cheap; layered protection — detection and response, email security, a 24/7 security operations center — costs more and prevents far more.
• How labor is handled: Some plans bill support hours as you use them; others include labor in the monthly fee. Included labor costs more per month and surprises you less.
• Your industry: Regulated environments (healthcare, legal, government) need stronger controls, backup, and documentation.
• What's already in place: Aging equipment and missing backups often mean an initial investment before steady-state pricing settles.

How AIS structures it

We use three plans so the trade-offs are explicit. Core covers the essentials — a Dedicated Client Success Manager and fully managed endpoint protection — with labor billed as used. Shield+ adds threat detection, network monitoring, and email security with monthly labor included. Total Shield+ is the complete stack: managed detection and response, dark web scanning, and security awareness training. Projects are always scoped and quoted separately, before work begins.

Comparing proposals fairly

When you put two MSP quotes side by side, make sure you're comparing the same things: Is labor included or billed hourly? Is after-hours support available? Is there a real detection-and-response layer, or just antivirus? Who answers the phone — the provider's staff, or a subcontracted call center? A cheaper monthly number with hourly labor and thin security often costs more by year end.

The only accurate number is one built for your organization. Tell us about yours and we'll put a clear proposal in front of you — every plan, every cost, in writing.