by Scott Jack
Content Contributor, E-N Computers
15 years of technical operations and systems documentation
Updated December 1, 2025
Many businesses think they have managed IT services. They pay a monthly fee, submit tickets when things break, and assume they’re covered. But if you only hear from your IT provider when something goes wrong, you don’t have a strategic partner—you have an expensive help desk.
A modern managed IT service should do more than fix problems; it should prevent them. True managed services offer a strategic partnership that boosts your efficiency, hardens your security, and provides a clear technology roadmap, all for a predictable monthly fee.
While many managed service providers limit their scope, our consistent, relationship-based support is focused on improving your organizational efficiency and security. We provide remote and on-site support, a unified cybersecurity platform, remote monitoring, backup and disaster recovery, and strategic consultation, all for one monthly fee.
This article breaks down the essential components of a comprehensive managed IT plan, from proactive support and unified cybersecurity to strategic planning that aligns with your business goals.
QUICK ANSWER:
What is included in managed IT services?
Managed IT services include helpdesk and onsite support; cybersecurity including remote monitoring and management; consultation on strategy, budget, and compliance; and backup and disaster recovery.
Helpdesk
Our managed IT services plan allows any user in your organization to submit a support request, with no limit on how many requests can be made each month. We use a well-documented internal process to make sure that we handle all client issues in a timely manner. When we receive a request by phone, email, web form, or PC agent, we triage it according to 1) number of affected users and 2) impact on business operations. We assign the request a priority level and a responsible technician or engineer.
We follow up on emergencies within 30 minutes. You get after-hours support for critical alerts and work-stoppage issues at no extra charge. Whether we consider an issue routine or emergent, if the assigned technician cannot resolve it in a timely manner, we will escalate to Tier 2 or Tier 3 support until a higher-level team resolves it.
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Managed IT service is designed to be an all-in-one IT solution for your business. See what services are included with our managed service plans in this free quick reference guide.
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Onsite visits (a.k.a. focus days)
In addition to helpdesk support, we assign you a dedicated onsite technician. Regularly scheduled onsite visits are an opportunity for preventive maintenance and scheduled tasks.
We coordinate visits in advance to make the best use of our time with you. We’ll review support tickets and priorities with you to decide what the technician will work on. This time builds a strong working relationship, identifies opportunities to streamline infrastructure, and improves efficiency, reliability, and security.
Each day has two four-hour blocks: 1) admin time for essential documentation, hardware checks, and routine maintenance, followed by 2) hands-on support and change management. This ensures systems are up-to-date and running smoothly.
Business size and complexity determine the frequency of onsite days, and we make them available through our managed services packages or as an add-on.
“The thing that sold me is the monthly visit, because we never had that before. There’s just some things that are better in person. Now I have peace of mind, because at least once a month, we’re all looking at our account, making sure nothing is falling through the cracks.”
—Martha Perez, Director of Finance, Atlantic 10 Conference
CASE STUDY: From ticket chaos to IT strategy — How Atlantic 10 modernized with managed IT services by E-N Computers
Unified cybersecurity, monitoring, and management
Small businesses are popular targets for cyber criminals. According to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Incident Report, SMBs experience ransomware breaches at more than double the rate of large enterprises. These attacks don’t just disrupt your business; they can put you out of business.
Because of constantly evolving threats, we have moved beyond a collection of separate security tools to a unified, integrated platform. The core of our security offering is Microsoft Defender XDR. This platform provides a “single pane of glass” to protect your entire digital environment—from endpoints and servers to email and cloud applications like SharePoint and Teams.
This unified approach allows us to:
- Proactively monitor your systems for threats with an AI-driven engine.
- Automatically disrupt attacks like ransomware before they can spread.
- Manage software updates and patching to mitigate security threats and ensure optimal performance.
- Track your security posture using Microsoft Secure Score, collaborating with you to set goals and implement improvements that balance security with usability.
