How much does outsourcing a company's IT cost (2027 guide)
It is the first question any manager asks when they consider stopping the firefighting with their IT: how much does this cost. And they almost never get a clear answer, because the industry tends to reply with a "it depends" and a meeting. Let us turn it around and explain it plainly: what you really pay to outsource a company's IT in 2027, what it includes, what makes it more expensive and how to tell whether a quote is reasonable.
We have worked with companies in Barcelona, Badalona, the Maresme and the rest of Catalonia since 2002, so the figures you will see are real market ranges, not theory. They are indicative: your final price depends on your size and how critical your IT is, but they will stop you going in blind.
What outsourcing your IT means (and what it does not)
Outsourcing is not "calling someone when something breaks". That is the old model, the breakdown model, and it is precisely the one that costs you dearly at year-end without looking like it. Outsourcing well means a company takes responsibility for your technology working: it handles your users' day-to-day, watches so bad things do not happen before they do, and keeps your systems up to date.
The practical difference is who worries. In the breakdown model, you worry. In a managed service, the provider worries, because they are paid for everything running well, not for coming to fix it when it goes wrong.
What a managed IT service includes
A serious service for businesses usually covers, at a minimum:
- User support with committed response times in writing (what is called an SLA).
- Monitoring and maintenance of servers, devices and network, to get ahead of failures.
- Backup management and making sure it can actually be restored, including Microsoft 365.
- Basic security done well: next-generation antivirus, updates, access control.
- License and vendor management, so you do not overpay or underpay.
You can see it in detail on our managed support and helpdesk page. The key is to compare apples with apples: a cheap quote that does not include an SLA or backups is not cheaper, it is less service.
How much it costs in 2027: the three pricing models
Three ways of billing coexist in the market. These are the usual ranges in Catalonia at the start of 2027, indicative and excluding VAT:
| Model | How you pay | Indicative range | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-seat fee | Fixed monthly price per managed user or device | 20 to 45 € per seat per month | Companies wanting a predictable bill with everything covered |
| Hour bank | Hours bought up front and drawn down | 45 to 75 € per hour | Small companies or those with few incidents |
| Fixed project | Fixed quote for a specific job | Depends on scope | Migrations, setting up a network, a phone system, a server |
To give you a quick idea: a 20-person company on a reasonable per-seat fee usually sits between a few hundred and a few thousand euros a month, depending on how critical its system is. It sounds like money until you compare it with the cost of an in-house technician, their holidays, their sick leave and what they do not know how to do.
What makes a service cost more (or less)
The price does not come from a magic number. It rises or falls with:
- The number of users and sites.
- How much you depend on technology: a small firm is not the same as a company whose production stops if a server goes down.
- The level of security and compliance you need.
- Whether you want just support or also direction and strategy.
- Response times: a one-hour SLA costs more than a one-day one, and rightly so.
The mistakes that cost you dearly
Three classics we often see when a company comes to us burned by a previous provider:
Choosing the lowest price. The cheapest quote almost always hides what it does not include. You pay for it anyway, in the form of outages, lost data and your people's time.
Having nothing in writing. Without an SLA there is no real response commitment. When everything is fine it does not matter; the day it goes wrong, it is everything.
Depending on a single person. If your IT lives in one technician's head, in-house or external, you have a continuity problem waiting to happen. We compare it in depth in in-house IT manager or an external company.
How to choose an IT partner in Catalonia
Beyond price, look at these signs before signing:
- They explain what is and is not included, in writing and in plain language.
- They have a team, not a single person, and several specialisms.
- They are partners of the vendors you will use (Microsoft, Google, your phone system vendor, your backup solution).
- They talk about security and backups without you having to raise it.
- They think three years ahead, not just about today's incident.
In short
Outsourcing a company's IT in 2027 costs, as a guide, between 20 and 45 € per seat per month on a fixed fee, or between 45 and 75 € per hour in an hour bank, plus one-off projects. Cheap-but-costly and expensive-but-good exist in both directions: what really decides the cost is what is included and who answers when something fails. Always ask for it in writing and compare service with service, not number with number.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to outsource a small company's IT?
For a small SME, the usual is a per-seat fee of between 20 and 45 € per user per month, or an hour bank at 45 to 75 € per hour. The total depends on the number of devices and how critical your technology is.
Is an in-house technician or outsourcing cheaper?
For most SMEs, outsourcing is more cost-effective and lower-risk: you cover holidays, sick leave and spikes without depending on one person and access a team with several specialisms. An in-house technician only pays off when the workload justifies a full-time role.
What should a good managed IT service include?
At a minimum: support with a written SLA, monitoring and maintenance, backups with tested restore (including Microsoft 365), properly configured security and license and vendor management.
Do you serve Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia?
Yes. ADMNetwork is based in Badalona and provides on-site service in Barcelona, Badalona and the Maresme, and managed service across Catalonia and Spain.