For most UK businesses with between 50 and 200 employees, managed IT support typically sits between £65 and £175 per user per month. The variation comes down to how much security, compliance and strategic input is required.
For a 100-employee organisation, that usually translates to an annual investment somewhere between £65,000 and £175,000. At this level, IT is no longer just a support function. It becomes a critical part of how the business operates, protects itself and scales.
The Factors That Influence Pricing
The cost of managed IT support is rarely fixed because no two environments are the same. The number of users and devices plays an obvious role, but it is often the less visible requirements that drive cost.
For example, organisations operating in regulated sectors such as finance or legal services will typically require stronger security controls and more structured compliance processes. Similarly, businesses that need extended support hours or round-the-clock coverage will see higher costs compared to those operating within standard working hours.
Another key differentiator is whether the provider is simply maintaining systems or actively contributing to strategic planning. Providers offering ongoing IT consultancy, budgeting and roadmap development tend to sit at the higher end of the pricing range, but they also deliver significantly more long-term value.
What Businesses Are Actually Paying For
A typical managed IT service includes far more than just a helpdesk. Most agreements combine user support with proactive system monitoring, automated patching, Microsoft 365 administration and a layer of cybersecurity protection designed to reduce risk.
Backup and disaster recovery are also standard components, ensuring that if something does go wrong, the business can recover quickly without major disruption.
A Realistic Budget Example
To put this into context, a 100-user organisation paying around £115 per user per month would be investing approximately £11,500 each month, or £138,000 annually.
While this may seem significant at first glance, it reflects not just support, but access to a full IT function, including security, monitoring and strategic oversight.
Hidden Costs to Consider
Even with a managed service model, there are areas that can introduce additional costs. Initial onboarding often requires time and resource to stabilise the environment. Infrastructure upgrades may be needed if systems are outdated, and compliance assessments can add further layers of cost.
Software licensing is another area that businesses sometimes underestimate, particularly as cloud adoption increases.
Example Client Scenario
A 70-employee architectural firm in Berkshire moved away from a reactive support model to a fully managed service. Within six months, the volume of helpdesk tickets dropped by over a third, while system uptime improved noticeably. The shift was less about cost reduction and more about creating a stable, predictable IT environment that allowed the business to operate more efficiently.