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How much does managed IT support cost for a small Irish manufacturer?

What managed IT support cost covers for a small Irish manufacturer, what sits outside the fee, and how to mix Silver and Gold across office staff.

The short answer: managed IT support cost for a small Irish manufacturer is usually a monthly fee per office user. With us, Silver starts from €45 and Gold from €70 per user per month, excluding VAT. That fee covers the office side: PCs, email, remote support, endpoint security and Microsoft 365 backup. However, licences, production systems, second-site networking and larger projects sit outside it.

This guide is for owners and operations managers at manufacturers and food producers in Meath, Cavan, Westmeath, Louth and Dublin. It sets out what the fee buys, what it doesn’t, and how to choose between the two packages.

What the managed IT support cost covers

In short, think of the monthly fee as paying for the office and commercial side of the business. Specifically, that means the people who take orders, plan production, buy materials, run dispatch and send invoices. On both packages, each user’s managed IT support cost includes:

  • Remote help from our helpdesk, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm.
  • Monitoring and operating system updates on the office and dispatch PCs we manage.
  • Antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR) and ransomware protection.
  • Backup of Microsoft 365 email, OneDrive and SharePoint, with restores tested every two weeks.
  • Accounts set up for new starters and removed when people leave.

In practice, that’s the routine work that otherwise lands on whoever is “good with computers”. For example, it covers a stuck update on the purchasing PC or a new account for the dispatch supervisor.

Silver or Gold: which suits each person?

The package mix shapes most of your managed IT support cost. Silver, from €45 per user per month excluding VAT, is the core service described above. It suits people who mainly use a PC for a few systems and rarely handle payments.

Gold, from €70 per user per month excluding VAT, builds on Silver. It adds email security with advanced threat filtering, phishing simulation and awareness training, and full Microsoft 365 admin and support. It also includes leaked-password alerts, a business password manager, application control and unlimited on-site call-outs as needed. On top of that, our security operations centre partner monitors Gold devices for threats 24/7.

That monitoring is separate from the helpdesk, though. Outside 9am to 5:30pm, the security centre deals with threats, not everyday IT questions. Emergency help after hours is available at an extra cost.

Because you can mix the two, most manufacturers don’t need Gold for everyone. Accounts, purchasing and management staff handle supplier invoices and bank details. So they usually benefit most from Gold’s email security. Meanwhile, someone who checks stock on one PC may need only Silver.

Hypothetical example

A food producer near Kingscourt has eight office staff and four planners and dispatch users. It puts the eight office staff on Gold and the other four on Silver. At starting prices, therefore, the fee is 8 × €70 plus 4 × €45. That comes to €740 a month excluding VAT. We’d then quote Microsoft 365 licences and any server backup on top. Of course, that’s an illustration, not a quote.

What sits outside the managed IT support cost

A clear proposal lists these items separately, so the managed IT support cost stays easy to read.

Licences. Microsoft 365 licences are billed separately and aren’t part of Silver or Gold. Gold includes Microsoft 365 admin and support, so we can still manage the licences for you.

Production and OT systems. Machine controllers, production software and line equipment need a separate conversation. We look after the office PCs and network alongside them, and we work with your equipment and software suppliers. Similarly, any support terms for that equipment come from those suppliers, not from our per-user fee.

Server and device backup. Our Microsoft 365 backup doesn’t cover ERP or accounts data held on a local server or PC. Instead, we scope device and server backup in your proposal. The NCSC’s small business guidance also advises storing backups away from the original data.

Second sites and networking. A new warehouse or unit needs broadband, cabling, Wi-Fi and a link back to head office. That’s project work, so we quote it separately. For more, see our guide to connecting a second site or warehouse.

Major projects and hardware. Likewise, we quote office moves, server replacements and new PCs upfront as one-off costs.

How to keep managed IT support cost predictable

Generally, the monthly fee is the easy part to budget. Surprises usually come from the edges, so agree these points before you sign:

  • Which users go on Gold and which on Silver, and why.
  • Where you keep ERP, accounts and shared files, and how you back up each one.
  • Who your equipment suppliers are, and where their responsibility ends.
  • What after-hours help costs, and how to reach it.
  • Which projects you plan for the next year, such as new PCs or a second site.

After that, review the user list as staff change. For instance, a temporary planner may only need Silver for a few months. As a result, your managed IT support cost follows the real shape of the business.

How Sweeney Computer Services can help

Since Oliver Sweeney started the business in 1985, we’ve stayed in Hurdlestown, Kells. We now look after more than 50 businesses and more than 10 schools in the region. On a manufacturing site, for example, we handle office IT, shop-floor and dispatch PCs, accounts and backup as one service.

Read more about our IT support for manufacturers and our managed IT support. You can also see our cybersecurity, backup and recovery and Wi-Fi and networking services. Then, after a review, we’ll send a written proposal that breaks the managed IT support cost down by person.

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