What Do Managed IT Services Cost?
By Zach Launey, President, NRVPC
The short answer
Managed IT services are priced as a flat monthly fee, usually per user, covering support, monitoring, and security for every employee on company-owned computers. NRVPC is a managed service provider (MSP) based in Fairfax, Virginia. Our managed IT plans serve organizations with 20 to 500 employees in Northern Virginia, Northwest Washington DC and Bethesda. The fee covers unlimited help desk, firewall, email platform, user onboarding and offboarding, network security, and every company-owned computer, with a 12-minute average response time during business hours. Projects of 8 hours or more, or multiple engineers, are quoted separately.
How are managed IT services priced?
Most managed IT providers price one of four ways. In our 2024 post on what an IT support company does, now expanded in What Is a Managed Service Provider, we described the two most common this way: "MSPs, for instance, will charge a scaled flat monthly fee for each user that covers about 90% of day-to-day operations." And: "Contracted IT Support, on the other hand, usually bills in prepaid hours. Their clientele receives a certain amount of support per month, with overages costing more."
| Pricing model | How the bill is calculated | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Per user (flat monthly) | One rate per employee, covering the devices that employee uses | Offices where each person has a laptop, a phone, and an email account |
| Per device (flat monthly) | One rate per computer, server, or network device | Environments with shared workstations or many devices per person |
| Tiered (flat monthly) | Bronze, silver, gold packages with a set scope at each level | Buyers who want to pick a scope level rather than build one |
| Prepaid hours or hourly | A block of hours per month, overages billed at an hourly rate | Firms with a few non-standard systems that need occasional expert time |
What moves NRVPC's monthly fee?
NRVPC's monthly fee is set per user, in two plans: managed services with help desk, and managed agents. The current prices, the onboarding fee and a calculator are on our pricing page. Three things move the total more than anything else:
- Seat count. Every employee on a company-owned computer is covered, so the fee follows headcount.
- Number of locations. A second office means a second firewall, a second network, and more on-site time.
- Compliance scope. Healthcare practices under HIPAA, legal practices handling privileged files, and nonprofits with grant and donor data carry encryption, audit, and documentation work that a general office does not.
What does not move the number: the volume of help desk calls. The plan is All-You-Can-Eat, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
What is included in the monthly fee, and what is billed separately?
At NRVPC the monthly fee always covers six managed items, the minimum scope for every client:
- All company-owned computers: desktops, laptops, and network-connected equipment
- Firewall management on Sophos, SonicWall, or UniFi
- Email and productivity platform: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or a local domain
- User onboarding and offboarding
- Network security monitoring and response, backed by 24/7 proactive monitoring
- Unlimited help desk for every employee, with direct engineer access
The fee also covers quarterly business reviews, a 3-year technology roadmap, hardware refresh budgeting, and independent vendor evaluation.
The line between included and separately billed work is a written rule. A request becomes a project when it needs 8 hours or more of work, or multiple engineers. Projects get a scope of work document with pricing up front, and nothing starts until you approve it.
| Work | How it is billed |
|---|---|
| Help desk support, remote and on-site, for every employee | Included in the monthly fee |
| Patching, updates, and routine maintenance | Included in the monthly fee |
| User onboarding and offboarding | Included in the monthly fee |
| Minor configuration changes | Included in the monthly fee |
| Troubleshooting and repairs | Included in the monthly fee |
| 24/7 monitoring and proactive maintenance | Included in the monthly fee |
| Quarterly business reviews and the 3-year roadmap | Included in the monthly fee |
| Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licenses | Included in the monthly fee |
| Project work of 8 hours or more, or multiple engineers | Scoped and billed separately |
| Office moves and build-outs | Scoped and billed separately |
| Network infrastructure upgrades | Scoped and billed separately |
| Server migrations | Scoped and billed separately |
| New location setup | Scoped and billed separately |
| Major application implementations | Scoped and billed separately |
| Large-scale hardware refresh | Scoped and billed separately |
| Hardware and equipment purchases | Scoped and billed separately, at cost plus 15% |
| Penetration tests and compliance audits | Quoted as a separate project |
| One-time onboarding fee | A fixed amount for up to 25 users, quoted above that; the amount is on our pricing page |
Two things sit outside the fee in every managed plan, ours included. Hardware is a purchase, and the roadmap exists so you can budget for it a year or more ahead. Third-party systems such as an EHR, an X-ray unit, or a specialty application stay under their vendor's support contract; we coordinate with those vendors.
At NRVPC, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace licenses are included in the monthly fee. Hardware we buy for you is billed at cost plus a 15% markup, which covers scoping research, ordering and returns, and penetration tests and compliance audits are quoted as separate projects.
For a fuller walk through the scope, see What Is Included in Managed IT Services.
What drives the price up or down for a Fairfax office?
Every managed IT quote for a Fairfax office is built from the same handful of variables.
Drivers that raise the monthly fee:
- Headcount above 20, since every employee is covered.
- More than one location, since each site brings its own network.
- Regulated data. HIPAA for healthcare providers, attorney-client confidentiality for legal practices, and grant and donor compliance for nonprofits add documentation, audit, and encryption work.
- On-premises servers. Each one needs patching, backups, warranty tracking, and a refresh plan.
- A large Mac population in a Windows-primary environment.
Drivers that lower the fee or keep it at the floor:
- One office, one firewall, one email platform.
- Cloud-hosted email and files, which come with automatic daily backups in NRVPC cloud solutions.
