What Are Typical IT Support Response Times for UK Businesses?

Co-managed IT supplements your existing IT team with external specialist support. Your team retains control of day-to-day operations while the MSP provides expertise in areas like cybersecurity, cloud management, or after-hours coverage. This model is ideal for businesses with 50-250 staff whose IT team is stretched.

Industry standard SLAs include critical issues responded to within 1 hour, standard issues within 4 hours, and low-priority requests within 8 hours. 99.9% uptime guarantees are standard for monitored infrastructure. Always confirm whether SLAs cover response time or resolution time.

Managed IT support typically includes proactive monitoring, helpdesk access, patch management, backup management, security management, and regular reviews. There are 12,867 active MSPs in the UK generating £51 billion in annual revenue. 49% of UK businesses have a basic cyber security skills gap, making external support essential.

An MSP manages your IT infrastructure and support. An MSSP specialises in cybersecurity — running SOC operations, MDR, and incident response. Only 22% of UK MSPs perform cybersecurity-related activities. AMVIA combines both capabilities for a complete managed service.

Managed IT support for UK SMEs typically costs £50-£150 per user per month depending on scope. This usually covers helpdesk, monitoring, patch management, and basic security. Adding cybersecurity services increases costs but protects against average breach costs of £3,550 per incident.