It is one of the first questions every Brisbane business owner asks, and one of the hardest to answer with a simple number. IT support costs vary significantly depending on the size of your business, the complexity of your environment, and what level of service you need.
Break-Fix vs Managed IT - Two Different Models
The traditional break-fix model charges you by the hour when something goes wrong. Rates in Brisbane typically range from $120 to $200 per hour, and you pay nothing when everything works. This sounds appealing until you realise it creates a perverse incentive: your provider earns more when things break.
Managed IT flips this. You pay a fixed monthly fee that covers monitoring, maintenance, support, and most issue resolution. Your provider earns more by keeping things running smoothly, which aligns their incentives with yours.
What Does Managed IT Typically Cost in Brisbane?
For Brisbane businesses with 5 to 50 staff, managed IT support typically ranges from $80 to $180 per user per month, depending on the scope of services included.
At the lower end, you get basic monitoring, helpdesk support, and patch management. At the higher end, you get comprehensive coverage including cyber security, backup management, onsite support, strategic planning, and vendor management.
Some providers also charge a base fee plus a per-user rate, which can work out better for smaller teams.
Hidden Costs to Watch For
Not all managed IT contracts are created equal. Some providers quote low monthly rates but charge extra for onsite visits, after-hours support, new user setups, hardware procurement, or anything they classify as a project rather than business as usual.
Before signing anything, ask for a clear breakdown of what is included and what triggers additional charges. A good MSP should be transparent about this.
The Cost of Not Having IT Support
The real comparison is not between different MSP prices. It is between the cost of proper IT management and the cost of going without. Consider the productivity lost to slow systems, the revenue impact of downtime, the risk exposure from poor security, and the opportunity cost of your most technical employee spending hours on IT instead of their actual role.
For most Brisbane businesses, proper IT support pays for itself within the first few months through reduced downtime, improved productivity, and avoided security incidents.
Want a ballpark figure for your business? Book a free coffee consultation and we will walk through your setup.
Book a Free Consultation →