What managed IT actually costs for a 20-person company
Nobody will give you a straight number on managed IT pricing. Here's the number — and what moves it.
If you’ve ever tried to get a straight answer on what managed IT costs, you know the dance. You call three companies, get three vague proposals, and none of them will just tell you the number. Here’s the number, what moves it, and the math to check it yourself.
The short answer
For a 20-person company in South Texas, managed IT typically runs $150 to $300 per seat per month — so roughly $3,000 to $6,000 a month for the whole team.
That’s our pricing, published on purpose. Anyone quoting you far below that range is leaving something out — usually the security part, or the backup part, or the part where someone actually answers the phone.
Three coverage levels, one published range
Every plan includes security — it is never an add-on. Where you land in the range depends on how much of it your business needs:
Core Coverage
From $150 per seat / month
Proactive monitoring and patch management, managed endpoint protection, and help-desk support for your team. The right level for a straightforward office: email, files, and line-of-business software, kept running and kept patched.
Complete Coverage
Mid-range where most 10–25 seat firms land
Everything in Core, plus managed backups with tested restores and advanced email security. The right level for firms holding client records — practices, professional offices, and anyone whose cyber-insurance carrier is asking harder questions.
Advanced Coverage
Up to $300 per seat / month
Everything in Complete, plus priority response, regular security reporting, and quarterly technology reviews. The right level for regulated and high-risk environments — healthcare, legal, financial, and firms under customer compliance audits.
Your exact number, in writing
No plan is quoted off a brochure. Your exact per-seat price is confirmed in a written proposal after we’ve assessed your environment — before you commit to anything. The calculator below gives you the honest estimate in the meantime.
The worked example: a 20-person company
| Line item | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Managed IT, Core level (20 seats × $150) | $3,000 | $36,000 |
| Managed IT, Advanced level (20 seats × $300) | $6,000 | $72,000 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium licensing (20 users × ≈$22, billed by Microsoft to you) | ≈$440 | ≈$5,280 |
Most 20-person firms land between those rows, based on security needs and setup complexity. Two things to notice. First, this is security-inclusive, all-in pricing: monitoring, cybersecurity, tested backups, and support are in the number, not stacked on top of it later. Second, the licensing line is shown, not buried — many quotes leave licensing out so the seat price looks smaller. Ask every provider for the all-in number.
Run your own number
Estimated range: per month — per year
An estimate from the published range, not a quote. Your exact price is confirmed in writing after the $495 Network & Risk Assessment — which is credited toward onboarding if you sign within 30 days.
What moves you up or down the range
Three things:
1. How much security you need. A professional office with client records to protect needs more security layering than a team that mostly lives in email and a browser. Security is the biggest driver of the range.
2. How complicated your setup is. One office, standard PCs, Microsoft 365 — straightforward. Multiple locations, a server in the closet, specialized software for your trade — more to monitor, maintain, and protect.
3. What shape you’re in now. If your systems are reasonably current, onboarding is smooth. If we’re walking into a network that hasn’t been properly maintained in years, there’s cleanup work before the monthly plan can do its job.
The $495 Network & Risk Assessment exists to answer exactly this: we look at your setup and tell you where you’d land, in plain English and in writing, before you commit to anything.
What the monthly number actually buys
This is where cheap quotes fall apart. A real managed IT plan includes:
- Proactive monitoring and maintenance. Someone watching your systems and keeping them patched and updated — so small problems get fixed before they become outages.
- Cybersecurity. Protection and monitoring bundled in, not sold as a scary add-on later.
- Backup and disaster recovery. Your data backed up automatically, and — this is the part people skip — tested, so you know it would actually restore.
- Help-desk support for your team. When something isn’t working, your people call us, not you.
- On-site support when it’s needed. Most things get fixed remotely. When hands are needed, we come to you.
If a quote doesn’t include all five, you’re not comparing the same thing.
