“How much does IT maintenance cost?” is the first question we get from companies in Brașov. The right answer depends on what exactly needs to be maintained and how long you can afford to stand still when something breaks. In this article we explain what an IT maintenance service should include, which payment models exist and what drives the price.
What IT maintenance actually is
IT maintenance doesn't just mean “someone comes when the printer stops working”. For a company with 20–500 employees, it means the network, servers, workstations, email and applications run predictably, are kept up to date and protected, and data can be recovered if something goes wrong.
What an IT maintenance service should include
- User helpdesk — Level 1 (everyday issues: accounts, printers, Outlook) and Level 2 (servers, network, business applications).
- Proactive monitoring — alerts for servers, disks, backups, connections and critical equipment, before users notice.
- Patch management — regular updates for Windows, servers, firewalls and switches, scheduled outside business hours.
- Verified backup — not just “it runs”, but regularly tested by restoring; ideally with an off-site copy.
- Operational security — firewall, antivirus/EDR, MFA, privileged accounts, network segmentation.
- Documentation and reporting — equipment and license inventory, tickets, a monthly report on what was done and which risks remain.
If a quote doesn't mention monitoring, tested backups and reporting, you're probably getting on-demand break-fix, not maintenance.
Payment models: subscription, on demand or project
1. Monthly subscription (managed services)
You pay a fixed monthly cost, based on the number of users, servers and locations. The advantage: predictable costs and a provider motivated to prevent problems rather than bill for them. Suitable for companies without an IT department or with a single IT person.
2. On-demand support (hourly rate)
You pay only for the hours worked. At Gobalt Solutions the standard rate is 35 EUR/hour for Level 1 and 45 EUR/hour for Level 2. Suitable for companies with in-house IT that need occasional expertise or a Level 2 for their own team.
3. Projects
A fixed price for work with a clear start and end: Microsoft 365 migration, virtualization cluster, new network, security audit. It is set after assessing the current situation.
What drives the price
- Number of users and workstations — the most important factor for helpdesk.
- Servers and virtualization — a VMware, Hyper-V or Proxmox cluster needs different attention than a single file server.
- Number of locations — each site means networking, VPN and sometimes travel.
- Availability requirements — a production line that can't be allowed to stop needs shorter intervention times and redundancy.
- Compliance requirements — NIS2, ISO 27001 or TISAX add policies, documentation and audits.
- Starting point — an undocumented or outdated infrastructure needs an initial catch-up phase.
How to compare quotes
- SLA in the contract — how fast they respond and how fast they intervene in a critical incident, in writing, not promised verbally.
- What the subscription includes and what is billed separately.
- Monitoring and reporting — do you get a clear picture every month, or do you find out about problems when things stop?
- Experience with your infrastructure — virtualization, firewalls, Microsoft 365, industrial networks.
- Local presence — how long it takes for someone to reach your site.
Where to start
The simplest step is an assessment of the current situation. We offer a free 45-minute IT check-up for companies in Brașov: we review your backup, firewall, Active Directory, updates and network, and you get a list of risks ranked by impact. Based on it, you can decide whether you need a subscription, on-demand support or just a few fixes.
See what our IT maintenance service in Brașov includes (engagement models and rates), or the page Managed IT Services.