Asset inventory
The number and type of servers, switches, firewalls, access points and workstations, with the generation and support status of each. Every estimate is built on that list.
Managed IT
IT support pricing and how network support costs are worked out
Most enquiries open with a question about IT support pricing, and until someone has seen how many servers and users you have, which hours need cover and what you expect when something breaks, any figure is a guess. Below we set out what drives the cost, how the contract models differ and which items are usually billed separately, so you can read any proposal, ours included, and see what it actually covers.
Tools & technology
pricing
- Windows Server
- Active Directory
- MikroTik
- VMware vSphere
- Zabbix
- Veeam Backup
- GLPI
- Ubuntu Server
6work areas
5deliverables
4steps
What is IT Support Pricing?
IT support pricing is worked out from the scope of each contract, so a figure that fits one company rarely fits the next. The biggest drivers are the number of users and servers, the age and variety of the equipment, coverage hours, the SLA level and the split between remote and on-site work. Before quoting anything, PikoSystem takes an asset inventory and a picture of request volume. We then recommend an hourly, monthly or per-project model and put exclusions such as parts and licenses on a separate list. What comes back is a written proposal with the scope, the model and a firm figure. This page is for companies that want to understand a quote before they call, hold proposals built on different structures, or need a basis for next year's IT budget.
When you need IT Support Pricing
- We cannot tell why every company quotes a different figure.
- We have three proposals and none of them cover the same things.
- IT invoices arrive from several places and nobody adds them up.
- We have to budget for IT next year with nothing to base it on.
What IT Support Pricing includes
Users and branches
How many people raise requests, how many offices there are and how far apart they sit. Travel and any need for an on-site engineer follow from this.
Coverage hours
Office hours only, or evenings, weekends and public holidays as well. Every extra hour of coverage means someone on call and shows up in the estimate.
SLA level and priorities
Response and resolution targets for each priority level. A tighter commitment needs more capacity held ready and moves the figure directly.
Remote to on-site ratio
A fixed monthly visit or an engineer only when needed. The number of visits and the city you work in are written into the estimate.
Initial infrastructure work
Cleaning up the current state, documenting it and setting up backups or monitoring. This part is usually estimated separately from the monthly figure.
What you get from IT Support Pricing
- A written proposal with the scope and a firm figure
- The list of covered assets the estimate is built on
- A table of what is inside the contract and what is billed separately
- A recommended contract model with the reasoning behind it
- The terms for revising the figure if user or branch numbers change
IT Support Pricing: a practical guide
What drives the cost of network support?
User count is one factor among several. On a network whose switches, firewalls and servers come from several brands and generations, every small change takes longer, and systems past vendor support, such as Windows Server 2012 R2, raise both the risk and the handling time.
The current state matters too. Where backups were never configured and nothing is documented, the first months carry heavier work. We estimate that part separately, so the monthly figure reflects a stable environment.
The rest comes down to the size of the commitment: coverage hours, response and resolution targets per priority level, and the number of fixed on-site visits.
Hourly, monthly or per project?
An hourly agreement suits a company with an in-house IT person who occasionally needs specialist help. Before signing, settle the hour cap and how time is rounded, for example how a 10 minute call is counted.
A monthly contract with a defined scope gives a predictable figure and shifts the provider's incentive from more hours to fewer failures. Companies whose staff depend on the systems every day usually land here.
Per-project pricing fits work with a clear start and end, such as a mail server setup or a virtualization migration, and the estimate is tied to the deliverable.
What is usually billed separately
Hardware parts such as disks, memory and power supplies sit outside a support contract and are invoiced separately. Licensing works the same way: Windows Server and its CALs, antivirus and backup software all change with core or user counts.
Applications with their own vendor support, accounting and ERP in particular, usually stay out of an IT contract. What we cover there is the user's machine, network connectivity and database access.
Bigger jobs such as an office move, new cabling or replacing a virtualization platform get an estimate of their own. Ask for a clear in-scope and out-of-scope list before you sign.
How to compare proposals
Two final figures cannot be compared until the scopes line up. Check what each proposal actually covers: servers, switches and firewall, backups and users, or only some of that. If a proposal gives a response time and no resolution time, you still don't know how long an outage might last.
A few test questions help: how many on-site visits are included each month, what rate applies to out-of-scope work, and how the figure changes if user numbers grow.
Read the ownership clause at this stage too. Passwords, admin accounts and network documentation belong to you, and all of it should come back to you in full when the contract ends.
How IT Support Pricing works
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01
First questions
We ask about user, server and branch numbers, the business applications you run and the problems you have now, so we know what needs looking at.
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02
Infrastructure review
On site or remotely, we build the asset list and get a picture of request volume. This first review is free.
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03
Written proposal
Scope, contract model, response tiers and the figure go into one document, with anything outside the contract listed separately.
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04
Review and signature
We go through the proposal with you and adjust it. The terms for revising the figure later are written into the contract as well.
IT Support Pricing: frequently asked questions
How much does IT support cost?
No single figure is right for every company, so we don't publish a price list. The number comes from how many users and servers you have, your coverage hours, the SLA level and how many on-site visits you need. After a short review we send a written proposal with a firm figure and how long it stands.
How is network support cost calculated?
From the scope: the covered asset list, how many people raise requests, coverage hours and the balance of remote and on-site work. A monthly contract rolls all of that into one fixed figure; an hourly agreement bills the time actually spent. Anything outside the scope, parts and licenses for example, is quoted separately.
Is MikroTik support priced separately?
If your MikroTik routers and switches are on the contract's asset list, configuration, updates and troubleshooting are covered by the same support agreement. An initial setup or a redesign of the MikroTik network is project work and is estimated on its own.
What do you need from us to prepare a quote?
To start, we need user numbers, the count and type of servers, your network equipment, how many branches you have and your working hours. An equipment list or a previous contract speeds things up, and we pick up the rest during the initial review.
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Tell us what you need, we'll come back with a plan and a price
A few lines on where things stand and what you want is enough. An engineer calls you back directly; requests don't go through sales.
- 01We read your request and call if anything is unclear.
- 02If needed, we do a quick remote review or a site visit.
- 03You get a written proposal with scope, timeline and cost.