IT & Security
Managed IT Cost by Team Size: 5, 10, 25 and 50 Users
Worked examples of per-user managed IT pricing for small and medium businesses in South Africa, with monthly and yearly totals for teams of 5 to 50 people.
Per-user pricing is simple on paper, but business owners usually want one answer: what will it cost for my team? This guide turns our published prices into real monthly and yearly totals, so you can budget before you ever speak to a provider.
For how per-user pricing works and what to watch for in contracts, read what managed IT support costs per user in South Africa. This article is the worked-examples companion.
Our published prices
All prices are per user, per month, month-to-month, including VAT:
- Remote Support: R350. Unlimited remote support, antivirus included, patch management and an 8-hour response SLA.
- Fully Managed: R650. Unlimited remote and on-site support, Microsoft 365 Business, advanced security (EDR), a 1-hour response SLA and quarterly strategy calls.
- Co-Managed: custom. Quote based, for companies that have an internal IT manager and want specialist back-up.
Every plan starts with a free IT audit, and there is no long-term contract.
What it costs by team size
Here is the maths for the two fixed-price plans.
| Team size | Remote Support (R350) per month | Per year | Fully Managed (R650) per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | R1,750 | R21,000 | R3,250 | R39,000 |
| 10 users | R3,500 | R42,000 | R6,500 | R78,000 |
| 25 users | R8,750 | R105,000 | R16,250 | R195,000 |
| 50 users | R17,500 | R210,000 | R32,500 | R390,000 |
All figures include VAT. Annual totals are the monthly figure multiplied by twelve.
The difference between the two plans is R300 per user per month. What does that buy? On-site visits, a faster response, Microsoft 365 Business, advanced security and strategy calls. If your team rarely needs someone on site and already pays for its own Microsoft 365 licences, Remote Support may be all you need. If you want IT to be fully handled, choose Fully Managed.
Does Fully Managed include Microsoft 365?
Yes, the Fully Managed plan includes Microsoft 365 Business. If you already pay separately for licences, compare carefully: you may be able to replace that spend rather than add to it. Our guide on Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace can help you decide what your team needs.
What counts as a user?
A user is a person who uses company IT, such as a laptop, email account or business applications. Shared devices, like a reception PC or a warehouse terminal, are discussed at scoping. Contractors who use your systems are normally counted as users too. Clarify this with any provider, because it can change your bill.
How this compares with other ways of paying for IT
There are three common alternatives to a managed plan.
Break-fix (pay per call-out). You pay hourly when something breaks. It looks cheap in a quiet month and is painful in a bad one. There is no one watching for problems, so you only find out when work has stopped.
One in-house IT person. Great when you have enough work for them, but a single person cannot be on call all the time, take leave, and know every specialism from networking to security. Work out the full cost to company, including leave cover, equipment and training, and compare it with the table above. This is where our co-managed plan helps: it supports an internal person rather than replacing them.
Doing it yourself. Many small teams start with an owner or office manager fixing things. It works until it does not. Time spent on IT is time not spent on the business.
To compare fairly, add up what you spent last year on call-outs, lost hours and emergency purchases, then put that next to the annual figure above.
What else you may pay for
Per-user pricing covers support and management. Some items are usually separate:
- Hardware purchases, such as laptops, firewalls and access points.
- Software licences not included in your plan.
- Internet connectivity, from a fibre or wireless provider.
- Larger projects, like office moves, server migrations or cloud migrations.
Ask any provider for a written list of what is included and what is not. Our guides on cybersecurity basics for small businesses and power outages and business IT explain why some of these extras matter.
Questions to ask any provider
- What is the price per user, and what does it include?
- What is the response time, and is it measured from when I log the ticket?
- Is on-site support included, or billed separately?
- Is there a contract? What are the notice period and exit costs?
- What security tools are included?
- How are new staff and leavers handled?
- Will I get regular reports and a review of my setup?
How to choose a starting point
- 5 to 10 people, simple setup, mostly remote: Remote Support is often enough.
- 10 to 50 people, on-site equipment and a need for fast response: Fully Managed is usually the better value.
- You already have an IT manager: talk to us about Co-Managed.
You are not locked in. Because our agreements are month-to-month, you can move between plans as your business changes.
Start with the free audit
Every plan begins with a free IT audit, where we review your devices, network, security and licences. You get a clear picture of what you have, what is at risk and what a fair price looks like for your team.
Use the table above to get a budget figure, then contact us for a quote based on your actual setup.