If you run a CPA practice, law firm, or financial advisory in the San Francisco Bay Area, your IT is not just infrastructure. It is the foundation that your client relationships, regulatory compliance, and daily revenue depend on. Choosing the wrong IT provider costs more than money. It costs billable hours, client trust, and potentially your firm’s reputation.

This guide gives you the framework to evaluate managed IT providers with confidence. You will learn the questions that separate a competent provider from one that will leave you exposed, the pricing models you will encounter, and the red flags that should end a conversation immediately.

This is a preview of our complete IT Buyer’s Guide. The full version includes vendor comparison worksheets, RFP templates, and a detailed scoring rubric you can use during your evaluation.

Why This Decision Matters More for Professional Services Firms

Your firm handles data that carries legal, regulatory, and fiduciary obligations. Tax returns, litigation documents, M&A deal files, personal financial records — these are not spreadsheets you can afford to lose or expose.

The IT provider you choose will have administrative access to your systems, your client files, and your communication tools. They will manage your backups, your security, and in many cases, your compliance posture. A general-purpose IT company that primarily supports retail shops and restaurants does not have the context to serve a firm like yours.

Professional services firms face specific challenges that generic IT providers routinely miss:

  • Regulatory compliance requirements that vary by industry (FTC Safeguards Rule, state bar ethical obligations, SEC/FINRA cybersecurity requirements)
  • Cyber insurance documentation that carriers now require as a condition of coverage
  • Client-facing security expectations, including due diligence questionnaires from institutional partners and enterprise clients
  • Seasonal workload spikes (tax season, litigation deadlines, fund closings) where downtime is catastrophically expensive
  • High per-hour billing rates that make every minute of IT disruption a direct revenue loss

According to industry data, the average cost of IT downtime can reach $5,600 per minute for businesses (Endurance IT). For a law firm where partners bill $400 to $800 per hour, even a two-hour outage during a critical deadline can cost tens of thousands of dollars in lost productivity and missed filings.

Managed IT vs. Break-Fix: Understanding the Two Models

Before evaluating specific providers, you need to understand the two fundamental IT service models. Getting this wrong at the start creates problems that compound over years.

Break-Fix

In a break-fix arrangement, you call your IT person when something breaks, and you pay per incident. There is no monthly fee, no monitoring, and no proactive maintenance. You wait for failure, then react.

This model creates three problems for professional services firms:

  1. Unpredictable costs. A server failure during tax season or before a trial date does not wait for your budget cycle. Emergency repairs routinely cost 3 to 5 times what preventive maintenance would have.
  2. Misaligned incentives. Your IT person earns more when things break. They have no financial motivation to prevent problems.
  3. No compliance coverage. Break-fix providers do not monitor your systems, maintain documentation, or ensure you meet regulatory standards. If the FTC, a state bar, or a cyber insurance carrier asks for evidence of your security controls, a break-fix provider cannot produce it.

Managed IT Services

A managed IT provider charges a predictable monthly fee and takes responsibility for proactively monitoring, maintaining, securing, and supporting your entire IT environment. The relationship is ongoing, not transactional.

Managed services typically include:

  • 24/7 monitoring and alerting
  • Help desk support for your staff
  • Patch management and software updates
  • Backup management and disaster recovery
  • Cybersecurity tools (antivirus, endpoint detection, email filtering)
  • Vendor management for your software and hardware suppliers
  • Regular strategic reviews with a virtual CIO or technology advisor

Research consistently shows that switching to a managed service model can lower IT costs by as much as 25% while improving efficiency by up to 65% (NinjaOne). The predictability alone makes budgeting significantly easier for firm administrators.

For a deeper comparison, see our article on Managed IT vs. Break-Fix for Professional Services.

Pricing Models Explained: What You Will Actually Pay

Managed IT pricing varies, and the way a provider structures their fees tells you a lot about how they operate. Here are the models you will encounter.

Per-User Pricing

The most common model for professional services firms. You pay a flat monthly fee for each employee who uses IT services. In 2026, expect to see ranges of $110 to $400 per user per month depending on the scope of services included (Solution Builders).

  • Basic support (help desk, monitoring, patching): $75 to $150 per user
  • Comprehensive support (adds security, backup, strategic planning): $150 to $300 per user
  • Premium support (adds compliance, vCIO, advanced security): $250 to $400 per user

Per-user pricing works well for firms where every employee uses technology daily, which includes virtually every accounting, legal, and financial services firm.

