# How much do managed IT services cost? Start with the work your business needs covered. ArcTechOne labor starts at $150/hour, with hardware, licensing, and other third-party technology costs scoped separately. This guide helps Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Puget Sound businesses compare the responsibilities and costs behind a managed IT proposal. Updated: October 5, 2026 ## Separate labor, recurring technology, and project costs A useful budget identifies what pays for people doing the work, what pays for ongoing tools and licenses, and what pays for a defined change. A single monthly number is hard to compare if those boundaries are missing. ArcTechOne support and project labor is billed hourly; the applicable rate and expected approach are confirmed before larger work begins. - Labor: employee support, troubleshooting, administration, maintenance, vendor coordination, and other agreed work. - Third-party costs: Microsoft 365 licensing, cloud services, monitoring, security tools, backups, internet service, and equipment where applicable. - Projects: computer replacements, migrations, network changes, office moves, and similar work with its own dependencies and testing. - Ask whether onboarding, cleanup of existing issues, onsite visits, and project work are included in a proposal or priced separately. [Review ArcTechOne's published pricing approach](https://arctechone.com/pricing) ## Compare pricing models against the same responsibilities Providers may describe pricing per user, per device, as a monthly service scope, or as hourly work. Those labels do not establish equivalent coverage. ArcTechOne can scope hourly support, projects, or co-managed capacity without requiring every engagement to have a long-term managed contract. Confirm the terms that apply to your proposed arrangement. - For per-user pricing, confirm which employees, shared accounts, devices, and locations count. - For per-device pricing, identify servers, workstations, network equipment, and other covered devices. - For monthly proposals, ask what labor, licenses, support hours, onsite work, and project exclusions the fee covers. - For hourly work, confirm the applicable rate, authorization process, expected effort, billing terms, and separate costs. [Use the managed IT provider comparison guide](https://arctechone.com/resources/choosing-managed-it-provider) ## What changes the amount of work? Headcount is a starting point. Two businesses with the same number of employees can need different support because of their locations, systems, existing condition, and internal capacity. Describe the environment before comparing estimates, especially when an inherited issue or a transition deadline is involved. - Users, devices, offices, remote employees, and planned onsite work. - Microsoft 365, company identities, file access, business applications, and vendor responsibilities. - Existing documentation, administrator access, recurring incidents, unsupported equipment, and incomplete handoffs. - Monitoring, security, backup, recovery, maintenance, and the responsibilities your internal team retains. - Upcoming hiring, office moves, hardware replacement, provider changes, and other projects. [Compare managed, co-managed, and internal IT responsibilities](https://arctechone.com/resources/managed-vs-co-managed-vs-internal-it) ## Build a budget that shows its assumptions Record an estimated amount of labor, the agreed rate, known recurring technology costs, and equipment or project costs separately. As an illustrative calculation, ten hours at $150/hour would mean $1,500 in labor before separate technology costs. Your own budget should use the rate and expected work confirmed for your engagement, with assumptions recorded alongside the estimate. - List the assumptions behind the expected work, including known issues and what remains unassessed. - Separate one-time transition or project costs from ongoing support and third-party subscriptions. - Agree on who can authorize work and how scope changes will be discussed. - Check contract notice periods and any overlap with your outgoing provider's fees. - Do not submit passwords or administrator credentials through an enquiry form; arrange access through an agreed secure process. ## Keep a hardware refresh distinct from ongoing support ArcTechOne completed a computer and monitor refresh across more than 30 properties, including equipment selection, setup, data transfer, installation, disposal, OneDrive, Microsoft Entra ID, and Intune management. A similar rollout needs an equipment plan, rollout scope, licensing review, and an agreed handoff into ongoing support. - Identify which locations and employees need new equipment and which existing devices can remain. - Include data transfer, application requirements, account access, installation, and workflow testing in the scope. - Confirm who owns ongoing device administration, employee support, and replacement planning after the project. [Read the completed 30+ property hardware-refresh example](https://arctechone.com/resources/hardware-refresh-30-properties) ## Frequently asked questions ### How is ArcTechOne's hourly support priced? ArcTechOne labor starts at $150/hour. Total cost depends on the applicable rate, work performed, and agreed responsibilities. Licensing, tools, equipment, and vendor costs are separate when applicable; confirm the rate and scope for your engagement. ### Are Microsoft 365 licenses and security tools included in the labor rate? Software, licensing, cloud services, monitoring, backup, security tools, and equipment are separate costs when applicable. Confirm which items are included in your proposal and who supplies them. ### Do you publish a fixed per-user managed IT package? This guide does not offer a fixed per-user package. ArcTechOne discusses users, systems, locations, support responsibilities, and third-party costs before confirming the arrangement. ### Do I have to sign a long-term managed IT contract? ArcTechOne does not require every engagement to have a long-term managed agreement. Hourly support, projects, and co-managed arrangements can be scoped around the work; confirm the applicable terms before starting. ### What should I provide to discuss pricing? Provide approximate staff and device counts, locations, key systems, recurring issues, internal IT responsibilities, and upcoming changes or deadlines. A complete inventory is not required for the first conversation. Share credentials only through an agreed secure process. ## Related ArcTechOne services - [managed IT services and support scope](https://arctechone.com/managed-it-services) - [ArcTechOne pricing and labor model](https://arctechone.com/pricing) ## Managed IT support by service area Discuss the users, systems, locations, and support responsibilities involved in your Seattle, Bellevue, or Tacoma business. - [Managed IT services in Seattle](https://arctechone.com/managed-it-services-seattle) - [Managed IT services in Bellevue](https://arctechone.com/managed-it-services-bellevue) - [Managed IT services in Tacoma](https://arctechone.com/managed-it-services-tacoma)