IT Support for Small Businesses in London: Costs, What's Included and How to Compare Providers
Many IT support companies in London ask you to book a call before they will give you a price. That makes it hard for a small business to tell whether a quote is fair, or to compare two quotes that describe the service in different ways.
This guide explains how IT support for small businesses in London is priced, what a monthly plan should include, the costs that often sit outside it and how to compare the providers you are speaking to. It is written for owners and office managers of London businesses with roughly 5 to 50 staff.
We are an IT support provider ourselves, working with businesses across London and Essex. Our own price is published on our IT packages page.
IT support for small businesses in London at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What does IT support cost a small business in London? | It depends on the size of your team, what the plan includes and whether you need on-site visits or cover outside office hours. Most providers quote a fixed monthly fee excluding VAT, with Microsoft 365 licences billed separately. |
| How do providers charge? | Most charge a monthly fee for each user or each device. Others sell blocks of hours, set packages or one fee for the whole office. |
| What does an on-site visit cost? | On many plans, visits are charged by the hour, sometimes with a call-out fee. Ask for a written on-site response time and an agreed rate, and in central London ask who pays the congestion charge and parking. |
| What is usually charged on top? | Microsoft 365 licences, on-site visits on entry plans, cover outside office hours, projects such as office moves, and some security services. |
| How long are the contracts? | Terms run from monthly rolling agreements to longer fixed contracts, and some providers set a minimum monthly spend. Ask for the notice period and any automatic renewal in writing. |
| Is outsourcing cheaper than hiring? | For most firms under 50 staff, yes. An in-house IT support person on the London median salary costs about £40,000 a year once employer National Insurance and pension are added. Managed support for a small team usually costs a fraction of that. |
What affects the cost of IT support for a small London business
Two quotes for the same office can look very different, because providers put different things in the monthly fee. These are the factors that change the figure most.
| Factor | Why it changes the price | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Team size and devices | Most providers charge per user or per device, so the total rises with your team | What counts as a user or a device, and whether there is a minimum monthly spend |
| What the plan includes | Entry plans are often a remote helpdesk in office hours. Plans that include security monitoring, backup and round-the-clock cover cost more per head but leave less to buy separately | A written list of what is included and what is not |
| Hours of cover | Support in the evening and at weekends costs more than office hours only | Whether out-of-hours cover is in the fee or an add-on |
| On-site support | Visits are often charged by the hour on top of the monthly fee | The on-site response time and the rate for a visit, in writing |
| Servers and sites | Servers, network equipment and extra offices are often priced separately | How each one is charged, and what happens when you add one |
| Contract length | A long contract can lower the monthly figure but makes it harder to leave | The notice period and any automatic renewal |
A low headline price is not the same as a low total. A plan that leaves security, backup and out-of-hours cover as extras can cost more once those are added than a plan that includes them from the start.
Four costs regularly sit outside the monthly fee.
- Microsoft 365 licences. Most providers bill licences separately from support. Ask for the two figures on separate lines so you can compare quotes properly.
- On-site visits. Many plans charge for an engineer's time on site, and some add a call-out fee. Ask for the rate in writing before you need it.
- Travel in central London. The congestion charge has been £18 a day since 2 January 2026, from 7am to 6pm. Ask whether the provider passes that and parking on to you.
- Projects. Office moves, new laptops, migrations and new phone systems are usually quoted separately, even on fuller plans.
For typical price ranges across the UK, see our guide to IT support costs in the UK. Our own price is published on our IT packages page.
