Every managed IT conversation eventually gets to “so what does this actually cost?” and every honest answer starts with “it depends,” which is frustrating but true. Rather than give you a number that's meaningless without context, here's what actually drives the price up or down, so you know what you're really comparing when you get quotes.
How most UK providers price it
The most common model is per-user or per-device, per month, usually bundled into tiers (a basic helpdesk-and-monitoring tier, a mid tier that adds security controls, and a top tier that adds compliance and advanced protection). Some providers price per-device instead of per-user, which matters if your team has multiple machines each. A smaller number quote a flat site fee regardless of headcount, which is worth watching for if you're growing quickly, since it can mean a sudden step-change in price at renewal.
What actually moves the number
- Scope of "managed": does it include security (MFA, EDR, patching) or is that a separate add-on? A cheap headline price with security bolted on separately often ends up costing more than a properly bundled quote.
- Compliance requirements: Cyber Essentials readiness, cyber insurance requirements, or industry-specific rules (legal, financial, healthcare) all add real work and should be reflected honestly in price.
- Number of sites and remote/hybrid workers: supporting five people in one office is a different job to supporting five people across four home offices and a co-working space.
- Legacy systems: an old on-premises server or unsupported line-of-business software takes more ongoing effort to keep secure and running than a clean, modern Microsoft 365 setup.
- Response time commitments: same-day support and 24/7 monitoring cost more to deliver than next-business-day best-effort, for good reason.
Red flags worth knowing about
The cheapest quote on the table is very often the one with security stripped out, response times left vague, and “additional charges may apply” doing a lot of quiet work in the small print. The most reliable way to compare providers isn't the headline number. It's asking each one exactly what's included, what counts as an extra, and what your actual guaranteed response time is, in writing.
The honest way to get a real number
Because scope varies this much, any specific figure we gave you here without knowing your headcount, sites, systems, and compliance needs would be a guess dressed up as a quote, which is exactly the kind of vague pricing this article is warning you about. A proper free review looks at your actual setup and gives you a number that means something, with everything it includes spelled out.