How Much Should a 20 -120 Employee Company Headquartered in Singapore Budget for IT Support?

1 day ago
11 min read

For a 20-120 employee company headquartered in Singapore, the cost of IT support depends on more than headcount or the salary of an IT employee.

A realistic IT budget needs to account for people, tools, specialist expertise, coverage, governance and risk.

Companies generally have three options: build an internal IT function, use a managed IT service provider (MSP), or combine internal and external resources through a co-managed model.

For the types of small and mid-sized organisations eVantage supports, managed IT services may range from approximately S$110-S$145+ per user per month, depending on the scope and complexity of the environment.

The more useful question is not simply “How much does IT support cost?”

It is:

What IT capabilities does our business need, and what is the most effective way to obtain them?

What IT Capabilities Does a 20 -120 Employee Company Actually Need?

One of the most common assumptions growing companies make is that IT is a single job.

“We need an IT person.”

In reality, a growing organisation may need access to several different capabilities.

These can include day-to-day user support, Microsoft 365 and cloud administration, device and network management, cybersecurity, backup and business continuity, vendor management, and IT governance.

A company with 50, 80 or 120 employees does not necessarily need a full-time employee for every capability.

But it does need reliable access to those skills when they are required.

This becomes particularly important for regulated organisations and companies headquartered in Singapore with operations across Southeast Asia or other international markets.

One capable IT generalist may handle many day-to-day requirements effectively. The challenge comes when the business encounters a cybersecurity incident, complex infrastructure problem, audit requirement or issue outside that person’s expertise.

There is also key-person risk.

What happens when your only IT person is on leave, overloaded, resigns or encounters a problem they cannot solve?

Instead of asking:

“How many IT people should we hire?”

A better question is:

“What IT capabilities do we need reliable access to?”

What Is the True Cost of Building IT Internally?

The cost of internal IT is more than salary.

Hiring an IT employee gives you a person. It does not automatically provide all the tools, specialist expertise and coverage required to operate and secure a modern IT environment.

Depending on the organisation, additional costs may include IT management and cybersecurity tools, backup systems, email security, monitoring platforms, security awareness tools, specialist consultants, training and certifications.

The organisation must also consider coverage.

Who handles an issue outside the internal team’s expertise? Who provides support during leave? Who responds to a serious cyber incident? Who advises management on emerging risks or major technology decisions?

This is why comparing the salary of one IT employee directly with an MSP’s monthly fee can be misleading.

A better framework for understanding the true cost of IT is:

People + Tools + Specialist Expertise + Coverage + Governance + Risk

This framework applies whether IT is managed internally, outsourced or co-managed.

How Much Do Managed IT Services Cost for a Singapore - Headquartered Company?

For the types of 20-120 employee organisations eVantage typically supports, managed IT engagements may range from approximately S$110-S$145+ per user per month, with more complex environments costing more.

Headcount is only one factor.

Pricing can also be influenced by the number of devices and locations, cybersecurity requirements, regulatory obligations, infrastructure complexity, service coverage and whether the organisation already has internal IT resources.

For example, a Singapore-headquartered company operating across several countries may require more complex support than a similarly sized company operating from a single location.

There is another important difference when comparing costs.

With an internal IT model, the organisation typically pays for its people and then separately acquires many of the tools and specialist capabilities required to manage and secure its environment.

With a managed IT model, some of those tools and capabilities may already be included within the monthly service.

Exactly what is included varies significantly between providers.

This is why the headline per-user price only tells part of the story.

What Should Be Included in Managed IT Pricing?

Two providers can both describe their service as “managed IT” while delivering very different levels of coverage.

One proposal may focus primarily on helpdesk and basic IT maintenance. Another may combine user support with IT management, cybersecurity capabilities, specialist resources and structured management reviews.

When comparing MSP proposals, evaluate five areas:

1. People and Coverage

Who supports your users, when are they available, is onsite support included, and what happens when specialist expertise is required?

Do not assume that “unlimited support” means unlimited everything. Ask what the term actually covers.

2. Tools and Technology

Which IT management, security, monitoring and backup tools are included in the service?

Which tools or licences must you purchase separately?

A lower-priced proposal can become more expensive if essential technology needs to be added separately.

3. Cybersecurity and Resilience

Understand what the provider is responsible for beyond fixing everyday IT problems.

Depending on the service, this may include areas such as endpoint security, email security, identity protection, security monitoring, patching, backup, recovery and incident preparedness.

For regulated organisations, the provider’s understanding of cybersecurity governance and industry expectations may also be important.

4. Scope and Exclusions

Understand what is outside the monthly service.

For example, how are onsite support, technology projects, major changes, new devices and third-party vendors handled?

