Key facts
- Ask for written pricing: per user, per device or fixed monthly, and what counts as extra.
- Check the minimum contract term and notice period before you sign.
- Your Microsoft 365 tenant, domain and backups should be registered to your business, with you holding a global admin login.
- Ask how they handle security basics: MFA, patching, backups and offboarding leavers.
- Remote support covers most small-business issues; on-site visits should be quoted upfront.
- Ask what happens to your data and passwords if you leave them.
Start with what you actually need
Before you compare providers, write down what you rely on. For most small businesses that is a short list: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for email and files, a handful of Windows laptops or Macs, a broadband router and Wi-Fi, a printer, a website, and perhaps a line-of-business app such as Xero, Sage or a practice management system. Note who uses what, and what has gone wrong in the last year.
This list stops you paying for things you do not need (a 24/7 network operations centre for a five-person office, for example) and shows you which gaps matter, such as nobody being responsible for backups or the website.
Questions to ask every IT support company
Pricing and contract
- Is the price per user, per device or a flat monthly fee? What is included and what is billed on top?
- What is the hourly rate for work outside the plan, and how is it billed (minimum charge, time blocks)?
- How long is the contract and how much notice do I need to give?
Ownership and access
- Will my Microsoft 365 tenant, domain names and backup accounts be in my business's name?
- Will I have my own global admin account, separate from yours?
- If I leave, how do you hand over passwords, documentation and admin access?
Security
- Do you enforce multi-factor authentication on every account?
- How do you keep Windows, macOS and apps patched, and how do I know it is happening?
- Do you back up Microsoft 365 mail and OneDrive, not just PCs?
- What happens when a member of staff leaves?
Day-to-day support
- How do I raise a problem: phone, email, a portal?
- Is support remote, on site, or both, and how are site visits charged?
- Who will I actually speak to?
Red flags to watch for
- No published prices and a reluctance to put costs in writing.
- Long tie-ins of three years or more, especially when bundled with hardware leases or phone lines.
- They keep the keys. If your provider owns the Microsoft 365 tenant or domain, leaving becomes slow and expensive. This is the same trap many businesses fall into with web designers; see our guide to getting your website back from an old developer.
- Vague security answers. According to the UK Government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025, 43% of UK businesses reported a breach or attack in the previous 12 months, and phishing was the most common type. A provider who cannot explain how they protect you against phishing is not doing the basics.
- Everything needs a visit. Most problems with email, accounts, software and settings can be fixed remotely in minutes.
Managed plan, hourly or both?
A managed plan suits businesses that want someone responsible for keeping things updated, backed up and monitored, with help on tap when something breaks. Ad-hoc hourly support suits very small teams with stable systems who only need help a few times a year. Many businesses start hourly and move to a plan once they see how often they call. Our guide on what managed IT is explains the difference in more detail.
| dijitul option | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | £25 a month + VAT | Website updates, daily backups, uptime and security monitoring |
| Business | £50 a month + VAT | Essential plus 1 hour of fixes or changes a month and priority support |
| Complete | £99 a month + VAT | Business with 3 hours a month plus IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk for your team |
| Ad-hoc | £45 an hour + VAT | One-off fixes with no plan, 30-minute minimum |
How dijitul fits
dijitul has been trading since 2006 from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and supports UK small businesses mostly remotely. Our prices are published on the pricing page, accounts stay in your name, and we cover websites as well as IT, which saves juggling a web designer and an IT firm. If a job genuinely needs someone on site, we tell you upfront and quote it.
If you are weighing us up, look at small business IT support and managed IT services, or get in touch with your list of systems and we will tell you honestly which plan fits, or whether hourly help is enough.
Frequently asked questions
How much should IT support cost a small business in the UK?
It varies widely by provider and by whether pricing is per user or flat. dijitul publishes fixed plans at £25, £50 and £99 a month + VAT, and ad-hoc support at £45 an hour + VAT, so you can compare like for like.
Do I need a local IT company?
Not usually. Most IT problems, from Outlook errors to Microsoft 365 settings, are fixed remotely. Being local matters mainly for cabling, hardware swaps and network installs. dijitul works remotely across the UK and quotes any on-site work upfront.
Should my IT provider own my Microsoft 365 account?
No. The tenant, licences and domain should be in your business's name with your own global admin account. Your provider should have its own separate admin login that you can remove if you part ways.
What should be in an IT support contract?
What is included, the hourly rate for extras, the minimum term and notice period, how you raise issues, who owns accounts and data, and how handover works if you leave. Get it in writing before you sign.
Can dijitul take over from my current IT provider?
Yes. dijitul can take over IT and website support from another provider, collect admin access, document your systems and tighten security basics like MFA and backups. Handover work is billed at £45 an hour + VAT or included in a plan.
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Hand it over and stop worrying
Updates, backups, monitoring and fixes from £25 a month + VAT. Real UK people on the phone.