IT complexity grows faster than headcount.

Between 25 and 80 employees, firms experience:

• More applications and integrations

• Higher security risk due to client data access

• Increased uptime expectations from customers

• Greater impact when systems go down

For professional services firms, even 1 hour of downtime can cost thousands in lost productivity and billable time. This is why pricing increases at this stage — you’re paying to prevent disruption, not just react to it.

One of the biggest cost differences between MSPs is how they handle projects.

Traditional MSP model:

• Lower monthly fee

• Projects billed separately at $150–$225 per hour

• Surprise invoices for upgrades, migrations, and improvements

Fully managed model with projects included:

• Higher monthly fee

• Infrastructure upgrades, migrations, and improvements included

• No surprise project bills

• Faster execution because approvals aren’t constantly required

For firms that want predictable costs and proactive improvements, included projects often lower total IT spend over 12–24 months.

Your per-user cost is influenced by several factors:

• The complexity of cybersecurity and your systems

• Security and compliance requirements

• Remote vs in-office workforce

• Legacy systems vs cloud-first environments

• Industry-specific client requirements

Each factor typically adds $10–$30 per user per month, depending on complexity. This is why two firms with the same headcount can have very different IT costs.

Cheaper MSPs often reduce monthly fees by:

• Limiting security tools

• Excluding projects

• Operating reactively instead of proactively

Over time, this leads to:

• More downtime

• Higher project spend

• Security incidents

• Frustrated staff and leadership

• Things stay the same

• You feel nickel and dimed

When you factor in downtime, project invoices, and risk, many firms find their total cost of ownership is higher with a low-cost provider.  This is mainly because everything is reactive.  They are never aligned to standards that keep things running smoothly.

A 40-employee professional services firm previously paying $165 per user per month with projects billed separately. They averaged $30,000 per year in project costs and frequent downtime during upgrades.

After switching to a $245 per user per month fully managed plan with projects included:

• Annual project spend dropped to $0

• Infrastructure modernization completed within 6 months

• Downtime incidents were reduced significantly

• IT costs became fully predictable year-round

The result was lower total IT spend and fewer business disruptions.

Professional services firms benefit most when their MSP:

• Takes full responsibility for IT outcomes

• Includes projects in the monthly fee

• Focuses on long-term stability, not short-term fixes

• Provides predictable costs and clear accountability

For firms with 25–80 employees, managed IT isn’t just an expense — it’s insurance against downtime, security risk, and operational chaos.