How Much Does Managed IT Support Cost in South Wales?

Pricing is one of the first questions we get asked — and it's one most IT companies are deliberately vague about. At Thorne Technology, we believe you should know what you're paying before you sign anything. So here's an honest, transparent breakdown of what managed IT support costs in South Wales.

The short answer

Most South Wales businesses pay between £30 and £70 per user per month for a fully managed IT support service. What sits within that range depends on what's included, your business size, and how much complexity your setup involves.

Why per user?

Per-user pricing is the standard for managed IT because it scales fairly with your business. A 5-person company pays for 5 users; a 30-person company pays for 30. As you grow, your IT cover grows with you — no renegotiating contracts every time you hire someone new.

Thorne Technology pricing tiers

Our three standard tiers cover the vast majority of South Wales businesses:

Essential — £30/user/month

• Unlimited remote helpdesk support (business hours)
• 24/7 proactive system monitoring
• Automated patch management and security updates
• Microsoft 365 basic support
• Monthly IT health report

Best for: Businesses of 1–10 people who need reliable IT cover without the need for on-site visits or complex security requirements.

Professional — £50/user/month

• Everything in Essential
• Priority helpdesk response
• On-site engineer visits included
• Full Microsoft 365 management
• Cloud backup via Datto
• ESET endpoint security
• Extended hours support (8am–6pm)
• Quarterly IT strategy review

Best for: Growing businesses of 5–30 people who want proactive IT management, security, and someone they can call when something goes wrong on-site.

Advanced — £70/user/month

• Everything in Professional
• Advanced cyber security suite
• Dark web monitoring
• Staff security awareness training
• Dedicated account engineer
• Compliance and audit support
• 24/7 out-of-hours emergency cover

Best for: Businesses in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, legal) or those with strict security requirements or compliance obligations.

What affects the price?

Beyond the tier, a few factors influence your final monthly cost:

• Number of users — the main driver. More users = higher total, same per-user rate
• Infrastructure complexity — on-premise servers, complex networking or legacy systems take more management time
• Number of sites — multi-site businesses incur higher on-site travel costs
• Microsoft 365 licences — if we're procuring these for you, they're usually billed separately at trade pricing
• Third-party software — line-of-business applications we need to support may carry a small additional cost

What's usually NOT included

Be aware that most IT support contracts (ours included) have some exclusions:

• Hardware replacement — we manage your devices but don't cover hardware failure costs (though we can help source replacements at trade pricing)
• Major new projects — structured cabling installations, server builds or new office setups are quoted separately
• Third-party software licensing beyond Microsoft 365

Is it worth it?

For most businesses, yes — and here's the maths. A single ransomware attack costs UK SMEs an average of £20,000 in downtime, recovery costs and reputational damage. The average ransom demand for SMEs is over £30,000. Against a monthly cost of £150–£350 for a 5-person team, proper managed IT is one of the most cost-effective investments a business can make.

Beyond security, think about the hidden cost of IT problems: staff sitting idle waiting for a fix, owner time spent trying to troubleshoot, the productivity drain of slow or unreliable systems. A proactive managed service prevents most of these incidents from happening at all.

How to choose the right package

Start with what you actually need. Ask yourself:

• Do we have anyone in-house who handles IT issues? If yes, a lighter-touch package may suffice. If no, you need full coverage.
• Do we handle sensitive client data? If yes, you need at least Professional with backup and endpoint security.
• Are we in a regulated industry? If yes, Advanced or a bespoke package with compliance support.
• How much downtime can we afford? If the answer is "very little," prioritise out-of-hours cover.

We always recommend a free IT audit before committing to anything — it lets us understand your actual setup and recommend the right tier rather than overselling you on something you don't need.