What IT Support Costs a Small Business
There are two ways to buy IT support: per visit, or a fixed monthly amount. Which one is cheaper depends entirely on how often things actually break.
Pay per problem, or pay per month
A business with three people and a working setup is usually better off paying per call-out. A business with fifteen people, a server and a shared drive is usually better off on a monthly arrangement, because the work shifts from fixing failures to preventing them. We will tell you which one you actually are — and we have no interest in selling monthly support to a business that does not need it yet.
What We Charge
Published rates, the same everywhere we work.
The part that matters:Monthly support starts from R950/month and is priced around what you actually run — headcount, sites and what needs to be covered. It is quoted before you commit, and it does not change without a conversation.
What actually moves the monthly number
Five things determine whether you are at the bottom or the top of the range.
How often things break
This is the whole calculation. If you are calling someone out once a quarter, monthly support is a cost you do not need. If you are calling someone out every few weeks, the per-visit model is quietly the more expensive one.
People and devices
More machines, more printers and more accounts mean more things that fail and more time spent on them. Workstations, laptops, shared drives and network equipment are all part of the count — not just staff numbers.
One site or several
A single office is straightforward. Multiple sites, or a mix of office and remote staff, take longer to support because context has to be re-established every time. It is worth being explicit about this when you get a quote.
What is actually covered
Reactive support — we fix it when it breaks — is the baseline. Monitoring, backup management and patching are additional work with real value, but they should be chosen deliberately rather than bundled in by default.
How much can be done remotely
Software, accounts and most network problems can be resolved remotely, which is faster and cheaper for everyone. Problems that genuinely require hands on the hardware are the ones that cost more, so it matters how many of those you have.
What to check before committing
Five things that decide whether support is good value or just a line on your expenses.
Do not buy support you do not need yet
A three-person business does not need enterprise monitoring. Start with call-outs, keep track of how often you use them, and move to monthly only when the pattern justifies it.
Do not judge support on response time alone
A fast response that does not fix the underlying problem is not support — it is a recurring cost. What matters is whether the same failure keeps coming back.
Do not leave backups out of the conversation
Backup is the one thing that turns a bad day into an inconvenience. If a support arrangement does not mention it, that is the question to ask before signing.
Ask what happens outside business hours
Equipment does not fail politely at 10am on a Tuesday. Understand up front whether out-of-hours work is included, and what it costs if it is not.
Check what is excluded
Hardware purchases, licences and major project work are usually separate from a support arrangement. Knowing that in advance prevents a surprise on the invoice.
How Quickly You'll Hear From Us
These are our published commitments — the same everywhere we work.
How a Quote Works
We look at what is actually needed before quoting, so the number you receive matches the work.
- You describe the problem or the job — no obligation.
- We diagnose or scope it and tell you what is involved.
- You get a fixed quote for an agreed scope before any work starts.
- If the scope changes, you hear about the cost before we continue.
Nothing is ordered, replaced or produced without your approval.
Response Times
How quickly you'll hear from us.
Business IT Support
Month-to-month support for businesses that do not need a full-time IT department.
Business IT Setup
Moving office or starting fresh — workstations, network and printing set up properly.
What a Repair Costs
Call-out rates, diagnostics and what actually changes a repair price.
Network Support
Office WiFi, switching and cabling — usually the largest single improvement to a working day.
Questions About Cost
Is monthly support cheaper than paying per call-out?
It depends on how often you need us. If you are calling someone out most months, monthly support usually works out cheaper and prevents more problems. If you call someone twice a year, call-outs are almost certainly the better option.
What does R950/month actually include?
It is a starting point for small business IT support, covering workstations, shared drives, network printers, backups and security on an ongoing basis. The exact scope is agreed before you commit, based on what you run.
Do you charge per device?
No. Support is priced around the business — headcount, sites and what needs covering — not a fee per device. That structure works badly for businesses with shared equipment, which is most of them.
What if we only need help occasionally?
Then pay per call-out. R750 covers the first hour on site and R450 each hour after. There is no minimum commitment and no retainer required.
Does support include hardware and licences?
No — hardware, software licences and major project work are quoted separately. Support covers keeping what you already have running.
Can you support a business with staff working from home?
Yes. Remote support is typically within 4 hours, which covers most software, account and connectivity problems without anyone travelling. We also set up secure remote access so home staff can reach what they need safely.