Backups and disaster recovery
We encourage all our clients to maintain on-site and off-site backups. Our managed services plans include secure, off-site backups of critical servers and data. We configure backups to happen nightly and keep them for 30 days so that, in the event of a major incident, your data is protected and can be restored to a recent known-good state. Our service team monitors client backups daily and proactively remediates any issues.
Strategy, budget, and compliance
One thing that sets us apart is our strategic account management process. We provide clients with regular insights and updates about the state of their IT resources through quarterly Executive Business Reviews (EBRs). In these meetings, we ensure that your technology and information systems are meeting current needs and will continue to support your long-term goals. EBRs include deep dives into:
- Tech Infrastructure: Server capabilities, workstation efficiency, and network capacity.
- Service Delivery: Onboarding processes, documentation accuracy, and application performance.
- Risk: Security policies, backup procedures, and compliance requirements.
- Strategy and Operations: Evaluating how technology supports your overall business strategy.
This process allows us to provide budget guidance, develop a technology roadmap, and manage hardware and software lifecycles, giving you a predictable and strategic approach to your IT investments. For businesses in regulated industries, we provide compliance and security auditing services to help you navigate government and industry rules.
For less than 10% of the cost of a full-time hire, fractional CTO services give you the benefit of senior-level technical guidance. When you purchase managed IT services, you’re get that guidance plus the team to implement it.
With our managed IT services, you gain a proactive team that provides support, security, monitoring, backups, and strategy. This holistic approach gives you access to IT expertise normally found in larger companies. If you would like to talk in more detail about how managed IT services with E-N Computers can benefit your business, please contact us.
What’s not included?
Our goal is to provide comprehensive support with a predictable monthly fee. However, we scope and bill projects that require significant planning and dedicated resources separately. These include:
- Infrastructure Projects: Complete network overhauls, server migrations, or structured cabling for a new office.
- Software upgrades and migrations: Major version upgrades for applications and operating systems; migrating from one software platform to another.
- Office moves: Planning and executing the IT component of an office relocation.
- Fleet upgrades: Replacing multiple workstations on a schedule.
We will always discuss these projects with you and provide a clear scope of work and quote for your approval before any work begins.
Who is this for?
Our managed IT services are for organizations that view technology as a strategic asset. We are the right fit if you:
- Have 10-150 employees who need reliable, professional IT support.
- Operate in a regulated industry like healthcare, finance, or government contracting and need a partner who understands compliance.
- Want to move from a reactive, break-fix model to a proactive, strategic partnership.
- Value predictable budgeting and clear communication.
What does it cost?
We know pricing is the big question. And there are a lot of ways to look at it:
- Is it cheaper to hire IT staff or pay for managed IT?
- What do different kinds of outsourced IT cost?
- Why does proactive managed IT cost so much more than as-needed, or break-fix, IT? Is it really worth the cost?
An all-inclusive managed IT services plan typically costs between $125-$255 per computer-using employee per month. For a typical 40-employee company, this would be about $7,000 per month. Costs can vary within this range depending on existing IT staffing, compliance requirements, and other factors.
Other types of monthly IT outsourcing are retainer-based or basic services for about $1,400 to $2,000 a month for 40 employees. Because these plans aren’t always proactive, they carry the risk of other costs from inefficiency or security breaches.
Managed IT from E-N Computers is not going to be the cheapest option you can find. And that’s precisely because we are a proactive partner that helps you to plan for your future, avoid costly mistakes, protect against cybersecurity threats, and meet compliance requirements. Take a look at our pricing page, complete with calculator so you can get an idea of what managed IT will cost for you.
Next step: Check your IT maturity
When you have the right people working together, you can implement systems and processes that actively help you reach your business goals. We sometimes call this IT maturity. But for many organizations, something is off when it comes to their partnerships, strategy, systems, and settings. How can you know what’s working well and where you have room for improvement? Start by taking our free IT Maturity Self-Assessment. You’ll walk away with some pointers and, if you want, a free appointment to discuss your results.
Not sure if you need managed IT services?
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In a few minutes, get actionable insights on your IT strategy, plus a free strategic consultation.
