The short answer: it depends (but here are real numbers)
If you run a business in Somerset with somewhere between 10 and 50 employees, you have probably looked into outsourcing your IT support at some point. The first question is always about cost. The frustrating answer from most providers is "it depends," which is technically true but not very helpful. So let's get into actual numbers.
Most managed IT support providers in the Somerset area charge somewhere between 30 and 80 pounds per user per month for a standard support package. That range is wide because what you get varies massively between providers. A 20-person business might pay anywhere from 600 to 1,600 pounds a month depending on the level of service.
The three main pricing models
IT support companies generally price their services in one of three ways.
Per user pricing is the most common model these days. You pay a fixed monthly fee for each person in your business who uses IT. This typically covers their desktop or laptop, email, and access to the helpdesk. Expect to pay between 35 and 75 pounds per user per month depending on what is included.
Per device pricing charges based on the number of machines being managed rather than the number of people. This can work out cheaper if your staff share devices, but more expensive if everyone has a laptop and a phone. Rates usually fall between 15 and 40 pounds per device per month.
Fixed fee pricing gives you a flat monthly rate regardless of user or device count, usually based on an initial assessment of your setup. This is less common but can be good for businesses that want predictable costs. A typical Somerset business with 20 staff might see quotes between 800 and 1,500 pounds per month on a fixed-fee arrangement.
What should be included as standard
At a minimum, any decent IT support contract should cover these things:
- Remote helpdesk support during business hours (phone, email, and remote access)
- Monitoring of your servers, workstations, and network equipment
- Patch management to keep your software and operating systems updated
- Antivirus and endpoint protection management
- Basic backup monitoring to confirm your backups are running
- Regular account administration (adding users, password resets, permissions changes)
If a provider is not including all of the above in their base price, you are probably looking at a break-fix model dressed up as managed services. That is not necessarily bad, but you should know what you are getting.
What usually costs extra
These are the things that commonly sit outside a standard support contract:
- Onsite visits. Some contracts include a set number of onsite hours per month. Others charge per visit, typically between 60 and 120 pounds per hour plus travel time. For businesses in Taunton or Bridgwater this is straightforward, but if your office is out near Dulverton or Porlock, travel costs add up.
- Project work like server migrations, office moves, or new system rollouts. These are almost always quoted separately.
- Hardware procurement. Your provider will usually source hardware for you, but the cost of the equipment itself is separate from the support fee.
- Third-party software licensing (Microsoft 365, cloud backup subscriptions, security tools). Some providers bundle these in, others list them as pass-through costs.
- Out-of-hours support. If you need someone to answer the phone at 10pm on a Saturday, expect to pay a premium.
How to compare quotes properly
When you get quotes from different IT support companies, the headline per-user price is almost meaningless on its own. You need to compare like for like. Here is what to look at.
What is the response time guarantee? There is a big difference between "we will acknowledge your ticket within 4 hours" and "we will have someone actively working on your issue within 30 minutes." Ask specifically about response and resolution targets.
Are onsite visits included? A cheaper per-user price might not include any onsite support at all. If your business is based around Yeovil or on one of the business parks along the M5 corridor, getting someone onsite quickly matters.
What is the contract term? Some providers lock you into 36-month contracts. Others offer rolling monthly agreements. Longer contracts sometimes come with lower prices, but you lose flexibility.
What happens when you grow? Check whether adding new users is straightforward and what the process is. Some providers are slow to onboard new starters, which causes problems.
The cheapest quote is rarely the best value. A provider charging 45 pounds per user who responds quickly and fixes things first time will save you more money than one charging 30 pounds per user whose helpdesk is slow and unreliable.
What a typical Somerset setup looks like
To give you a concrete example: a 25-person professional services firm based in Taunton with a mix of office and remote workers, running Microsoft 365, with a small on-site server for file storage and a standard firewall, would typically pay somewhere between 1,000 and 1,800 pounds per month for fully managed IT support. That would cover helpdesk access, monitoring, patching, backup management, and a reasonable number of onsite visits.
On top of that, Microsoft 365 licensing would run around 250 to 500 pounds per month depending on the plan, and cloud backup might add another 100 to 200 pounds. So all-in, you are looking at roughly 1,400 to 2,500 pounds per month, or somewhere around 56 to 100 pounds per user per month for everything.
The bottom line
IT support is a real cost, but so is the alternative. Businesses that try to get by with a part-time IT person or a friend who "knows computers" almost always end up paying more in the long run through downtime, security incidents, and inefficiency. The key is finding a provider whose pricing is transparent, whose service levels are clearly defined, and who actually picks up the phone when something breaks.