The short answer

Our 2026 list prices: €12 (excl. tax) per month per user for user support (for 5 or more users), with the Helpy AI agent available 24/7 and a human support team from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; €500 (excl. tax) per month for AI-driven infrastructure incident diagnosis; and €2 (excl. tax) per month per device for monitoring only. Infrastructure incident resolution is billed per piece of equipment, based on your fleet.

When applied to a typical SME environment with 25 users, these prices range from €800 to €1,735 per month (excluding tax), depending on whether your in-house team handles the work or not. The calculation is detailed below.

What is IT outsourcing?

IT outsourcing involves entrusting all or part of the management of an information system to an external service provider: user support, server and network administration, monitoring, security, and management of hardware and licenses. The client company retains ownership of its IT systems and control over its decisions, but delegates day-to-day operations.

The term is often used interchangeably with “managed services” or “MSP” (Managed Service Provider). The difference lies mainly in their origins: “infogérance” comes from French terminology from the 1990s, while “managed services” comes from the Anglo-Saxon market. From a contractual standpoint, the two terms now cover the same scope. We explain this distinction in detail on our managed services page.

The Three Market Pricing Models

Three billing models coexist among French service providers, and they cannot be directly compared.

The per-user price. A fixed monthly fee per employee that covers support and assistance. This is the most straightforward model for a business leader, because the budget scales with the number of employees. It generally covers only user support, not the infrastructure.

Per-device pricing. A monthly fee per server, firewall, switch, or monitored workstation. This model reflects the actual technical workload, but it makes it difficult to forecast the budget when the infrastructure changes.

The flat-rate package. A single, negotiated amount for a defined scope. Easy to understand, but it makes it impossible to make trade-offs: you don't know what you're paying for, or what happens if you remove a component.

A quote that combines these three approaches without distinguishing between them is a red flag. Always ask for a line-by-line breakdown.

Be wary of bait prices. A price advertised as “starting at X € per workstation” generally covers only the workstations themselves. Servers, security, and cloud services are added on top, so the actual cost is significantly higher. Compare a complete budget to a complete budget, not a bait price to a budget.

The Six Factors That Affect Price

1. The number of users

This is the most direct variable on the support side. It is linear: twice as many employees means twice the support cost.

2. The number and type of pieces of equipment

Monitoring a firewall, a host server, or a NAS array does not cost the same, and the difference between the two extremes within a network is considerable. A network of 25 workstations with a single server cannot be compared to a network of 25 workstations spread across three sites using virtualization.

3. Supported Level

This is the most significant factor—and the one that public pricing tables most often conceal. User support (N0 and N1) is inexpensive. Infrastructure and technical support incidents (N2 and N3) cost significantly more because they require specialized expertise. Depending on whether or not you maintain an in-house technical team capable of handling these issues, the total cost can vary by a factor of two.

4. Hourly coverage

Services provided during business hours and round-the-clock services are billed differently. Check exactly what a “24/7” service entails: in many contracts, round-the-clock coverage is provided through automation and on-call staff, with human support available only during business hours. This isn’t a flaw in itself, but it must be specified in writing. Service calls outside of business hours are generally billed at double the normal rate.

5. On-site services

They are almost always not included in the package. A quarterly visit and a weekly visit are not the same service, and the difference between the two amounts to thousands of euros per month. This is often the factor that explains an unexplained difference in quotes between two service providers.

6. Reuse of Existing Structures

The initial audit, the deployment of monitoring agents, and the integration of your documentation involve an upfront cost. This cost is typically quoted on a case-by-case basis; it is rarely listed publicly, and you should ask about it before signing the contract.

Our Prices

Here are our 2026 list prices. Line-by-line details are included in the quote, as they depend on the actual infrastructure: two SMEs with the same number of employees may not have the same number of servers, sites, or tenants. This pricing table applies to ourhyper-managed services offering, in which part of the support is automated by an AI agent.

The platform: user support

€12 (excluding tax) per month per user, for 5 or more users. Level N0 and N1 support is provided by our AI agent Helpy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and by the IT management team from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Also included: knowledge base, dashboards, and a multichannel portal (text, voice, email, phone). Travel expenses not included. No minimum contract term.

The 5-user minimum is the only billing threshold for this plan. Below that, support is provided through one-time services, as detailed below.

We’re providing details about this coverage rather than simply stating “24/7” because the two are not the same thing, and this is exactly what you need to check with any service provider.

Infrastructure and Expertise Incidents (N2 and N3)

Two lines that answer two different questions: who makes the diagnosis, and who carries it out.

AI-powered diagnostics: €500 per month (excluding tax), flat rate. The AI creates the ticket, categorizes it, gathers the technical context, and proposes a solution. What you’re purchasing under this line item is the analysis, not the actual resolution.

Implementation: Billed by equipment. Once the solution has been identified, there are two scenarios. Your in-house team implements it, and you pay nothing extra. Or our teams implement it, and billing is based on the relevant equipment: network (switches, VPN concentrator, Wi-Fi coverage, firewall), infrastructure (workstations, UPSs, NAS arrays, virtual machines, host servers), security (Active Directory, antivirus and EDR, backup), cloud (Microsoft 365 tenants, Azure, Google Cloud, or AWS subscriptions), and work environment (hires and departures, telephony, printing).

The unit price depends on the type of equipment and the volume, with volume-based discounts. The amount is calculated based on your actual fleet and is listed in the quote.

Supervision alone

This is a standalone offering, separate from the two previous plans. €2 (excluding tax) per month per device: workstations, switches, firewalls, Wi-Fi access points, servers, and virtual machines. It is designed for companies that already have an IT team and simply want to be alerted before incidents occur, without outsourcing either support or operations.

