Everything you need to know about costs, cybersecurity, choosing a provider, and
getting started — written by the experts at 1-800 Office Solutions.
Managed IT services is a model where a business outsources the responsibility for maintaining, monitoring, and managing its information technology systems to a third-party provider known as a Managed Service Provider, or MSP. Instead of hiring a full-time internal IT team or waiting for technology to break before calling a technician, managed IT provides proactive, ongoing support for a predictable monthly fee.
The managed IT model has become the dominant approach for small and mid-sized businesses because it delivers enterprise-level technology support at a fraction of the cost of building an in-house department.
When you partner with a managed IT provider, the relationship begins with a comprehensive assessment of your current technology environment. From that point forward, the provider takes responsibility for your day-to-day IT operations:
Continuous surveillance of your network, servers, and endpoints to detect and resolve issues before they cause downtime.
A dedicated team for all technology issues, from password resets to application errors.
Regular updates to operating systems, applications, and firmware to close security vulnerabilities.
Automated daily backups with tested recovery procedures to protect against data loss.
Multi-layered security including firewall management, endpoint protection, and threat detection.
Administration of Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and cloud-hosted applications.
Quarterly or annual technology reviews to align your IT roadmap with business goals.
The traditional break-fix approach means you call a technician when something stops working and pay by the hour. Here’s why managed IT is the modern standard:
Factor
Break-Fix
Managed IT ✓
Cost Structure
Unpredictable per-incident billing
Fixed monthly fee, budgetable
Approach
Reactive: fix after failure
Proactive: prevent before failure
Downtime
Extended (wait for tech availability)
Minimized (24/7 monitoring)
Security
Ad-hoc, inconsistent updates
Continuous, multi-layered protection
Scalability
Difficult (hire more techs)
Seamless (adjust service plan)
Alignment
No business strategy input
Technology roadmap planning
Total Cost (5yr)
Typically 30–50% higher
Lower and predictable
A comprehensive managed IT agreement from a reputable provider should include the following core services. If a provider is missing any of these, it could leave gaps in your technology coverage.
Configuring and maintaining routers, switches, firewalls, wireless access points, and VPN connections. Optimized for speed, reliability, and security while scaling with your business growth.
On-premises servers, cloud infrastructure, or hybrid environments — including provisioning, performance tuning, storage management, and Azure/AWS/GCP resource administration.
Device configuration, software deployment, patch management, performance monitoring, and remote troubleshooting for every computer, laptop, tablet, and mobile device.
Firewall management, EDR, email security, MFA, security awareness training, vulnerability scanning, and compliance support for HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and CMMC.
Automated daily backups stored locally and offsite/cloud. Regular tested recovery procedures ensure your data can actually be restored when needed.
Single point of contact for all technology problems via phone, email, remote desktop, and ticketing. SLA-governed response times — minutes, not days.
Business phone system installation, configuration, and management including auto-attendant, call routing, voicemail-to-email, video conferencing, and mobile integration.
A Virtual CIO meets with your leadership to review performance, recommend improvements, plan for growth, and ensure IT investments support your business objectives.
Managed IT pricing is typically structured on a per-user, per-month basis, though some providers use per-device or tiered flat-rate models. Understanding the pricing landscape helps you evaluate whether quotes you receive are competitive and appropriate for your needs.
The most common pricing model charges a monthly fee for each employee who uses technology in your organization. This simplifies billing and scales naturally as your team grows or contracts.
Service Tier
Per User / Month
Typical Includes
Basic
$100 – $150
Monitoring, patching, help desk, basic security
Standard
$150 – $200
Basic + backup, advanced security, cloud management
Premium
$200 – $300
Standard + vCIO, compliance, 24/7 support, VoIP