- Current equipment. No end-of-life computers, firewalls, or operating systems, and every server under warranty with a 3-year minimum on new devices.
- MFA already on every email and VPN account.
NRVPC does not keep end-of-life equipment or operating systems in service; replacing them is a project quoted alongside the managed plan, so the one-time cost is visible.
Two more things belong in any comparison: the agreement term and the cost of starting. At NRVPC, the agreement runs one year and renews automatically unless the price changes by more than 5%, with 30 days' notice to leave. Onboarding takes 30 days and carries a one-time fee, fixed for up to 25 users and quoted above that; the pricing page shows the amount.
Is a flat monthly fee less expensive than hourly IT support?
For most offices of 20 or more people, yes, and the reason is the incentive, not the rate. We put it this way in our 2024 post on when to choose an IT contractor: "Any business model that relies on things breaking to bill hours is a bad business model. Something that is serviced regularly will have less problems and cause less downtime." A flat fee pays the provider to keep things running. An hourly model pays the provider for time spent fixing.
| Flat monthly fee (managed IT) | Prepaid hours or hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Outcomes: monitored, patched, secured devices and unlimited support | Time: a block of hours per month, overages at an hourly rate |
| Monthly cost | Fixed, known a year ahead | Varies with how much needed fixing |
| Provider's incentive | Fewer problems, since every call costs the provider | Paid for each hour of work performed |
| Monitoring and patching | Included, running 24/7 | Billed when done |
| Budgeting | One line item, reviewed quarterly | Reconciled after the fact |
| Best fit | 20 or more employees on standard platforms | A few non-standard systems that need occasional expert time |
That same 2024 post also made the case for the other side. An MSP model works because most of the job can be standardized and automated across a defined tool set. An office running many systems that cannot be automated, such as phone systems, medical refrigeration with Department of Health audits, payment terminals, and key fob access across multiple locations, gets a defined boundary: the flat fee covers the devices, network, and logins those systems depend on, the vendor owns each platform, and NRVPC coordinates with the vendor.
Either way, as we wrote in our guide on preventing real estate wire fraud, "Paying a small monthly cost for an MSP or IT contractor is worth it. They will keep your devices, security software, and email accounts safe." For all three staffing options side by side, including hiring in house, see In-House IT vs MSP vs IT Contractor.
What should a managed IT quote include before you compare it?
Two quotes with different totals are only comparable when they cover the same scope. Make sure each quote states the following in writing. NRVPC's answer follows each item.
- The devices covered, including whether personal devices are. At NRVPC: every company-owned computer, and only company-owned computers.
- The platforms managed. At NRVPC: Sophos, SonicWall, or UniFi firewalls; Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or a local domain; managed endpoint security on every computer.
- The response commitment, as a number. At NRVPC: 12-minute average response during business hours, 8-minute average issue detection, 63% of issues resolved remotely within the hour.
- Who answers. At NRVPC: a local Northern Virginia engineer with direct access, holding CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, or SecurityX (formerly CASP+) certifications.
- The project rule. At NRVPC: 8 hours or more, or multiple engineers, with a scope of work approved before any billing.
- The security baseline you will be held to. At NRVPC: MFA on email and VPN, documented firewall rules, encryption on devices with sensitive data, least privilege, no end-of-life equipment, quarterly security audits, and employee security awareness training.
- The review cadence. At NRVPC: quarterly business reviews with a C-level contact, and a 3-year technology roadmap.
- Term, notice, and onboarding cost. At NRVPC: one year, renewing automatically unless the price changes by more than 5%; 30 days' notice to leave; a one-time onboarding fee, shown on the pricing page.
A quote that leaves any of these blank is not lower priced; it is unscoped. How to Choose an MSP turns this list into a checklist.
Key takeaways
- The usual price is a flat monthly fee per user; per-device, tiered, and hourly models also exist.
- NRVPC prices per user, per month, in two plans, listed on its pricing page.
- The fee always covers the same six-item minimum scope for every client.
- Work of 8 hours or more, or needing multiple engineers, is a project with a written scope and up-front price; hardware and third-party vendor contracts sit outside the fee.
- Seat count, number of locations, and regulated data move the price most; a single office on cloud email with current equipment stays closest to the floor.
- Compare quotes only after each one states devices, platforms, response time, the project rule, the security baseline, and the term in writing.
Frequently asked questions
How much do managed IT services cost per user per month?
It depends on the provider and the plan. NRVPC has two plans, each priced per user per month: managed services with help desk, and managed agents. The current prices and a calculator are on our pricing page.
Is there a setup or onboarding fee?
At NRVPC, yes: a one-time onboarding fee, a fixed amount for up to 25 users and quoted above that. The current amount is on our pricing page. Onboarding takes 30 days.
Does the monthly fee change when we hire?
Yes. The fee scales with headcount, so it adjusts as seats are added. Adding a person is a routine onboarding, included in the plan.
What does hourly IT support cost by comparison?
Hourly and prepaid-hour providers bill a block of hours per month with overages at an hourly rate, so the total moves with how much needed fixing. For an office of 20 to 500 employees on standard platforms, a flat fee is usually the lower total over a year because the provider is paid to keep problems from happening. Hourly still makes sense for a few specialized systems that cannot be standardized.
Want a number for your office, not a range?
An IT assessment shows you exactly what NRVPC would manage, what the monthly fee is for your seat count and locations, and what, if anything, would be quoted as a project first. No obligation, no hourly meter.
Or email sales@nrvpc.com