What small business IT support should include
A low monthly price is only good value if it covers the work you actually need. Use this table to check a quote line by line.
| Area | Should be in the monthly fee | Often charged separately |
|---|---|---|
| Helpdesk | Unlimited remote support by phone and email during office hours | Support in the evening and at weekends |
| Monitoring and updates | Monitoring of laptops, servers and the office network, with security updates installed on a schedule | Servers and network equipment priced per item |
| Security | Endpoint protection, email filtering and multi-factor authentication set up for every user | A security operations centre watching alerts around the clock, and phishing training for staff |
| Microsoft 365 | Adding and removing users, mailbox and sharing problems, and licence management | The licences themselves |
| Backup | Backup of Microsoft 365 and company files, with checks that each backup ran | Regular test restores and a written recovery plan |
| New starters and leavers | Accounts set up on day one and removed on the day someone leaves | Buying and preparing new laptops |
| On-site help | A written on-site response time and a clear, agreed rate for visits | Visits with no agreed response time, billed at whatever the engineer's time comes to |
| Planning | A regular review of how the service is performing | Projects such as office moves and system migrations |
Security is where entry plans differ most. The UK government's latest Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 46% of small businesses identified a cyber attack or breach in the previous 12 months, and only 58% required multi-factor authentication. A plan that treats security as optional leaves those decisions to you.
The four ways IT support is sold in London
Before comparing prices, check that you are comparing the same kind of service.
| Model | How it works | What to check | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | You pay for time when something goes wrong | Costs rise quickly once you need help every month | Teams of one to four with simple IT |
| Block of hours | A set number of hours each month at a lower hourly rate | Whether unused hours carry over to the next month | Firms with a predictable amount of IT work each month |
| Per user or per device | A fixed monthly fee for each person or device, usually with unlimited remote support | What counts as a user or a device, and what the fee includes | Most firms of 5 to 50 staff |
| One fee for the office | A single monthly price for the whole set-up | What is excluded, and how the fee changes as you grow | Firms with servers, several sites or unusual equipment |
Within the per-unit model, check what each provider counts. Per-user pricing charges for every person with an account, whether they use IT all day or once a week, including part-time staff. Per-device pricing charges for the computers that are supported, so you pay for the equipment you actually have. Ask each provider what counts as a user or a device, then work out both totals for your own team before deciding which quote is cheaper.
Outsourced IT support or an in-house IT person in London
The median salary in job adverts for IT support roles in London was £35,000 in the six months to 28 October 2026, according to IT Jobs Watch. Employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 adds £4,500, and the minimum employer pension contribution adds about £860. That takes the cost to about £40,000 a year before recruitment fees, training, equipment and cover for holidays and sick days.
| In-house IT support person | Outsourced managed IT support | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | About £40,000 a year in salary, National Insurance and pension, before recruitment, training and equipment | A fixed monthly fee for your team, usually a fraction of a salary for firms under 50 staff |
| Cover | One person's working hours, with no cover during holidays and sickness | A team, often with a 24/7 service desk |
| Skills | What one person knows | Specialists in security, Microsoft 365 and networks |
| Security monitoring | Needs separate tools and someone to watch the alerts | Often part of the plan |
Sources: IT Jobs Watch, London IT support median salary, six months to 28 October 2026; GOV.UK employer rates for 2026 to 2027.
An in-house hire starts to make sense when a business has more than about 50 staff or needs someone in the office every day. Many firms of that size use both: a person on site supported by an outside provider.
London-specific points to check before you sign
On-site response across London
Ask how quickly an engineer can reach you. Remote support fixes most problems, but a failed network switch or a new office set-up needs someone on site. Get the on-site response time in writing, separate from the remote response time, and check how travel and the congestion charge are billed.
Serviced offices and shared buildings
Many small London businesses work from serviced or managed offices where the landlord runs the internet connection, Wi-Fi and firewall. Your IT provider will need to work with the building's IT team rather than install its own equipment. Ask how they handle this, and who is responsible when the building network fails. It also affects what you can include in a Cyber Essentials assessment, because the firewall belongs to the building.
Hybrid and remote staff
If your team splits its week between the office and home, the provider must be able to manage and secure laptops wherever they are, including those that rarely connect to the office network. Ask how they install updates and protect a laptop that has not been in the office for a month.
