IT consulting & projects
One job, one written price.
Not every business needs a monthly IT plan. Sometimes there is one piece of work to get done properly: an office move, a server that has to go, a move to Microsoft 365. This page covers how project work is scoped and priced, and how to tell a project from an ongoing need.
Sample data · “Your Business”, Oxford, AL
Quick answer
Do I need an IT project or ongoing managed IT?
A project has a start, an end and a finished result, such as moving offices or replacing a server. Managed IT is the ongoing work that never ends: support, updates, monitoring and security. If the same kind of problem keeps coming back every month, you need the second one. If there is one clear job to finish, you need the first.
Project or plan?
How to tell which one you have.
A one-time project fits when
- There is one defined piece of work
- You can describe what “finished” looks like
- Someone already handles day-to-day IT
- A deadline is driving it: a lease, a new hire, an end-of-support date
Ongoing managed IT fits when
- The same problems return every few weeks
- Nobody is watching updates, backups or security
- Staff lose time waiting for help
- You want one predictable monthly cost in place of a bill per fix
Common projects
The work small businesses ask for most.
Internet service is the item most often left too late. Providers can take weeks to install a business line, so order it before anything else.
Office move
Internet ordered early, cabling checked before move day, equipment moved and tested, and someone on site the first morning.
New server, or moving off one
Replacing an aging server, or moving its files and email to the cloud so there is no server left to maintain.
Microsoft 365 migration
Email, calendars and files moved from another provider, with sign-in security set up from the first day.
Security assessment
A structured look at how you could be broken into, and a prioritized list of fixes.
New location
A second office or shop brought onto the same network, phones and accounts as the first.
Computer replacement
New computers set up the same way, data moved across, old drives wiped and recorded.
How fixed-price scoping works
What a written scope should contain.
A fixed price is only as good as the scope behind it. Ask any provider for these six things before you sign.
- 01
What is included
The work, listed plainly enough that you could check it off yourself.
- 02
What is not included
The honest list of exclusions. This is where surprise invoices come from when it is missing.
- 03
What you need to provide
Access, passwords, a decision maker, a quiet weekend for the cutover.
- 04
One price, with equipment separate
Labor as one fixed figure. Hardware and licenses as their own lines, so you can see what each costs.
- 05
How changes are handled
If you ask for something outside the scope, it is priced and approved in writing before it is done.
- 06
What “done” means
The test that shows the work is finished, and the documentation you are handed at the end.
The IT assessment
What it covers, and what you get back.
The assessment is a hands-on review, quoted up front. It is also the first step if you later move to Managed IT.
What we look at
- Computers and servers: age, updates, warranty
- Network: firewall, switches, Wi-Fi
- Security: sign-in protection, endpoint protection, email
- Backups: what is covered, and whether a restore works
- Microsoft 365: licenses, settings, who has admin rights
- Accounts: who still has access that should not
What the findings look like
- Written in plain English, not a tool printout
- Each finding says what we saw and why it matters
- Sorted by urgency: fix now, fix soon, plan for
- A rough order of work you can budget against
- Yours to keep, whether or not you hire us
Budgeting
Replace computers on a schedule, not in a panic.
The expensive way to buy computers is all at once, when several fail in the same season. The steady way is a replacement cycle.
List every computer with its purchase date. Pick a working life you are comfortable with; many offices plan on four to five years for a desktop or laptop. Divide the count by that number, and that is how many to replace each year. A 20-person office on a five-year cycle buys four computers a year, every year, as a planned line in the budget.
Replace the oldest first, and anything that can no longer run a supported version of its operating system. Do the same for the firewall and the server, which have their own end-of-support dates.
Ongoing planning of this kind, with a roadmap and budget reviewed with you through the year, is what vCIO strategy is for. It is a paid add-on, quoted to fit.
What it costs
Every project is quoted before it starts.
A written scope and one price before any work begins. Equipment and licenses are shown as separate lines.
- Office moves and new locations
- Server replacement or retirement
- Microsoft 365 migrations
- Security assessments
- Computer replacement
A hands-on review of your computers, network, security and backups, with findings in plain English.
- Priced before we visit
- Written findings sorted by urgency
- A suggested order of work
- The first step toward Managed IT, if you want it
Want the day-to-day handled too? Managed IT is $175 per user, per month, with a 5-user minimum.
Questions
Project questions, plainly answered.
How much does an IT project cost?
Each project is quoted in writing before work starts, as a fixed price for the labor with equipment and licenses listed separately. We do not publish a number because an office move for 6 people and one for 40 are different jobs.
Do you bill by the hour?
Not for scoped projects. You get one fixed price for the work described. If you ask for something outside the scope, we price that and get your approval first.
What does an IT assessment include?
A hands-on review of computers, servers, the network, security, backups and Microsoft 365, followed by written findings in plain English, sorted by urgency. The assessment is quoted up front.
Can we hire you for one project without signing up for managed IT?
Yes. Project work stands on its own. Some businesses move to Managed IT afterward and some do not.
How far ahead should we plan an office move?
As early as you can. The internet line at the new address is usually the longest wait, so order it as soon as the lease is signed. Cabling and the move itself can be planned around that date.
How often should we replace computers?
Plan a cycle and replace a share every year. Many offices use four to five years for desktops and laptops, and replace sooner if a machine can no longer run a supported operating system.
What is the difference between IT consulting and vCIO?
A consulting project answers one question or finishes one job. vCIO is ongoing: a technology roadmap and budget reviewed with you through the year. vCIO is a paid add-on to Managed IT.
Contact
Request an IT assessment.
A hands-on review of your computers, network, security and backups, quoted up front, with findings in plain English.