Determining how much an IT company will charge you to manage your setup depends upon several factors, not the least of which is what area you live in and how skilled and experienced the IT management company is already.
However, there are some other factors that govern how much they will charge as well and you should understand these pricing models in order to get the best rates.
How IT Companies Price Their Services
The first thing that you should understand is that IT companies generally price their services one of two ways. They either price per device being managed or they quote a user-based price model. This will depend on one thing primarily and that is how complex your network is. Generally, the more complex your setup is, the more difficulty they will have in managing it. This might turn out to not be true at all of course, but you will probably see pricing models follow this guideline.
Your Employees Help Determine Your Costs
One of the factors that an IT company will weigh in deciding what to charge you for managed IT services is how educated your employees are when it comes to computers. Basically, if you’ve hired mostly a computer-literate staff that won’t need technical resources for basic issues that knowledgeable computer users can solve, you won’t have to pay extra for IT services. However, if you have a staff that will constantly be using the help desk for common problems, your price will be affected.
The Age of Your Technology Will be a Factor
Businesses that keep up with modern technology will get a reward in the form of a discount on IT services. IT management companies want their clients to be using the latest tools and tech that are available. If this isn’t possible due to financial or other considerations, then you might have to pay more, because older systems are more difficult to keep going.
Other Factors That Affect Your Price
Of course, there are some other factors that most IT companies will take into consideration. For many, for example, how easy it is to do business with you will be one of the major things that they take into consideration. Of course, this might include things like employee computer literacy, but mostly it makes a difference if you are a difficult company to work with or not. Companies that make it more difficult for IT firms will pay more, with things like setting unrealistic deadlines or not following support instructions as examples.
The Cost is Lower Than You Think
No matter which factors are in play, the money saved using managed IT services rather than having your own IT department is considerable because you only pay for managed IT services when you need them. However, there are other benefits to using managed services besides the money that you’ll save. One of the other major benefits is that you’ll easily be able to incorporate new technology and have your tech support team already up to date on it without any expensive training. Finally, having managed IT services that are experienced, well-trained and certified means that you’ll be able to fulfill compliance or security requirements easily.
Global IT Networks is a company that is exactly that – experienced enough to provide you with IT services that have stood the test of time, with training on the latest technology to help you start new projects faster, complete tasks better and never worry about computer or network issues.