Cyber security support
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 20% of London businesses experienced cyber crime in the previous 12 months, close to the UK figure of 19%. London businesses can also join the police-led Cyber Resilience Centre for London, which offers free core membership with security guidance and threat updates. Membership does not replace an IT provider, but it is a useful free source of advice.
How to compare London IT support companies
Ask every provider on your shortlist the same questions, ideally in writing, and compare the answers side by side.
| Question | A good answer | Be cautious if |
|---|---|---|
| What exactly is included in the monthly fee? | A written list of what is included and what is not | The answer is "everything" without a list |
| What are your response times? | Separate written times for urgent and routine problems, and for on-site visits | You are told they are "fast" with no figures |
| How soon can an engineer be on site? | A written on-site response time for your postcode | There is no on-site commitment at all |
| What security is included, and who watches the alerts? | Endpoint protection, email filtering and multi-factor authentication, with someone responsible for responding to alerts | Every security item is quoted as an extra |
| Who owns our Microsoft 365 account? | Your business owns the account and holds an administrator login; the provider manages it | The provider holds the only administrator login |
| How long is the contract, and what is the notice period? | A short or rolling term with a clear notice period | The contract renews automatically for another long term |
| What happens if we leave? | A written handover, your data returned and administrator access passed back | There are no exit terms in the contract |
| Can we speak to two clients of a similar size? | Yes, ideally in your sector | They are reluctant to put you in touch with anyone |
Reviews help, but read them for detail. A review that mentions a specific problem and how quickly it was fixed tells you more than a row of five-star ratings.
Switching IT support provider without disruption
In our experience a switch takes two to four weeks. The order of the steps matters more than the speed.
- Check your current contract. Find the notice period and any automatic renewal date, and give notice in writing.
- Confirm that you have administrator access. Make sure your business has administrator access to Microsoft 365, your domain name, your firewall and any backup service before you tell the current provider you are leaving.
- Ask the new provider for an onboarding plan. It should include an audit of your devices, accounts and backups in the first few weeks.
- Overlap the two providers briefly. A week or two of overlap lets the handover happen without anyone being left without support.
- Collect the documentation. Ask the outgoing provider for passwords, network details and a list of the services they manage.
- Review after 30 days. Check that every device is being monitored and every backup is running, and raise anything that is missing.
IT support for financial services and consultancy firms in London
Financial services firms need more than standard support. If your firm is regulated by the FCA, the FCA treats an IT provider that runs your systems as an outsourcing arrangement, and your firm stays responsible for it. From 18 March 2027, every FCA-regulated firm must report serious operational incidents to the FCA, which expects the report within 24 hours of the firm deciding an incident meets its thresholds. Ask any provider how quickly it will tell you about a security incident, and whether your auditor and the FCA can have access to your data. Our page on IT support for financial services covers this in more detail.
Consultancies have different pressures. Clients send security questionnaires before they share data, consultants work from client offices, and each client's files need to stay separate in Microsoft 365. Ask a provider how it handles each of those, and whether it can help you reach Cyber Essentials, which many clients now ask for. See our page on IT support for consultancy firms.
How AIS Technology supports small businesses in London
AIS Technology provides managed IT support, cyber security and Microsoft 365 management to businesses across London and Essex, from small creative firms to financial and professional services companies, and we arrange on-site visits across London boroughs. Endpoint detection and response and a Security Operations Centre are part of our standard plan. Many providers charge extra for those services or keep them for their higher-priced plans. The questions in this guide are the ones we expect to be asked, so here are our answers.
| Question | AIS Technology |
|---|---|
| How do you charge? | Per device, with our price published on our IT packages page |
| What are your response times? | A one-hour response SLA and a 24/7 service desk |
| What security is included? | Endpoint detection and response, identity and account protection and a dedicated Security Operations Centre in every plan |
| What about on-site visits? | Arranged across London boroughs, at a discounted rate for clients |
| What about backup? | Microsoft 365 backup and recovery is included |
| Who reviews the service with us? | Every client has a Virtual IT Manager |
| How long is the contract? | A short rolling contract, with no long minimum term |
More detail on our London service is on our IT support in London page.