The exclusions can be just as important as the inclusions.

5. Governance and Accountability

What will management see after the contract is signed?

Look for structured reporting, risk tracking, regular reviews and clear discussions about technology priorities and future investments.

A managed service should provide more than a place to send support tickets.

It should create clear accountability for the areas the provider is engaged to manage.

This leads to a useful principle when comparing providers:

Do not compare the monthly number until you understand what is inside the number.

A lower per-user fee is not necessarily a lower total cost if important tools, services or specialist capabilities must be purchased separately.

Equally, a higher-priced service is not automatically better.

The comparison should be based on scope, capability and total cost.

Internal IT vs Managed IT vs Co-Managed IT: Which Model Is Best?

There is no single model that is right for every 20-120 employee company.

A simple way to think about the decision is:

Build. Buy. Hybrid.

Build: Internal IT

Building an internal IT function can make sense when technology is highly specific to the business, deep institutional knowledge is required, or the organisation has sufficient scale to support the necessary people and tools.

The advantage is direct internal ownership.

The challenge is ensuring sufficient breadth, specialist depth and coverage without creating excessive dependency on one or two individuals.

Buy: Fully Managed IT

A fully managed model can make sense when an organisation does not want to build every IT capability internally.

Rather than separately assembling people, tools and specialist resources, the company engages an MSP to take responsibility for an agreed scope.

The value is not simply replacing an “IT person.”

It is gaining access to a broader set of capabilities through an accountable service model.

Hybrid: Co-Managed IT

For organisations that already have an internal IT manager or team, using an MSP does not have to mean replacing them.

A co-managed model allows the internal team to focus on areas where business knowledge and internal ownership matter most, while an external provider adds operational capacity or specialist expertise.

This can be useful when internal IT is spending too much time on day-to-day operations, when cybersecurity requirements are becoming more complex, or when the organisation is expanding regionally.

The objective is to decide deliberately which capabilities should be built internally and which are more effectively accessed externally.

Example: How a Regional Company Can Structure Its Managed IT Services

Consider a real eVantage client with approximately 35 users, headquartered in Singapore with employees working across multiple countries.

The organisation uses eVantage’s MSP service, with per-user pricing varying based on location and requirements.

Its managed IT service provides the foundation for supporting users and managing day-to-day IT and cybersecurity needs. However, the per-user managed service is not designed to represent every technology cost the organisation may have.

The client also uses additional services based on its specific environment, including business communications and differing managed network security services across its various offices.

This illustrates an important point about IT budgeting.

Two companies with the same number of employees can have very different technology requirements and costs.

A business operating from a single location may have relatively straightforward needs. A Singapore-headquartered company supporting employees across multiple countries may also need regional support, telecommunications, network infrastructure, security and other location-specific services.

A useful way to think about this is:

Core Managed IT + Environment-Specific Requirements = Total IT Service Requirement

The per-user MSP price is therefore a useful starting point, but it should not be treated as the organisation’s entire IT budget.

What Questions Should You Ask Before Comparing MSP Prices?

Before deciding which managed IT provider offers better value, ask these 10 questions:

What support and IT management services are included in the monthly fee?
Which IT and cybersecurity tools are included?
Which licences or services must we purchase separately?
Is onsite support included, limited or separately charged?
What cybersecurity capabilities are included as standard?
What backup, recovery and business continuity responsibilities are included?
How are employees and offices outside Singapore supported?
What work is considered a separately charged project?
What reporting and management reviews will we receive?
What happens when an issue requires expertise beyond normal helpdesk support?

These answers reveal far more about value than the headline per-user price.

What Is the Best IT Model for a 20-120 Employee Company?

The best IT model depends on your organisation’s size, complexity, existing resources, geographic footprint, cybersecurity risk and regulatory requirements.

For some companies, building internal IT capabilities is the right investment.

For others, fully managed IT provides access to broader capabilities without having to build an entire IT function internally.

For organisations with existing IT staff, co-managed IT can combine internal business knowledge with external scale and specialist expertise.

When evaluating the options, start with the full requirement:

People + Tools + Specialist Expertise + Coverage + Governance + Risk

Then decide how those capabilities should be delivered:

Build. Buy. Hybrid.

The objective is not simply to find the lowest monthly IT cost.

It is to build an IT operating model that gives the business the capabilities it needs at a sustainable cost, with clear ownership and accountability.

If you are reviewing your IT operating model or comparing managed IT proposals, start by mapping what your organisation actually needs before comparing prices. A structured assessment of your users, locations, existing IT resources, cybersecurity requirements and business priorities will give you a much more meaningful basis for evaluating your options.