Most IT companies make you sit through a sales call to hear a number. We publish ours, so this guide can be specific: real per-device prices, what changes them, and the fee games to watch for when you compare providers.
The short version: in Florida in 2026, honest managed IT for a small business runs $59 to $129 per device per month depending on coverage depth. A typical 10-person office lands between $800 and $1,500 per month — less than a fifth of one full-time IT hire.
How managed IT pricing actually works
Nearly every provider prices one of two ways: per user or per device. Per-device is the more honest unit for small businesses — you pay for what actually gets monitored and maintained (workstations, servers, network gear), and the count is easy to verify. Per-user pricing sounds simpler but usually hides assumptions about how many devices each person has, which becomes a renegotiation the first time you add a tablet.
Within per-device pricing, the price difference between providers is almost entirely about what is included versus what gets billed as an "out of scope" project later. That is where cheap contracts get expensive.
What each tier should include (with our real numbers)
Our managed IT plans are typical of how the market segments, so use them as a benchmark even if you shop elsewhere. Essential (from $59/device/mo): 24/7 monitoring, patching on a tested schedule, verified daily backups, business-hours help desk, managed antivirus. This is the floor — anything less is break-fix with a subscription price tag.
Professional (from $89/device/mo) adds the security layer insurers now ask about: enterprise endpoint detection (CrowdStrike-class EDR), device management through Microsoft Intune or Jamf, enforced MFA and email security, plus a 24/7 help desk. Most businesses that handle customer data belong here.
Complete (from $129/device/mo) is an outsourced IT department: compliance support for HIPAA and cyber-insurance questionnaires, security awareness training, vendor management, and an annual budget roadmap. If you have ever lost an afternoon on the phone with your ISP, vendor management alone pays for the difference.
The five questions that expose hidden fees
Ask any provider these before signing: Is after-hours support included or billed at a multiplier? Are onsite visits included or "best effort"? What exactly counts as a project versus covered work? Is offboarding (getting your passwords and documentation back) free when you leave? And is the term month-to-month or are you locked in for three years?
A provider with good answers will put them in writing without being asked twice. A provider who dodges the offboarding question is telling you how the relationship ends.
When managed IT is cheaper than what you do now
The math usually flips in favor of managed IT around the point where ad-hoc fixes become weekly. At our $89/hour support rate, a business calling three times a week is spending well over $1,100 a month on reactive fixes — with zero monitoring, zero backups verification, and zero prevention. The same spend on a managed plan covers all of it, and problems get caught before they cost you a workday.
If you are in Palm Beach County, we will do this math with you on a free assessment — including telling you honestly if you are not big enough to need us yet. Start with managed IT in Boynton Beach or your nearest city page.
Want the exact number for your office? A free assessment gets you a written, flat quote — and a straight answer if you do not need us yet.