Managed IT SupportManaged IT support that is mostly invisible.
If you are calling us, something has already gone wrong. The job is to make that rare: monitoring, patching, security and backup running all the time, and an engineer on the phone when it is not enough. Priced per user per month, and quoted after a short discovery call.
Who this is for
Small and medium-sized businesses, usually without an in-house IT team, who want IT to stop being a topic. We work across most industries: manufacturing, construction, logistics, wholesale food distribution, recruitment, car sales, restaurants and pubs, professional services and charities among them. If you have three people and a laptop each, you probably do not need this yet; we will say so.
What is included
Who is watching, and when.
The helpdesk keeps office hours. The tooling does not. Here is the honest version of what that means across a week.
Helpdesk, an engineer on the phone
Mon to Thu 08:45 to 17:00, Fri to 16:00
RMM monitoring and patching
Every device, around the clock, alerts the helpdesk
Barracuda XDR SOC, optional
24/7 for the customers who take it; the SOC contacts you out of hours
What stays in your name. All of it.
The easiest way to keep a client is to make leaving easy. Everything below is yours throughout, not just on the way out.
The Microsoft 365 or Google tenant
Registered to your business, in your name, from day one.
Domains and DNS
Held in your registrar account. We manage the records, you own the names.
Global admin access
A break-glass admin account that belongs to you, with the credentials in your hands, not just ours.
Licences
Assigned in your tenant, in your name. A new provider can take over the billing.
Backups and data
Your mailboxes, files and backup copies. Exportable at any point, not only at the end.
Documentation
Network diagrams, passwords, asset list and configuration notes, kept current and handed over complete.
If you ever leave
- A written handover plan with your new provider, no gap in cover
- Documentation and passwords handed to you or your new provider
- Our admin accounts and tooling removed, the passwords we held changed
- Nothing switched off until the new team has taken over
In every plan, priced per user per month
A named engineer and a quarterly review
Someone who knows your setup, and a short review each quarter on what is ageing and what to budget for.
Helpdesk answered by an engineer
Unlimited remote support, UK-based. Monday to Thursday 08:45 to 17:00, Friday 08:45 to 16:00.
Security in the base price
Multi-factor authentication, Microsoft Defender, email filtering, device encryption and the Cyber Essentials settings.
Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace looked after
Licences reviewed, settings configured properly, starters and leavers handled the same day.
Every device monitored and patched, 24/7
RMM tooling watches laptops, desktops and servers around the clock. Critical patches within 14 days, usually 7.
Priced separately, never hidden
Backup
Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace backup, per user per month
Licences
Microsoft or Google, shown as their own line
Hardware
Laptops, desktops, switches and Wi-Fi, quoted separately
Projects
Office moves, migrations and phone systems, fixed quotes
Site visits
Charged at the rate on your quotation
On-call engineering
Optional extra outside helpdesk hours, speak to the team
Helpdesk answered by an engineer
Call, email or use the Halo PSA portal, part of our next-generation tooling, and you get someone who can fix it, not a ticket number. Unlimited remote support, UK-based, Monday to Thursday 08:45 to 17:00 and Friday 08:45 to 16:00. The helpdesk is office hours only. On-call engineering outside those hours is an optional extra, not part of the standard plan; speak to the team if you need it.
Patching: everything critical within 14 days, usually 7
Operating systems, drivers and firmware, Microsoft products, and the third-party software most providers forget: Chrome, Firefox, Adobe, Zoom and the rest. Devices check three times a day, updates install at 19:00 on Monday and Thursday, and restarts happen on Friday at 15:00 with a three-hour warning. Tested first, rolled out in rings, reported monthly.
Monitoring and patching, 24/7
Our RMM tooling watches every laptop, desktop and server around the clock. The things that go wrong quietly (a failing disk, a backup that stopped, a machine that has not rebooted in six weeks) raise an alert to our helpdesk, which picks it up in office hours before it becomes a problem.
Security in the base price
Multi-factor authentication, Microsoft Defender, email filtering, device encryption and the settings Cyber Essentials asks for. Not add-ons. If a provider quotes these separately, the base price is not the real price.
Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace looked after
Licences bought and reviewed so you are not paying for seats nobody uses, settings configured properly, and starters and leavers handled the same day.
Backup that is tested
Microsoft 365 mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams backed up separately from Microsoft, or Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts backed up outside Google, plus any servers. We test restores, because a backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup is a separate service, priced per user per month on top of support.
A named engineer and a quarterly review
Someone who knows your setup and your people, and a short review each quarter on what is ageing, what is at risk and what you should budget for. No upsell agenda.
