A managed service provider (MSP) is paid a monthly fee to run some or all of a company's IT. The work covers infrastructure, support, or both, and it continues for as long as the retainer is in place.
What an MSP typically manages
Most UK MSPs cover some or all of the following:
- Helpdesk support for issues raised by email, chat or phone
- Device management for laptops, desktops and mobile devices
- Server and network monitoring, with alerts reaching the provider first
- Patch management so operating systems and applications stay current
- Backup and disaster recovery for data and systems
- Security, covering antivirus, email filtering, multi-factor authentication and firewalls
- User administration on Microsoft 365, Active Directory and similar platforms
- Vendor management, covering conversations with your connectivity supplier, phone company and software vendors
MSP vs break-fix IT support
Break-fix support starts after a failure. You book a technician, they repair the fault, and an invoice follows. They're paid for incidents. A quiet month pays them less.
An MSP receives the same fee in a quiet week and a busy one. Preventing faults costs less than working through a queue of tickets, so they fund monitoring, scheduled upkeep and automation.
How pricing works
Most UK MSPs charge per user per month. Typical pricing is:
- Basic support (helpdesk and monitoring): £30 to £50 per user/month
- Comprehensive (full stack management): £50 to £80 per user/month
- Premium (including cybersecurity and compliance): £80 to £120 per user/month
For a 30-person business, that is about £1,500 to £3,600 a month. A single full-time IT employee costs £35,000 to £50,000 in salary, then benefits, training and tools on top.
Where automation belongs
Patching, backups and alerting already run without someone stepping through them by hand. Predictive monitoring flags emerging faults before staff are affected. Workflow automation and an AI helpdesk can sit on the same estate once it's under management.
Signs of a good MSP
Written SLAs. Response and resolution times should be numbers in the contract.
Scheduled communication. Reports on a cycle, risks raised early, a quarterly review.
Security inside the fee. MFA, patching and threat monitoring belong in cybersecurity as standard work.
You hold the assets. Data, domain and licences stay in your name when you switch.
Help with planning. Refresh cycles and technology budgets should match how the business is growing.
Signs of a bad MSP
- Slow replies with no named target
- Support that starts only after a failure
- Can't explain the work in ordinary English
- Systems, licences or data that make a move difficult
- No security baseline or certifications
How Wanzo operates as an MSP
Wanzo runs managed IT as a monthly retainer for UK businesses. Monitoring is continuous, and a four-hour response commitment applies when an engineer is needed. You work with a named account manager.
What to do next
If you want a clear picture of what an MSP would cover for your business, send the details through our contact page. We'll reply with a monthly scope you can set against the service you have now. our response commitment and a named account manager. AI + Managed IT starts at £1,250 a month and puts automation on the same contract as the infrastructure it depends on.
What to do next
Compare those bands with the monthly plans. If you want a figure against your headcount and the work you need covered, use the contact page and we'll reply with a clear next step.