What Does Managed IT Actually Cost in Ireland?

Managed IT pricing in Ireland is one of the most opaque areas of the technology industry. Most providers will not publish their prices. Many will not even give you a ballpark figure without a “discovery call.” This makes it genuinely difficult for business owners to budget for IT, compare providers, or know if they are getting a fair deal.

This guide breaks down what managed IT actually costs in Ireland, what drives those costs, and how to evaluate whether you are getting value for money.

The alternative: hiring in-house

Before looking at managed service pricing, it is worth understanding the alternative. Hiring an in-house IT person in Ireland is the benchmark most business owners compare against.

A qualified IT administrator or systems engineer in Ireland commands a salary of EUR 55,000 to EUR 75,000 per year. Add employer PRSI (11.05%), pension contributions (typically 5-10%), health insurance, and other benefits, and the total employment cost lands between EUR 85,000 and EUR 110,000 annually.

For that investment, you get one person. One person who takes holidays, gets sick, and cannot be an expert in everything. They will be strong in some areas and learning in others. When they are out, your IT coverage is out too.

You also need to factor in the tools and licences that person needs: remote management software, security platforms, backup solutions, monitoring tools. These can add EUR 10,000 to EUR 25,000 per year depending on your environment.

So the real cost of one in-house IT person is roughly EUR 95,000 to EUR 135,000 per year — and that gives you a single point of failure with limited specialisation.

How managed IT providers charge

There are three main pricing models used by managed service providers in Ireland.

Per-user pricing

The most common model. You pay a fixed monthly fee per user, and that covers all the IT services included in your plan. A “user” is typically one person with a Microsoft 365 licence, regardless of how many devices they use.

Typical range in Ireland: EUR 45 to EUR 150 per user per month

The wide range reflects the enormous variation in what is included. A EUR 45 per-user plan might cover basic helpdesk and monitoring. A EUR 150 per-user plan might include security, compliance, device management, backup, Microsoft 365 administration, and proactive optimisation.

Per-user pricing is predictable and scales naturally with your business. Add five people, your IT cost goes up proportionally. Lose five people, it comes down.

Per-device pricing

Less common now but still used by some providers. You pay per managed device — typically per workstation, laptop, or server.

Typical range: EUR 30 to EUR 80 per device per month

The problem with per-device pricing is that it does not align well with how modern businesses work. A single user might have a laptop, a phone, and a tablet. Do you pay for all three? What about shared devices? The billing gets complicated, and it creates a disincentive to properly manage all your equipment.

Flat fee / fixed price

Some providers offer a single monthly fee regardless of user count — essentially a retainer. This is more common for very small businesses (under 10 users) or for very specific scopes of work.

Typical range: EUR 500 to EUR 3,000 per month for small environments

Flat fee models can work well at the small end, but they often come with usage caps (e.g., “20 support tickets per month”) that create awkward conversations when you exceed them.

What affects the price?

Several factors drive the cost of managed IT services. Understanding them helps you compare quotes meaningfully.

Scope of service

This is the biggest variable. A basic plan might cover:

• Helpdesk support during business hours
• Patch management
• Basic monitoring and alerting

A comprehensive plan might add:

• Cybersecurity management (endpoint protection, email filtering, threat monitoring)
• Microsoft 365 administration
• Device management via Intune
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Compliance support
• Strategic IT planning and quarterly reviews
• 24/7 support coverage

The difference between “basic monitoring” and “complete IT management with security” can easily be EUR 50 to EUR 80 per user per month.

SLA commitments

Response time and resolution time commitments affect pricing. A provider guaranteeing 15-minute response on critical issues with 24/7 coverage costs more than one offering “best effort” during business hours.

Look at the actual SLA numbers, not just the labels. “Priority support” means nothing without defined response and resolution targets.

Security level

Security has become the single biggest differentiator in managed IT pricing. Basic antivirus is table stakes. A proper security stack — MFA enforcement, Conditional Access, device compliance policies, email security, threat monitoring, and incident response — requires specialised tools and expertise.

Providers who include a genuine security layer will charge more, but the alternative is bolting on security separately, which almost always costs more in total and creates gaps in coverage.

Number of users

Most per-user pricing includes volume discounts. A 100-user environment will typically pay a lower per-user rate than a 15-user environment. The provider’s fixed costs (monitoring infrastructure, management platforms, account management) are spread across more users.

Environment complexity

Hybrid environments (mix of cloud and on-premises), legacy applications, multiple offices, and regulated industries all increase complexity and cost. A straightforward Microsoft 365 environment is simpler to manage than one with on-premises servers, custom line-of-business applications, and multi-site networking.

Hidden costs to watch for

When comparing managed IT quotes, watch for these common sources of unexpected charges.

Onboarding and setup fees

Some providers charge a one-time onboarding fee to set up your environment, deploy their tools, and document your systems. This can range from EUR 1,000 to EUR 10,000 depending on complexity. It is a legitimate cost, but it should be transparent upfront.

Out-of-scope charges

“Managed IT” does not always mean “everything IT.” Common exclusions include:

• Project work — office moves, new system deployments, major migrations
• Hardware procurement — buying and configuring new equipment
• After-hours support — if your plan only covers business hours
• Third-party application support — line-of-business applications that are not part of the standard stack
• Compliance audits — security assessments, penetration testing, audit support

Make sure you understand what is in scope and what will be billed separately.

