The short answer: a managed IT service should cover day-to-day support for your users, proactive monitoring and patching, security basics, backup checks, Microsoft 365 administration, starters and leavers, and regular reviews, all for a predictable monthly fee. The differences between providers are usually in the hours, the response times, and what's quietly excluded.
The checklist
1. User support
- How users raise problems: phone, email, portal.
- Support hours, and what happens outside them.
- Remote support as standard, and whether on-site visits are included or charged.
- Whether support is unlimited or capped.
2. Monitoring and maintenance
- Monitoring of servers, PCs and network devices, with alerts acted on.
- Operating system and application patching, with a schedule.
- Disk space, hardware health and warranty tracking.
3. Security
- Endpoint protection on every device.
- Multi-factor authentication for Microsoft 365 and remote access.
- Email filtering and phishing protection.
- Firewall management and firmware updates.
- Help meeting a standard such as Cyber Essentials.
4. Backup and recovery
- Monitoring that backups completed, and action when they didn't.
- Regular test restores, with the results reported.
- Whether Microsoft 365 data is backed up, or only on-site systems.
5. Microsoft 365 and cloud
- User accounts, licences, mailboxes, Teams and SharePoint permissions.
- Security settings and policies kept up to date.
6. People changes
- Setting up new starters, with a device ready on day one.
- Removing leavers' access promptly and keeping their data.
7. Planning and reporting
- A regular report: tickets, patch status, backup status, security alerts.
- Periodic reviews covering what needs replacing, what's out of support, and budget. Our guide to aligning IT budget with business goals covers how to use them.
- Up-to-date documentation of your systems, owned by you.
What's usually extra
- Projects: office moves, server replacements, migrations and new sites.
- Hardware and software: the devices and licences themselves.
- Out-of-hours work, unless the plan includes it.
- Third-party line-of-business software, beyond basic liaison with its supplier.
- Training beyond quick how-to help.
None of these being extra is a problem. Not knowing they're extra is.
How managed IT is priced
Most providers charge per user per month, per device, or a mix, usually in tiers. Some add charges for servers and network equipment, plus a one-off onboarding fee. Our guide to IT support pricing models compares the approaches, and break/fix vs managed support covers when a contract makes sense at all.
As an example, Apaxon's managed IT plans are priced per user per month:
| Item | Monthly price |
|---|---|
| Essentials | £45 per user |
| Professional | £75 per user |
| Complete | £110 per user |
| Each managed server | £125 |
| Each managed network device | £15 |
Onboarding is a one-off charge from £250. The managed IT services page has a calculator that gives a monthly range for your number of users, PCs, servers and network devices.
Response time vs resolution time
A "one-hour response" usually means someone acknowledges the ticket within an hour, not that the problem is fixed. Check how the provider defines each priority level, whether times run only during business hours, and what happens when a target is missed.
Contract terms worth checking
- The minimum term and notice period.
- How the price changes as you add or remove users.
- What happens to your passwords, documentation and data if you leave, and how quickly they're handed over.
- Who holds the admin accounts for your Microsoft 365 tenant, domain name and firewall. They should be yours.
- How personal data is handled, in line with UK GDPR.
Talk to Apaxon
Apaxon provides managed IT services and cyber security services for UK businesses, with remote support and on-site visits. If you're comparing providers, our guide on how to choose an IT support company lists the questions to ask, or get in touch.
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