Sydney IT Support Without the 36-Month Contract — $180/hr and Nothing Hidden
No one-size retainer. Pay for the labour you actually use at $180/hr ex GST, add an optional $29.95-per-endpoint security baseline with no monthly floor, and layer on per-device management if your fleet needs it. Month-to-month throughout, with nothing resembling a 36-month contract.
Sound familiar? Three ways Sydney SMBs get burned by IT
We hear a version of one of these on almost every scoping call, whether the caller is in the CBD or out in Western Sydney.
Nobody actually owns your IT
Microsoft 365 was configured by whoever had time that week. Antivirus came from one supplier, backup from another, MFA is half turned on, and nobody is tracking the laptops. The day something breaks, there is no single person to call and no record of what was even set up.
Reactive support, nothing proactive
Whoever handles IT only turns up once something is already broken. Patches sit un-applied for months, licences auto-renew unchecked, new starters wait days for a laptop that actually works, and nobody has tested whether the backup would restore. It stays invisible until it costs you.
Big MSPs, bigger exit fees
The larger Sydney providers want a three-year term, a hefty onboarding fee and a ticketing system standing between you and an actual technician. You become an account number, not a name, and leaving is built to hurt.
Three parts — combine what fits, skip what doesn't
There is no bundled retainer forcing you to buy things you do not need. Pick from three published components, stack the ones that apply to your business, and add specialist project work only when it comes up.
Ad-Hoc Support
- All hands-on work — troubleshooting, fixes, project time, configuration — charged at $180/hr ex GST, with nothing else added
- No lock-in, no minimum spend, and no separate "fixed-fee" labour tier
- The security baseline below carries zero labour hours; anything hands-on is always billed this way
- Often the cheaper path for a lean team that rarely needs to call
Security Baseline
- Bundles a secure remote-support platform, centralised endpoint management, Bitdefender-powered antivirus and automated patching
- $29.95 per endpoint per month ex GST, with no monthly floor to clear
- Tooling only: no labour is bundled in; any hands-on time still bills at $180/hr ex GST
- The Managed Security Essentials page breaks down exactly what runs on each device
Device Management (MDM)
- Covers Windows, macOS, iOS and Android — mix and match to whatever your team actually carries
- Enrolment, configuration profiles and compliance policy so your fleet behaves consistently
- Priced per device and quoted to your fleet size, not a generic per-seat guess
- Runs fine on its own, or layered on top of the security baseline if you are taking both
Bigger jobs, scoped and quoted like projects
These sit outside the three core components and get their own written quote before anything starts — labour at $180/hr ex GST, plus any hardware or licensing costs:
- Cloud backup, scoped to the data you actually want protected
- WordPress web design & hosting, or a fully custom build
- Network design, hardening and ongoing management
- Cyber security audits and Essential 8 alignment reviews
- Platform migrations — Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, on-prem to cloud
A few things we'd rather flag now than later
- Labour never changes. It is $180/hr ex GST, full stop. There is no fixed-fee labour tier, and the $29.95 security baseline is tooling only, carrying no hands-on hours.
- EDR / XDR is priced separately, not bundled in. The baseline runs Bitdefender-powered antivirus; if you need full behavioural telemetry and threat hunting on top, we quote that as an add-on.
- There is no monthly floor on the security baseline. You are billed $29.95 ex GST per endpoint you actually choose to protect, and that is it.
- If ad-hoc at $180/hr genuinely works out cheaper for your team, we will say so on the call. A small office does not need a subscription it will not use.
Every price on this page is the real one
Plenty of Sydney providers make you fill out a form before they will give you a number. We just publish ours. Labour is always hourly, the baseline and device management are optional extras you choose, and everything below is ex GST.
Ad-Hoc Support
- Troubleshooting, fixes, project work and straight advice
- Configuration changes and remediation
- Usually cheapest for a lean team
Security Baseline
- Secure remote-support platform and centralised endpoint management
- Bitdefender-powered antivirus with automated patching
- Tooling only — hands-on time still bills at $180/hr
Device Management
- Enrolment, configuration profiles and compliance policy
- Whichever of Windows, macOS, iOS and Android you run
- A fleet that behaves consistently across every desk
Stack only what applies. Take ad-hoc support at $180/hr ex GST on its own, add the security baseline, add device management, or run all three. Each is quoted separately and never bundled to disguise another: EDR/XDR add-ons, cloud backup, hardware and specialist projects — websites, networking, audits, migrations — all priced as labour at $180/hr plus product costs, in writing before anything starts.
How a Typical Engagement Runs
Two weeks, start to finish, and you will know exactly what is happening at each stage of it.
Scoping call (20 minutes)
We count endpoints, look at your setup, devices and current tools, and work out which parts you actually need. If ad-hoc at $180/hr alone is the cheapest fit for you, we say so — no pressure either way.
Onboarding (1–2 weeks)
We map your environment, deploy the security baseline wherever you want it, enrol devices into management, and set the initial patch and policy baseline. Setup labour bills at the same $180/hr ex GST as everything else.
Monthly rhythm
Patching runs on schedule, policies enforced, alerts triaged, new starters onboarded. You get a monthly snapshot: what patched, what was blocked, what's coming up — and you talk to the technician, not a queue.
