What's the Cost of IT Support for Businesses in 2025

Whatever the type of business you own, it’s important to invest in reliable IT support. Not only does this ensure that your technologies run smoothly, but it also protects you from cyberthreats, such as ransomware, viruses, and phishing attacks.  

What’s more, IT support minimizes downtime, which can be costly. In fact, did you know that small businesses can lose $427 per minute to downtime? Bigger companies, meanwhile, can lose as much as $9,000 in the same period. On top of this, these organizations can suffer reputational damage and customer churn.

When obtaining IT support, cost is one of the biggest things you need to consider. In this blog, we’ll discuss factors influencing the costs of IT support and help you determine the best IT support model for you.

What Factors Are Affecting the Cost of IT Support Today?

When determining the actual IT support costs for your business, it’s important to note that the answer depends on various factors. Let’s look at some of them:

1. Cost by Business Size and Complexity

The size and complexity of a business greatly influences the type and level of IT support needed. This can result in varying costs.

For instance, small businesses have fewer resources, simpler IT infrastructure, and less complex tech needs, which can lead to lower support requirements and costs.

Larger organizations, on the other hand, often have more employees, infrastructure, and devices to manage, so they require a greater level of IT support to ensure the organization’s efficient operations.

2. Cost by Scope of Services

This reflects the breadth and complexity of IT support packages a business needs. The broader the range of services an organization utilizes, the more expertise, time, and resources are required.  

Common IT support packages include:

• Helpdesk/Technical Support: Also called desktop support, this refers to the technical assistance and guidance provided to an organization’s staff.  

• Proactive Maintenance: A strategic support approach that involves preventing equipment failures before they cause further issues.

• Network Security: A field focused on protecting physical computer systems and networks from cyberthreats and attacks using technologies like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and backups.

• Cloud Security: This safeguards cloud-based networks, apps, and data from potential threats.

• IT Consulting: This refers to advisory services that help organizations plan and optimize their IT infrastructure to achieve their business objectives.

Some businesses only require basic IT support like standard security measures, network setup, and hardware maintenance. Others, however, may require more complex services or need IT solutions customized to their specific needs. This can significantly contribute to the overall cost of IT support.

3. Prices based on IT Support Model

When it comes to IT support, businesses generally have two options: building an in-house team or outsourcing to a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP). Each approach has its own advantages and cost considerations.

In-house IT Support

Managing IT support internally gives businesses complete control over their IT infrastructure, data privacy, and security protocols. However, this comes with significant expenses, including:

• Salaries and benefits: Hiring one IT professional can cost around $60,000 to $100,000 per year plus benefits. This means hiring multiple team members can immediately become costly.

• Training and certifications: Aside from hiring costs, your business will need to constantly educate your team on the latest threats and technologies, which can add thousands of dollars annually.

• Software and tools: Your business must also invest in security software, backup solutions, monitoring tools, and hardware.

• Downtime: If your internal team isn’t available round-the-clock and your business’s IT infrastructure encounters an issue, this may result in costly disruptions.

• Operational costs: Your business will need to pay for utilities, office space, and other operating expenses associated with maintaining an in-house team.

Managed/Outsourced IT Support

Under this setup, an MSP takes over the management and maintenance of a business’s IT infrastructure. This allows organizations to focus on more value-driven tasks that can help make the company thrive.  

IT support with an MSP normally has various pricing models. Here are some of the common managed IT services costs:

• Flat Rate/All-inclusive: Under this model, businesses pay MSPs a fixed monthly fee, normally around $500 to $3,000 per month. This is ideal for organizations looking to have more control and predictability when it comes to their IT expenses.

• Break-Fix: In a break-fix situation, IT support is only provided when something breaks. Businesses pay for services on an as-needed basis instead of committing to a monthly contract.  
  
  While this may sound cost-effective for businesses that experience minimal IT issues, unexpected issues could make this pricing more expensive than others.  

• Per-device: Some IT support providers may also charge based on the number of devices they manage. For instance, they can charge a fee of $70 per desktop, $30 per printer, and $100 per managed network.

• Per-user: Similar to the per-device model, the flat fee bills organizations depending on their number of users. The price can range between $100 and $200 per user per month.

• A la carte: Under this pricing model, you can choose and pay for only the services you want for your business. While this can be a cost-effective solution, you might realize that you need services that you didn’t know your business needed.  

In-house IT Support vs. Managed IT Support: What’s More Cost-Effective?

For small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) outsourcing IT support to an MSP can be more cost-effective than hiring an in-house team due to more predictable costs. MSPs also avoid the expenses associated with in-house IT, such as salaries, equipment, and office space.

However, managed IT services can also be a cost-effective solution for larger businesses, especially those that already have an internal IT team. This is made possible through a hybrid model called co-managed IT services, wherein an MSP complements an organization’s in-house IT team.

This can prove useful to businesses lacking the necessary skills for certain IT aspects. For instance, let’s say a business’s internal IT staff doesn’t have enough cybersecurity skills to safeguard the company from threats. To solve this problem, they can hire an MSP who will handle the cybersecurity aspects of IT support, ensuring that the business’s data and systems remain secure.

By taking advantage of an MSP’s expertise and resources, large organizations can save money, access specialized skills and benefit from proactive IT support.

For reliable IT support for your Dallas, Denver, or Los Angeles business, turn to Techmedics. We offer several managed IT service plans that will keep your tech infrastructure running optimally and ensure all issues are taken care of. Talk to us today to learn more about our IT support prices.

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