When you’re trying to run a business, technology troubles can become more than an inconvenience or a headache. The more time you spend with your computers on the fritz, the more money you lose. It’s critical that you have a good IT support team to help you when your system goes down. But finding the service you need for the right price can seem like a trick. Read on to discover how much you can expect to pay for the best IT services Los Angeles has to offer.
Break-Fix Services
There are several different sorts of IT services you can get, and costs will vary for each of them. Break-fix services are among the simplest and lowest commitment services you can use in the IT world. As the name suggests, you call a break-fix service when something breaks or a problem arises and they fix it for you.
Most of the time, you won’t have a contract with a break-fix service; you’ll just call them when you need them. As we’ll discuss more later, they often charge hourly, and they may have a minimum service charge. These services are a good option if your technical needs are few and far between and if you know enough about technology to handle many questions yourself.
Comprehensive Managed IT Services
Managed IT services offer a much more comprehensive approach to technological support. Whereas break-fix services only provide assistance when you have a problem, a comprehensive managed IT service can provide you support around the clock. They handle every aspect of your IT needs for you, and you’ll only pay one flat monthly fee.
As you might guess, a comprehensive managed IT service will provide complete support for all parts of your IT operations. They’ll do everything from working with you to craft an IT plan for your company, to running software updates. When problems do arise, they’ll help you address them and put a plan in place to keep them from happening again.
Partial Managed IT Services
In some cases, you may not need every single one of your IT needs contracted out to the professionals. If you’re tech-savvy, you may be able to handle running updates on your software. But that doesn’t mean that you’re prepared to set up and maintain an entire server system on your own.
In these cases, partial managed IT services can provide the best of both worlds for your tech support. You can pick and choose which sectors of your IT operations you want managed out-of-house. This also allows you to customize your costs to a degree so you can find a solution that fits both your support needs and your budget.
Built-In Vendor IT Services
You may have noticed that some of the software your company uses includes built-in IT support. For instance, if you have an Adobe Creative Cloud license, you can get assistance with certain issues that may arise with those programs. This support is included as a part of the cost of the program, and you’re most likely to find this sort of support with subscription-based software.
While this form of support may be “free” (or at least included in the costs you’re already paying), it is extremely limited. Adobe isn’t going to help with your server setup, and they aren’t likely to provide emergency support if you need it. You should only rely on these services if your other IT needs are very well managed.
Full-Time IT Support Manager
Perhaps the highest level of support you can get for your IT needs is to hire a full-time in-house IT manager. This team member will dedicate their full attention and time to keeping your technical systems up to date and running smoothly. They won’t have any other clients, and they’ll be available at any time to handle problems that arise.
While this option is the most thorough of the IT management options, it’s also the most expensive. You’ll need to pay for at least one salary, and possibly more if you need a full department behind your IT manager. This can be a great option only if you have a larger company that needs a lot of full-time support.
Complexity of Your System
When it comes to IT support pricing, there are a number of factors that can impact how much you pay. One of the biggest factors is the complexity of the system your support team will be working on. As you might expect, the more complex your system is, the more you’ll likely have to pay for your service.
The more workstations you have and the more server support you need, the more your IT support may cost. Providing wifi for guests, as well as employees, antivirus software, and internet controls may also drive up your price. You can also expect to pay more if you need remote site connectivity or warehouse connectivity.
Level of Service
It will come as no surprise that, as you move up the levels of service, your support costs will also go up. This primarily applies to managed IT services; built-in vendor IT services, break-fix services, and full-time IT managers all use different pricing structures. This also applies mostly to partial managed IT services, as comprehensive services tend to use a flat fee.
If you need server support, help maintaining network security, and assistance setting up new workstations, you’re likely to be on the higher end of the managed support price scale. However, if you only need help in one or two areas, you’ll fall on the lower end of the scale. This flexibility in pricing can be helpful when you’re trying to balance support needs with your budget.
Extra Services
In the case of comprehensive managed service providers, you may need some additional niche support for your business. Although these may be outside the normal purview of your provider, they may be willing to accommodate those needs. However, you can expect to pay more for this extra service.