What you can expect, honestly
- Published rates. $180/hr labour, $29.95/endpoint security baseline, per-device management quoted to your fleet — no "true-up" surprises, and every project priced before it starts.
- One technician. Devices, security, backup and networking all handled by the same Sydney engineer, rather than five vendors pointing at each other.
- You speak to the technician. Aaron is the technician. There is no ticket queue standing between you and the person doing the work.
- No lock-in. Month-to-month, 30 days' notice and you are gone. That is the leverage that keeps us sharp.
- Add-ons priced openly. EDR/XDR, cloud backup, helpdesk hours and projects are all quoted per line item, in writing, before anything starts.
One Owner of Your IT vs. Break-Fix at $180/hr
Ad-hoc support is great for the occasional problem. But when nobody owns your IT, the small things pile up quietly until one becomes a big one. Here's the difference.
| What you get | Break-fix / ad-hoc only | Support Sydney managed IT |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns your IT | Nobody — you chase it | One accountable owner who knows your setup |
| When things get done | Only after you notice and call | Proactively, before it becomes your problem |
| Patching & updates | Whenever, if at all | Scheduled and tracked across devices |
| Security posture | Reactive — fixed after an incident | Baseline maintained, gaps closed on a plan |
| Knowing your environment | Re-explained every call | Documented — we already know it |
| Billing | $180/hr, unpredictable spikes | Transparent $180/hr labour + published parts you combine |
| Lock-in | None, but no continuity either | Month-to-month, no lock-in — continuity without the cuffs |
Honest rule of thumb: if you only need a hand once in a blue moon, ad-hoc at $180/hr ex GST is the right, cheaper fit — and we'll say so. Once IT is getting in the way of running the business, having one owner pays for itself in the problems you never hear about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about contracts, inclusions, and how the parts fit together.
How long is the contract?
Month-to-month. Exit with 30 days' written notice. Most Sydney MSPs push 24-36 month contracts; we don't. If we're not doing a great job you should be free to leave — that discipline keeps us sharp.
What's NOT included by default?
The $29.95 security baseline is tooling only — secure remote support platform, managed endpoint platform, Bitdefender-powered AV and patching automation. It does not include:
- Labour — all hands-on work is billed at $180/hr ex GST. There is no fixed-fee labour plan.
- EDR / XDR — a priced add-on, not included in the base antivirus.
- Device management (MDM) — custom, quoted per device; separate from the baseline.
- Cloud backup — separate engagement, scoped to the data set you want protected.
- Hardware, websites, networking and major projects — scoped as quoted projects (labour at $180/hr plus product costs) before work starts.
Anything outside that list is quoted in writing first. There are no invoices you did not see coming.
Is there a minimum business size?
No minimum at all. There's no monthly minimum on the security baseline — you pay $29.95 ex GST for each endpoint you choose to protect, nothing more — and no minimum on ad-hoc. Very small teams that only need occasional help are often best on ad-hoc at $180/hr ex GST alone, and we'll say so on the scoping call.
How long does onboarding take?
If you take the security baseline, device management, or both, most small Sydney businesses are up and running inside a fortnight:
- Week 1: Discovery and environment review, security baseline and Bitdefender rollout, device enrolment, and the first patch and policy baseline set.
- Week 2: Policy tuned to your environment, asset inventory checked off, and your first monthly report in hand.
Setup labour is billed at $180/hr ex GST and quoted up front. Specialist work (backup, networking, migrations) is scoped separately. You'll have visibility throughout — no black box.
We already have an internal IT person — can you still help?
Yes. We work co-managed regularly. Your internal person keeps day-to-day ownership and the business context; we supply the security baseline, device management, patching discipline and escalation support underneath it, with labour billed at $180/hr ex GST as needed.
Many of our best-fit clients run this way — the internal person isn't replaced, they're equipped with a real management console and patch/policy automation.
What's the difference between EDR and the base antivirus?
The baseline is Bitdefender-powered antivirus: real-time scanning, heuristic detection, web traffic security, anti-phishing and ransomware protection. EDR and XDR sit above that as a priced add-on rather than being folded in by default.
For most Sydney small businesses, centralised endpoint management plus Bitdefender antivirus is the honest, right-sized baseline. We will say so if your risk profile genuinely warrants more. Full detail sits on the Managed Security Essentials page.
Which parts do I actually need, and how do they fit together?
They're not either/or — they stack. Everyone pays $180/hr ex GST for labour; that's the only labour rate and there's no fixed-fee plan. On top of that you can add the optional $29.95/endpoint security baseline (no minimum) and custom per-device management — take one, two, or all three.
If occasional ad-hoc help is genuinely all you need, we'll tell you that. We work out the right mix on the scoping call — no pressure either way.
Do you only do security, or full managed IT?
Full IT, not just security. The per-endpoint baseline detailed on the Managed Security Essentials page is one optional piece of a wider arrangement.
We also handle device management (MDM), cloud backup, website hosting and management, network design and hardening, cyber security audits and Essential 8 alignment, and migrations (Google Workspace → Microsoft 365, on-prem → cloud) — delivered as quoted projects with labour at $180/hr ex GST.
Ready for One Owner of Your IT?
Book a 20-minute scoping call. We will count your endpoints, look at your setup and devices, and tell you straight which parts you actually need — including whether ad-hoc alone would cost you less.
Prefer email? hello@supportperth.com.au — we reply same day in business hours.