Average Hourly Rate for IT Services in Southington CT
By the end of 2021, businesses worldwide will spend $1.1 trillion on IT services. With cybercrimes on the rise and new technologies emerging daily, the lack of qualified IT services doesn’t just put your company behind the competition. It endangers its profitability and reputation.
From basic software installation to complex disaster recovery plans, each business needs high-quality IT services. While supporting a large in-house IT team is out of the question for many Connecticut companies, outsourcing options are readily available.
So how much do these services really cost? Let’s take a closer look at the average hourly rate for IT services in Southington, CT.
Hourly Rate for IT Services in Southington, CT: The Basics
Managed IT service is a broad concept that encompasses a variety of tasks. When speaking about the hourly rate for IT services in Southington, CT, it’s important to consider the type of assistance your business requires.
- IT strategy (planning and designing the computer network with maximized use of the latest technologies)
- Software and hardware troubleshooting
- Network, software, and hardware monitoring and maintenance
- Proactive support
- Data security and compliance
- Asset management (hardware and software)
- Backups and disaster recovery
- Detailed reporting about your IT environment
When billing separately, each service can come with its own price tag. For example, helping you choose and install antivirus software may cost $20 per hour. Meanwhile, creating and implementing a disaster recovery plan could cost $60 per hour.
If you hire a company that offers a variety of IT services, you have to be ready to pay a higher hourly fee. However, you gain access to a team of specialists who can achieve impressive results in many areas of your IT needs within a shorter period of time.
Traditional IT Support vs Managed IT Services
Businesses in Connecticut often rely on traditional IT support since it seems to be less expensive than managed IT services. However, the difference between these two concepts is tremendous. Opting for the former generally has a low ROI (Return on Investment) and higher risks.
Traditional IT Services
Traditional IT services are also referred to as the “break-fix” model. They involve calling a specialist when something goes wrong. For example, your antivirus software is outdated, and you need a consultation about installing a new one. Or your computer crashes, and you need to get it back online.
When something goes wrong, you call the help desk and wait for the expert to arrive and fix it. This usually results in certain downtime, especially if it’s something serious like a ransomware attack. While this model can be acceptable for some small businesses, others may lose a big chunk of their revenue.
Managed IT Services
When you work with a managed IT service provider, you get a set of IT services required for your company at a certain period of time. While you still take advantage of break-fix services, you gain access to proactive support.
Proactive support makes a significant difference since it implements a set of preventive measures, optimizing your company’s operation. Meanwhile, the support you get from a provider is “always on.” This means IT experts are always working in the background to prevent problems or solve them the moment they arise.
With managed IT support, you can work with a variety of experts in many IT-related sectors, thus covering all of your IT needs with one contract.
Both traditional and managed IT services can be billed by the hour or covered by a flat monthly fee.
Hourly Rate vs Fixed Monthly Retainer
When you decide to outsource IT services, you can take advantage of different payment options. The most popular types are hourly payments or fixed monthly fees.
Hourly Billing
Hourly billing may seem like an excellent option for traditional IT services since you only need them occasionally. However, for managed IT services, it may come with certain obstacles:
- Inaccurate budgeting — with hourly billing, it’s hard to plan your budget. Unpredictable IT bills are a common problem among businesses of all sizes.
- Higher costs — while hourly billing may seem cheaper, the services you get during this hour are usually not as comprehensive as the default services you get with monthly retainers.
For companies that have never used hourly IT services, it can be hard to understand how many hours they really need per month. More often than not, they end up paying much more than they initially plan for.
Fixed Monthly Fee
By paying a monthly fee, you are getting a full set of services for a fixed price. This means you gain access to all the available specialists on the provider’s team and their time.
Budget planning with fixed monthly retainers is simplified. Meanwhile, you can take full advantage of the available options without worrying about exceeding the time limit.
A fixed monthly fee is the preferred method of payment for managed IT services in Connecticut. While an hourly model may work for some companies, it usually has a less impressive ROI.
Important: Managed IT service providers have different plans for their clients. You don’t need to pay a high monthly fee for a full set of services offered by the company. It’s possible to choose a plan that covers your particular needs and then upgrade or downgrade it whenever necessary.
The Takeaway: What is the Average Hourly Rate for IT Services in Southington, CT?
The average hourly rate for IT services in Southington, CT ranges from $25 per hour for one-person computer consultation to $250 per hour for managed IT services.
In many cases, hourly payments aren’t effective due to budgeting problems and low ROI. The majority of companies that have experience with managed services chooses fixed monthly retainers.
At Realized Solutions, we offer a comprehensive set of IT services to businesses in Southington, CT and beyond. Reasonable rates coupled with significant expertise make us industry leaders in the area.
For more information about our services, plans, and payment options, please contact our team at any convenient time.