Three simulations based on our list prices

The amounts listed below are not flat rates. They are the list prices indicated above, applied to a network described line by line. Simulations A and B cover the same network infrastructure, chosen as an example of a single-site SME: 25 users, one site, one firewall, two switches, one Wi-Fi access point covering the site, one VPN concentrator, one host server, one NAS array, one UPS, one Active Directory forest, one Microsoft 365 tenant, one antivirus and EDR tenant, one backup platform, and one telephony tenant.

This is an example, not an average. Your cost will depend on your actual infrastructure, and three factors can significantly increase it: a second location, additional servers, and virtualization. Even with the same number of employees, the difference between two small businesses can be significant.

Scenario A: The company maintains an in-house IT team that performs

User support: 25 × 12 € = 300 €
AI Diagnosis for N2 and N3: €500
Total: 800 € (excluding tax) per month, or 32 € (excluding tax) per user

Simulation B, IT Systèmes handles the entire process

User support: 25 × 12 € = 300 €
AI Diagnosis for N2 and N3: €500
Cost for the project described above: 935 €
Total: 1,735 € (excluding tax) per month, or 69 € (excluding tax) per user

C Simulation, Supervision Only

30 pieces of equipment × €2 = €60 (excluding tax) per month
No user support, no operations. Just alerts.

These amounts do not include on-site work or the removal of existing structures.

One-time interventions

They are calculated in work units. One work unit is equivalent to one hour during business hours, and two work units are equivalent to one hour outside of business hours.

Upon request, during business hours: €90 to €240 per hour (excluding tax), depending on the role assigned—technician, administrator, engineer, or expert. That’s €450 to €1,200 per day (excluding tax). The rate doubles during non-business hours.

Prepaid packages of 15 to 150 units lower the hourly rate compared to on-demand service. Valid for 12 months; remote service; each hour or portion thereof is billed.

Site visits

Monthly rates exclude tax and vary depending on the consultant's profile; travel expenses are billed at actual cost.

1 visit per quarter: €150 to €400 (excluding tax) per month
1 visit per month: €410 to €1,080 (excluding tax) per month
1 visit per week: €1,590 to €4,220 (excluding tax) per month
Beyond that, up to daily service: based on a quote

What the plan does not cover

We'd rather spell it out than let them find out during the contract period.

On-site visits, billed separately depending on the plan selected
Migration of the existing system: audit, deployment of agents on workstations, integration of technical documentation and software vendors, deployment of monitoring. Based on a quote, depending on the infrastructure
The software licenses themselves, which are your responsibility
Travel expenses, billed at actual cost
Replacing Equipment

Outsourcing or In-House Hiring: How to Weigh the Options

A fair comparison is not made between an outsourcing contract and a salary. It is made between a contract and the total cost of an in-house position: total compensation, recruitment, ongoing training, tools (monitoring, ITSM, EDR, backup), and, above all, service continuity during time off, sick leave, and periods when the position is vacant.

The tipping point depends primarily on the size of the IT infrastructure and the level of expertise required. Below a certain volume, a dedicated in-house team is underutilized on routine tasks and understaffed for specialized topics. Above that threshold, a hybrid model becomes appropriate: an in-house team for proximity and business expertise, and a service provider for technical depth and continuity. This is what Simulation A covers.

For more information on the scope of coverage, see ourmanaged services offeringsfor small and medium-sized businesses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average cost of IT outsourcing per user in France?

Retail prices on the French market in 2026 range from approximately 50 to 200 € (excluding tax) per workstation per month. This range does not reflect a difference in quality but rather a difference in scope: entry-level plans cover user support, while premium plans include infrastructure, security, and monitoring. Compare the scope of services before comparing prices.

Is IT outsourcing billed per user or per device?

Both options exist, and many contracts combine the two: a per-user fee for support and a per-device fee for infrastructure. The per-user-only model is suitable for organizations with a small, predominantly cloud-based IT infrastructure.

What should an IT outsourcing quote include?

The exact scope of the coverage levels (N0 through N3); the actual hourly coverage, distinguishing between automated and human intervention; response and restoration times by severity level; a line-by-line breakdown of the equipment billed; the terms and conditions for on-site service; the cost of taking over the existing system; and the terms and conditions for reversibility at the end of the contract.

How much does it cost to take over the existing business?

The price is almost always based on a quote, because it depends on the condition of the documentation, the number of workstations to be equipped, and the complexity of the infrastructure. Ask for a separate quote for this service, distinct from the monthly flat rate: a provider that buries this cost in the contract makes any comparison impossible.

Can we switch IT outsourcing providers partway through the contract?

Yes, provided that the contract includes a reversibility clause. Before signing, verify that the documentation, access rights, configurations, and ticket history will be returned to you in a usable format, and within what timeframe.

How much does IT outsourcing cost at IT Systèmes?

The user support plan costs €12 (excluding tax) per month per user, for 5 or more users, with the Helpy AI agent available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and the managed services team available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. AI-based infrastructure incident diagnosis costs €500 (excluding tax) per month. Resolution is provided at no additional charge if your internal team handles it, or billed per device if our teams intervene. Applied to a typical SME environment with 25 users, these prices result in a total of €800 to €1,735 (excl. tax) per month, depending on the situation. Monitoring alone—without support or operations—is a standalone service priced at €2 (excl. tax) per month per device.

Reading Agreement

All amounts listed in this section are list prices, expressed in euros before tax and on a monthly basis, unless otherwise noted. Labor rates are valid for 12 months from the date the estimate is issued. Travel expenses are billed separately at actual cost. Current rate schedule: 2026.