Per-Device Pricing

You pay based on the number of devices managed — desktops, laptops, servers, firewalls, and network equipment. Typical costs range from $15 to $500 per device per month, depending on the device type and complexity (Corsica Technologies).

This model can create blind spots. If an employee uses a personal tablet for email or accesses client files from an unmanaged phone, those devices fall outside your coverage.

Tiered Bundles

Many providers offer bronze/silver/gold or basic/standard/premium tiers. Each tier includes a defined set of services, with higher tiers adding more advanced cybersecurity, compliance support, and strategic advisory.

What to watch for: Some providers use artificially low base tiers to win business, then charge steep fees for anything outside the bundle. Ask for a complete list of what is and is not included before signing.

The Hidden Cost Trap

The cheapest managed IT proposal is almost never the best value. Providers who undercut on price typically do so by:

  • Excluding cybersecurity tools you will need to purchase separately
  • Capping help desk hours or charging per-ticket above a threshold
  • Not including onsite support visits
  • Omitting compliance documentation and reporting
  • Using junior technicians who escalate complex issues, adding delays

Ask every provider: “What would a typical month cost us, including everything we would realistically need?” Then compare total cost of ownership, not just the line item on the proposal.

15 Questions to Ask Every Managed IT Provider

These questions are designed specifically for professional services firms. The answers will tell you whether a provider understands your industry or is simply selling generic IT support.

Industry Experience

  1. How many professional services firms do you currently support? Look for a provider where firms like yours represent a significant portion of their client base — not a side project.

  2. Can you describe the specific compliance requirements for our industry? A qualified provider should be able to discuss the FTC Safeguards Rule (for financial services and CPA firms), state bar technology competence requirements (for law firms), or SEC/FINRA cybersecurity standards without hesitation.

  3. Do you have experience with our industry-specific software? Whether it is CCH Axcess, Lacerte, Clio, PracticePanther, iManage, or Juniper Square, your IT provider should have hands-on experience with the platforms your staff uses daily.

Security and Compliance

  1. What endpoint security tools do you deploy, and are they included in the base price? You need endpoint detection and response (EDR), not just antivirus. Ask if the cost is bundled or extra.

  2. How do you handle our cyber insurance documentation requirements? Carriers now require evidence of specific controls. Your IT provider should be able to produce this documentation as a routine part of service.

  3. What is your incident response process if we experience a breach? The answer should be specific: containment steps, notification timelines, forensic investigation, and communication support.

  4. Do you provide security awareness training for our staff? Phishing remains the top attack vector. Training should be ongoing, not a one-time event.

Operations and Support

  1. What are your response time guarantees? Get specific SLAs in writing. “We respond quickly” is not a commitment.

  2. Do we get a dedicated account manager or team, or will we talk to a different person every time? Consistency matters. A technician who knows your environment resolves issues faster.

  3. What does your onboarding process look like? A thorough onboarding should include a full network assessment, documentation of your environment, a security gap analysis, and a 90-day improvement plan.

Strategic Value

  1. How often do you conduct strategic technology reviews with clients? Look for quarterly business reviews at minimum, where your provider assesses your technology roadmap, budget planning, and upcoming needs.

  2. Can you help us evaluate and implement AI tools safely? As professional services firms explore AI for workflow automation, your IT provider should be able to guide adoption while protecting client data.

  3. What happens if we outgrow your capabilities? Firms in San Jose, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and across the Bay Area grow at different rates. Your provider should scale with you.

Contract Terms

  1. What is the minimum contract term, and what are the exit provisions? Avoid providers who lock you into multi-year agreements with steep early termination fees. Confidence in their service should eliminate the need for contractual handcuffs.

  2. How is pricing adjusted at renewal? Annual increases should be transparent and tied to a clear rationale — not a surprise.