Per-incident charges

Some providers offer lower monthly fees but charge per incident above a certain threshold. This model creates a perverse incentive — the provider benefits when you have fewer problems, but you pay more precisely when you need the most help.

Licence costs

Clarify whether Microsoft 365 licences are included in the per-user price or charged separately. A EUR 75 per-user managed IT price that includes Microsoft 365 Business Premium (around EUR 20 per user) is different from a EUR 75 per-user price where licences are extra.

Contract terms and exit costs

Long lock-in contracts (24-36 months) with early termination penalties limit your flexibility. Reasonable providers offer 12-month terms with month-to-month after the initial period.

Real-world pricing examples

To make this concrete, here is what managed IT typically costs for different sized businesses in Ireland. These are representative ranges based on comprehensive per-user pricing (including security, helpdesk, device management, and Microsoft 365 administration).

20-user company

• Basic managed IT (monitoring + helpdesk): EUR 900 to EUR 1,500 per month
• Comprehensive (with security + M365 management): EUR 1,500 to EUR 3,000 per month
• Full strategic (quarterly reviews + vCIO): EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,600 per month

Compare this to in-house: even one junior IT person would cost EUR 5,000+ per month in total employment costs, with narrower expertise and no backup when they are unavailable.

50-user company

• Basic managed IT: EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,500 per month
• Comprehensive: EUR 3,500 to EUR 6,000 per month
• Full strategic: EUR 5,000 to EUR 7,500 per month

At 50 users, some businesses start considering a hybrid model — one in-house IT coordinator plus a managed service provider. This can work well, with the internal person handling day-to-day user support and the MSP managing infrastructure, security, and strategic planning.

100-user company

• Basic managed IT: EUR 3,500 to EUR 6,000 per month
• Comprehensive: EUR 6,000 to EUR 11,000 per month
• Full strategic: EUR 9,000 to EUR 14,000 per month

At this scale, the per-user rate is typically lower due to volume, but the total investment is significant. Most 100-user organisations need the comprehensive tier at minimum, because the complexity of the environment (multiple departments, potentially multiple locations, compliance requirements) demands it.

The total cost of ownership question

When evaluating managed IT costs, it is important to consider total cost of ownership rather than just the monthly fee. The managed service fee is the most visible cost, but it is not the only one.

Included costs (typically covered by the monthly fee):

• Helpdesk support and incident resolution
• Security monitoring and management
• Patch management and updates
• Backup management
• Vendor liaison (coordinating with Microsoft, ISPs, and other suppliers)
• Monthly or quarterly reporting

Additional costs (typically billed separately):

• Hardware procurement (laptops, monitors, networking equipment)
• Major projects (office moves, system migrations, new deployments)
• Microsoft 365 licences (if not bundled)
• Specialist consulting (compliance audits, penetration testing)
• Training and change management for major rollouts

Understanding which costs are inside and outside the monthly fee prevents surprises and allows for more accurate budgeting.

How to compare providers

When you have quotes from multiple providers, here is how to make a meaningful comparison.

1. Normalise the scope

Create a checklist of what you need — helpdesk, security, backup, device management, Microsoft 365 admin, strategic planning — and map each quote against it. A lower price is not better if it excludes half the services you need.

2. Compare the security layer

Ask specifically: what security controls are included as standard? Look for MFA, Conditional Access, endpoint protection, email security, and backup. If a provider does not include a security baseline, you will need to add it — and that cost should be factored in.

3. Check the SLA

Get written SLA commitments with defined response and resolution times. Ask what happens if they miss the targets. A provider without published SLAs is asking you to trust their good intentions.

4. Ask about reporting

How will you know what you are getting? Look for monthly or quarterly reporting that covers security posture, ticket volumes, resolution times, and proactive work completed. If a provider cannot tell you what they did last month, they may not be doing much.

5. Request references

Talk to existing clients of a similar size and industry. Ask about the onboarding experience, ongoing responsiveness, and how problems were handled. The sales process will always be smooth — it is the ongoing relationship that matters.

Our approach to pricing transparency

At Tarbh Tech, we publish our pricing publicly. Every tier, every price, every feature — visible on our website before you ever speak to us.

We do this because we believe the managed IT industry’s addiction to hidden pricing hurts buyers. When prices are hidden, you cannot budget effectively, you cannot compare easily, and you spend hours in “discovery calls” that are really sales pitches.

Our pricing ranges from EUR 35 per user per month for security-focused protection (COSAINT Cyber) to EUR 150 per user per month for full strategic IT management (COSAINT Strategic). Five tiers — Cyber, Essentials, Managed, Complete, and Strategic — let you match scope to need. Every tier includes our Security Baseline as standard — the same controls, the same Secure Score target, the same foundational protection.

The bottom line

Managed IT in Ireland typically costs between EUR 45 and EUR 150 per user per month, depending on scope, security level, and SLA commitments. A comprehensive service for a 30-user business runs roughly EUR 2,500 to EUR 4,500 per month — significantly less than a single in-house hire, with broader expertise and no single point of failure.

The key is understanding what you are comparing. The cheapest quote is rarely the best value. Look at scope, security, SLAs, and transparency. A provider who publishes their pricing, explains exactly what is included, and shows you measurable results is one who is confident in the value they deliver.