What is not included, and why
- On-site visits. Nearly everything is fixed remotely. When an engineer needs to come to you, the visit is charged at the rate on your quotation, so nobody pays for site visits they never use. Most clients rarely need a visit; when one is needed it is planned and charged at the rate on your quotation.
- Hardware. We supply laptops, desktops, switches and Wi-Fi, quoted separately so you can see the price.
- Projects. An office move, a server migration or a new phone system is scoped and quoted on its own. Day-to-day support never becomes a hidden project fee, and a project never becomes a hidden support fee.
- Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licences. Microsoft licences are bought through us as a Microsoft partner; Google Workspace licences are at Google's price. Either way they are shown as their own line, so you know what the software costs and what the service costs.
What it costs
Priced per user per month for a fully managed service, with security monitoring included. Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace backup is a separate service, also priced per user. Licences are extra, at Microsoft's or Google's price, and projects are quoted as fixed pieces of work. The exact figure depends on headcount, devices, servers, the security monitoring you choose and any specialist software. The quote is per user, so it moves with your headcount, and we give it after a short discovery call, once we know your setup. The initial term is 36 months, and it is stated plainly on the quotation along with what happens at the end; our terms set out the handover you are entitled to if you ever leave.
How it starts
- 1Free IT Health CheckA short online check that benchmarks your security and business risk and tells you where you stand.
- 2Discovery callAn engineer, not a salesperson. What you have, what is broken, what it would cost to fix, in writing.
- 3OnboardingEverything moves across on a plan, with no gap in cover and nothing lost.
What clients say
Black Sheep Support stepped in and completely overhauled our IT setup. They implemented professional solutions tailored to our business, ensuring security, reliability, and efficiency. Thanks to their expertise, we now have a robust IT infrastructure that allows us to operate with confidence and professionalism.
Thank you for your amazing proactiveness, Black Sheep team! You've made such a positive impact, we're all loving our new email signatures. They've truly elevated our professionalism and brand consistency. Your attention to detail and quick implementation have been outstanding!
Free, no sales call needed
Two free checks. Know where you stand.
Domain email check
Can someone send email pretending to be you? Is your real email landing in junk? Type your domain and find out in under a minute.
IT Health Check
A short set of questions that scores your security and business risk, and tells you what to fix first. 15 to 20 minutes on your own.
Questions people ask before signing
How much does managed IT support cost?
It is priced per user per month for a fully managed service with security included, so it moves with your headcount. Users and devices, servers, the security options you choose and specialist software change the figure. Backup is a separate per user service, licences are at Microsoft's or Google's price, and projects are quoted as fixed pieces of work. We quote after a short discovery call so the number reflects your setup, not a price list.
What is the contract?
An initial term of 36 months, then it continues in 12-month periods unless either side gives notice. Shorter terms are available on request. Our terms and conditions are attached to every quotation, and they set out what you are entitled to on the way out: your domains, admin accounts, licences and backups are yours.
What is the difference between managed IT support and break-fix?
Break-fix means you call when something is broken and pay for the time. Managed IT means a fixed monthly price to keep things from breaking: monitoring, patching, security and backup run all the time, and the helpdesk is included. Break-fix looks cheaper until the month a server dies.
We have someone in-house. Can you work alongside them?
Yes. Co-managed support is common at 50 people and above: your person handles the day-to-day and we provide the tooling, the monitoring, the security and the cover when they are on holiday.
Can you take over from our current provider?
Yes, and it is a normal part of what we do. Our switching IT providers guide explains what happens week by week. The short version: you should already own your domains, admin accounts and licences; we plan the handover so there is no gap in cover.
We use Google Workspace, not Microsoft 365. Can you support us?
Yes, fully, and at the same price per user. We enforce 2-Step Verification for every account, set Drive sharing and Gmail protection properly with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, manage phones and laptops, and back up Gmail and Drive outside Google. Nobody has to move platform; if you ever want to, a migration in either direction is quoted as a project.
Do you support Macs?
Yes. Windows and macOS, plus iPhones and Android devices, all managed through Microsoft Intune.
Where are you based?
Brighton, on Preston Road. Most clients are in Brighton, Hove and Sussex and get on-site visits when needed. Support is remote first, so businesses elsewhere in the UK are supported the same way.
Read before you call
- Google Workspace management: what we do for Google businesses
- Patch management: what gets patched, how fast
- Our patch management policy: the schedule and timescales
- How much should IT support cost?
- How to choose an IT support company
- Switching IT provider: what actually happens
- Outsourced IT support: what you get and what you give up