Some of these extra services may include 24/7 support, which may be critical if you’re running a business that can’t afford any downtime whatsoever. You might also need some special arrangements or additional security to support your team’s needs. If you determine that you do need some specialty services, you’re going to be looking at the higher end of the IT services pricing scale.
In-House Team Costs
Let’s start our discussion about IT service pricing with a look at how much it will cost you to maintain an in-house team. If you’re a relatively small company, you might be able to manage with one IT specialist who handles all your company’s needs. But if your system is complex or you have a mid-size to large workforce, you’ll need to hire more people.
The average base pay for an IT specialist in Los Angeles is just over $70,000, and that’s without additional benefits. You can expect to pay anywhere between $1,215 and $37,821 for additional benefits, with those costs averaging out around $7,000. You’ll also have to pay for hardware, software, training, and continuing education for every additional specialist you hire.
Hourly Fees
Assuming you don’t have $95,000 a year to spend on an in-house IT specialist, let’s say you decide to work with a break-fix service. These services usually charge hourly, and you’ll often have to pay a base service fee – usually the rate for an hour and a half of service. After the first hour and a half, the normal hourly fee will kick in, although you may be able to get a discount for buying blocks of hours in advance.
On average in Los Angeles, you can expect to pay between $125 and $225 per hour for a break-fix service. It’s important to note that these services may or may not offer an option to set up new systems for you; it will depend on the company you work with. But if you need an average of just two hours a month with these services, you’re looking at paying up to $450 each month for these services.
Per-Device Pricing
When you get into the realm of managed IT services, there are two ways pricing might be handled: per device or per user. Per-device pricing will be based on the sorts of hardware you’re using. There may be different prices to help maintain a server versus setting up or maintaining a workstation for an employee.
In Los Angeles, you’re looking at paying somewhere between $100 to $400 for each server you need to maintain. You can expect to pay $50 to $100 for each workstation you have and $30 to $75 for each firewall. Switches will cost you between $15 and $40 each, and all of these fees will be assessed monthly.
Per-User Pricing
You may also work with a company that prefers to use the per-user pricing model. This setup assumes that no matter what your system is like, there will be a certain amount of work required to support each user on your team. If you’re a small company with a more complicated setup, this pricing structure may be the best option for you.
Per-user pricing will vary depending on which specific services are included in the contract. You may also get discounts as you move into higher tiers of users; each user may cost less if you have seventy-five users, rather than ten. But in general, you’re looking at paying somewhere between $75 and $175 per user for these services.
Managed IT Support Fees
Some companies may also prefer to work with a flat fee pricing structure, rather than a per-user or per-device setup. These companies tend to offer a more comprehensive level of service and will often still offer packages with different levels of support. While these options may not be the cheapest pound-for-pound, they offer a more reliable pricing structure and better scalability for your business.
The fully comprehensive managed IT services may cost your company somewhere around $250 a month for a flat fee. But let’s take a quick look back at the other structures; you’re looking at paying more than $7,000 a month. Break-fix services might cost you almost $500 a month, and you could easily pay more than $1,000 per month for either per-device or per-user services.
Software Vendor Cost
When you’re evaluating your overall IT support costs, you will need to factor in the support you’re already paying for. How much you pay for software vendors will vary hugely depending on your company’s needs. Not only will you need to account for which programs you’ll use, but you’ll also have to consider which package levels you need.
Some software companies charge for support on a per-incident basis, with costs ranging from $50 to $500. Others prefer to work on a time-based system, with annual support costs landing anywhere between $300 and $$3,000. Be sure to talk to your software vendors and find out how much you can expect to pay for different levels of support from them.
Find the Best IT Services Los Angeles Has to Offer
Keeping your company’s computer systems running smoothly is key to managing a successful business. Finding the right IT support model for you can be a great way to ensure you never have to worry about your systems crashing. Managed service providers give you the most bang for your buck and may be the most affordable option at the end of the day.
If you’d like to find the best IT services Los Angeles has to offer, check out the rest of our site at Be Structured Technology Group. We provide responsive IT service, IT consulting, and managed IT services. Schedule a consultation with us today and discover the joy of working with an award-winning Los Angeles IT support firm.