Red Flags That Should End the Conversation

In over 26 years of serving professional services firms in the Bay Area, we have seen firms come to us after painful experiences with the wrong provider. These are the warning signs that consistently predict problems:

  • They cannot name a single compliance framework relevant to your industry. If they do not know what the FTC Safeguards Rule is, they cannot help you comply with it.
  • They do not carry their own cyber liability insurance. If your IT provider is not insured, you are absorbing their risk.
  • They resist or delay producing documentation. Your cyber insurance carrier, your clients, and regulators all require evidence of controls. A provider who cannot produce reports on demand is not maintaining them.
  • All communication goes through a single person. If one technician leaves and your entire IT knowledge walks out the door, you have a business continuity risk, not a partnership.
  • They have no defined onboarding process. Winging it with your infrastructure is not acceptable.
  • They push back on security investments. A provider who discourages MFA, EDR, or encrypted backups because “it’s not necessary for a firm your size” is exposing you to risk and potential insurance denial.

What to Look for in an IT Partner

The best managed IT relationships share common characteristics:

  • Industry specialization. Your provider understands regulatory requirements, peak seasons, and the software your firm depends on.
  • Proactive communication. You hear from them before problems escalate, not just when you submit a ticket.
  • Transparent pricing. You know exactly what you are paying for and what is not included.
  • Documented processes. Their onboarding, incident response, and escalation procedures are written down and repeatable.
  • A plan, not just support. They act as a strategic advisor who helps you make smart technology decisions, not just someone who fixes things when they break.

For guidance on selecting the right provider, read our article on How to Choose a Managed IT Provider for Professional Services.

Get the Complete Guide

This preview covers the evaluation framework, pricing models, and key questions. The complete IT Buyer’s Guide goes further with:

  • A printable vendor comparison worksheet for scoring providers side by side
  • An RFP template customized for professional services firms
  • A weighted scoring rubric that prioritizes what matters most to firms like yours
  • A contract review checklist to catch unfavorable terms before you sign
  • An onboarding expectations document you can hand to your new provider on day one

Download the Complete IT Buyer’s Guide — it is free, and it will save you from a decision you will regret.

If you want to talk through your specific situation, One82 offers a complimentary 15-minute discovery call where we can assess whether your current IT setup is meeting your firm’s needs. No sales pitch — just an honest conversation about where you stand.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should a professional services firm expect to pay for managed IT?

In 2026, comprehensive managed IT services typically cost between $150 and $300 per user per month for professional services firms. This range includes help desk support, cybersecurity tools, backup and disaster recovery, patch management, and strategic advisory. Firms with advanced compliance requirements or complex environments may see costs toward the higher end of that range.

What is the difference between managed IT and break-fix?

Managed IT is a proactive, subscription-based model where your provider monitors, maintains, and secures your systems for a predictable monthly fee. Break-fix is reactive — you call when something fails and pay per incident. For professional services firms with compliance obligations and high-value client data, managed IT provides the ongoing monitoring and documentation that break-fix cannot.

How do I know if my current IT provider is doing a good job?

Ask them to produce documentation of your current security controls, backup test results, and compliance posture. If they cannot provide these within 48 hours, that is a significant gap. Additionally, if your staff regularly experiences unresolved IT issues, slow response times, or repeated problems with the same systems, your provider may not be meeting a professional services standard.

Should our IT provider specialize in professional services?

Industry specialization is not strictly required, but it makes a substantial difference. A provider who serves CPA firms, law firms, and financial advisory practices understands your compliance requirements, your seasonal workload patterns, and the specific software platforms your staff depends on. That context reduces onboarding time, prevents compliance gaps, and means fewer situations where you have to explain your business to your IT team.

What compliance requirements should my IT provider help with?

This depends on your industry. CPA firms and financial services companies must comply with the FTC Safeguards Rule. Law firms must meet state bar technology competence standards. Financial advisory firms may face SEC, FINRA, or DFPI requirements. All professional services firms handling sensitive data need to document controls for cyber insurance renewals. Your IT provider should know which requirements apply to you without being told.

How long does it take to switch IT providers?

A well-managed transition typically takes 30 to 60 days. This includes environment documentation, knowledge transfer, credential migration, and a parallel support period. Be cautious of any provider who says they can take over in a week — that usually means they are skipping critical steps. Also confirm that your current provider’s contract includes reasonable exit provisions and data portability.

What questions should I ask about cybersecurity specifically?

Beyond the general evaluation questions in this guide, ask about their specific endpoint detection tools, their approach to email security and phishing prevention, whether they conduct regular vulnerability assessments, how they handle security awareness training for your staff, and whether their cybersecurity services are included in the base price or billed separately. The answers reveal how seriously they take security versus treating it as an upsell.