The comparison that matters
The alternative most 20-person companies consider is hiring one in-house IT person. A single hire commonly runs an estimated $75,000–$95,000 a year once salary, payroll taxes, benefits, and tools are counted — more than the managed plan, for one person’s knowledge instead of a team’s, and with no coverage on vacations, sick days, and after-hours emergencies.
The other alternative is what most companies are doing now: nobody. The office manager doubles as the IT person, backups are a hope, and security is whatever came with the computers. That works until the week it doesn’t — and that week is expensive.
The exit promise: you’re never held hostage
Most IT contracts are written to keep you, not to serve you — long terms, and your documentation and passwords held close so that leaving hurts. Ours is written the other way.
Give us 90 days. If we’re not the right fit, you can end your agreement with 30 days’ written notice — and we hand over everything: your complete network documentation, admin passwords, configurations, and data, in usable form, with a real transition. Not a data dump and a grudge.
You own your systems, your data, and your documentation from day one. An IT company that’s easy to leave has to earn the stay every month. That’s the point.
What to watch out for in any quote
- Vague scope. “Managed IT” with no list of what’s included isn’t a plan, it’s a prayer.
- Security as an upsell. If cybersecurity isn’t in the base plan, the base plan isn’t finished.
- Per-incident billing dressed up as managed. Real managed IT is proactive — you’re paying so things don’t break, not per break.
- No mention of backups. Ask the question directly: “If our server died tonight, how would you get us back?” The answer tells you everything.
- No exit terms. Ask what leaving looks like before you sign. If the answer is uncomfortable, that’s your answer.
The bottom line
$3,000 to $6,000 a month for a 20-person company. One predictable, all-in number that covers monitoring, security, backups, and support — instead of surprise bills and the most expensive IT strategy of all, which is hoping nothing breaks.
If you want to know where your company would land in that range, that’s what the $495 Network & Risk Assessment is for. Written findings, a prioritized fix list, and a 30-minute walkthrough of the report — yours to keep either way, and credited in full toward onboarding if you sign within 30 days. We’ll tell you straight — and if you’re in good shape, we’ll tell you that too.
Start with the $495 Network & Risk Assessment
Call our sales line, (361) 315-0017, or request yours online.
Request your assessment →Not ready to book? Start with the checklist.
Our 10-Point Small Business IT Security Checklist walks you through the ten things that matter most — in plain English, no jargon. Work through it at your own pace. No sales call, no pitch — just the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How much does managed IT cost for a 20-person company?
Typically $150–$300 per seat per month — roughly $3,000 to $6,000 a month for 20 people — depending on your security needs, setup complexity, and current condition.
What affects the price of managed IT services?
Three things: how much security your business needs, how complex your setup is (locations, servers, specialized software), and what shape your systems are in now.
What's included in managed IT services?
Proactive monitoring and maintenance, cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery, help-desk support for your team, and on-site support when needed.
Is managed IT cheaper than hiring in-house IT?
Yes — one full-time IT hire costs more than the monthly plan, gives you one person's knowledge instead of a team's, and leaves you uncovered on vacations, sick days, and after-hours emergencies.
How do I compare managed IT quotes?
Make sure every quote includes the same five things: monitoring, cybersecurity, tested backups, help-desk support, and on-site availability. Watch out for vague scope, security sold as an add-on, and per-incident billing dressed up as managed.
How do I know what my company would pay?
That’s what the $495 Network & Risk Assessment is for — we review your network, email security, backups, and access, deliver written findings, and tell you in plain English where you’d land in the range. The full $495 is credited toward onboarding if you sign within 30 days.
Does the per-seat price include Microsoft 365 licensing?
The managed plan covers monitoring, security, tested backups, and support. Microsoft 365 Business Premium licensing runs about $22 per user per month and is billed by Microsoft to you directly — we show it in the math so your number is truly all-in, with no surprise add-ons.
What if I want to leave?
You can. After the first 90 days, end your agreement with 30 days’ written notice and we hand over your complete documentation, admin passwords, configurations, and data in usable form. You own your systems and your documentation — you’re never held hostage.