IT support for small businesses in London: FAQs
How much does IT support cost for a small business in London?
It depends on the size of the team, what the plan includes and whether you need on-site visits or support outside office hours. Most providers charge a fixed monthly fee per user or per device, excluding VAT, with Microsoft 365 licences billed separately. Our guide to IT support costs in the UK sets out typical ranges, and our own price is published on our IT packages page.
Why do London IT support prices vary so much?
Providers include very different things in the monthly fee. The cheapest plans are often a remote helpdesk during office hours, with on-site visits, out-of-hours cover and security services charged separately. Fuller plans include those items. Compare quotes line by line against what each one includes, and treat the headline price as a starting point.
What should IT support for a small business include?
At a minimum, unlimited remote helpdesk support in office hours, monitoring and security updates for every device, endpoint protection and email filtering, multi-factor authentication, Microsoft 365 user management, backup with checks that it ran, and setting up and removing staff accounts. On-site visits, out-of-hours cover and projects are often charged separately.
Should I pay for IT support per user or per device?
It depends on what each provider counts. Per-user pricing charges for every person with an account, whether they use IT all day or once a week. Per-device pricing charges for the computers that are supported, so you pay for the equipment you actually have. Ask each provider what counts as a user or a device, and work out both totals for your own team before comparing quotes.
Do small businesses in London need on-site IT support?
Most problems are fixed remotely, but some need an engineer on site, such as a failed network switch, a new office set-up or a hardware fault. Ask how quickly an engineer can reach you, get that response time in writing, and check what a visit costs and how travel and the congestion charge are billed.
How much does an on-site IT support visit cost in London?
Many providers charge for an engineer's time on site by the hour, and some add a call-out fee, so ask for the rate and the response time in writing. The central London congestion charge has been £18 a day since 2 January 2026, so also ask whether the provider passes it on.
Is it cheaper to outsource IT support than hire someone in London?
For most businesses under about 50 staff, yes. An IT support person on the London median advertised salary of £35,000 costs about £40,000 a year with employer National Insurance and pension, before recruitment, training and holiday cover. Managed support for a small team usually costs a fraction of that and gives you a team rather than one person.
How long are IT support contracts in London?
Terms vary. Some providers offer monthly rolling agreements, and others ask for longer fixed contracts or set a minimum monthly spend. Ask for the notice period and any automatic renewal in writing before you sign.
Why don't most London IT support companies publish their prices?
Most providers quote after looking at how many users, devices, servers and sites a business has, so published prices can be hard to find. Ask each provider for a written, itemised quote so you can compare like with like. Our own price is published on our IT packages page.
Sources
- IT Jobs Watch, IT Support jobs in London, salary statistics for the six months to 28 October 2026, https://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/london/it%20support.do
- GOV.UK, Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-for-employers-2026-to-2027
- GOV.UK, Workplace pensions: what you, your employer and the government pay, https://www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions/what-you-your-employer-and-the-government-pay
- Transport for London, Notice of changes to the Congestion Charge scheme, https://content.tfl.gov.uk/02-26-tph-notice-changes-to-the-congestion-charge-scheme.pdf
- GOV.UK, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-20252026/cyber-security-breaches-survey-20252026
- National Business Crime Centre, Cyber Resilience Centres, https://nbcc.police.uk/crime-prevention/cyber-and-fraud/cyber-resilience-centres-crcs
- FCA, PS26/2: Operational incident and third party reporting, https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/policy-statements/ps26-2-operational-incident-third-party-reporting
- FCA Handbook, SYSC 8.1 General outsourcing requirements, https://www.handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/SYSC/8/1.html