How Much Does Managed IT Cost for a 10–50 Employee CPA Firm in Phoenix?

The short answer: budget $200–$250 per user per month for managed IT at a CPA firm

For a Phoenix CPA firm operating under the FTC Safeguards Rule, a realistic managed IT planning range is approximately $200–$250 per user per month. That figure covers the recurring managed services labor and security stack. It does not include Microsoft 365 licensing, hardware, or network management, which are each billed separately. Those three billing layers are explained in detail below so you can compare any proposal on an apples-to-apples basis.

A 10-person firm should budget roughly $2,000–$2,500 per month in recurring managed services before those additional costs. A 50-person firm should plan for approximately $10,000–$12,500 per month on the same basis. These are planning figures, not a guaranteed quote. Actual pricing depends on your specific environment, scope, and the responsibilities included.

Why CPA firms need more than standard business IT

Tax and accounting firms hold something attackers want: Social Security numbers, bank account details, tax identification numbers, and years of financial history for individuals and businesses. That data profile makes a CPA firm a meaningful target regardless of its size.

The regulatory layer compounds the technical requirement. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) has applied to accounting firms for years, and the FTC Safeguards Rule updated its technical requirements significantly. If your firm prepares tax returns or provides financial planning services, the Safeguards Rule applies to you. Its requirements include a written information security program (WISP), multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption of customer information, access controls, and ongoing monitoring. These are not checkbox items that a standard business IT plan automatically covers. Each one represents ongoing operational work that a managed services program either does or does not include in its scope.

The practical implication: a lower-priced IT proposal may simply reflect a narrower scope, not a better deal. The question worth asking every provider is which specific responsibilities are included in the monthly fee and which ones remain with the firm.

The three billing layers every CPA firm should understand

A well-structured managed IT proposal separates three distinct cost categories. When these are bundled together without explanation, or when one is omitted entirely, cost comparisons across providers become meaningless.

Layer 1: Per-user managed services (the main recurring fee)

This is the labor and security stack billed per user each month. For a CPA firm in the Phoenix market, Onsite Technical Services uses a planning range of $200–$250 per user per month for the managed services program appropriate to the GLBA and FTC Safeguards Rule environment. This layer covers:

• Business-hours helpdesk support for every user, with 24/7 monitoring and after-hours incident response
• Endpoint detection and response (EDR): continuous behavioral monitoring of every laptop, desktop, and server, with the ability to isolate a compromised device before an attack spreads
• Managed detection and response (MDR): a live security operations center staffed around the clock, so a real analyst reviews and responds to genuine threats at any hour
• Identity threat detection and response (ITDR): monitoring of Microsoft 365 accounts for compromised logins, impossible-travel sign-ins, and unauthorized account changes
• Advanced email protection: blocking phishing, business email compromise attempts, and weaponized attachments before they reach a user's inbox (email is the most common entry point for attacks against professional services firms)
• Application allowlisting and endpoint controls: only approved software is permitted to run, and approved applications are restricted in what they can access and do
• PC encryption: full-disk encryption on every device, so a lost or stolen laptop does not become a reportable data breach
• Endpoint patching and updates: prompt closure of known software vulnerabilities across operating systems and applications
• Security awareness training and phishing simulations: recurring training for staff, because people remain the most-targeted part of any organization
• Data loss prevention (DLP): controls that prevent sensitive client data from leaving the environment through unapproved channels
• Microsoft 365 security administration: configuration, policy enforcement, security-baseline reviews, and identity governance within your Microsoft 365 environment (Microsoft provides the platform; securing what is inside it is ongoing operational work)
• Computer and Microsoft 365 backup: independent backup of both local data and Microsoft 365 content, including email, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. Microsoft does not fully back up this content on your behalf.
• Periodic Business Technology Reviews (BTRs): strategic technology reviews included in the Standard program, not billed as a separate engagement
• WISP support: documentation and evidence generation that supports your firm's Written Information Security Program obligations under the FTC Safeguards Rule

Layer 2: Network management (always a separate line item)

Network management covers the firewall, managed switches, and wireless infrastructure at your office. This is never bundled into the per-user managed services rate. It is always priced as a separate line item, and the cost depends on two things: who owns the hardware, and whether the engagement requires a SIEM component for compliance logging.

Cost within each range scales with the size and complexity of your network. A single-location 10-person firm with existing hardware will fall toward the lower end. A multi-location firm or one with aging hardware that OTS will replace and manage will land higher. These are planning figures. A site assessment produces the actual number.

Layer 3: Microsoft 365 licensing (billed on Microsoft's terms)

Microsoft 365 licensing is always its own line, priced by Microsoft and billed based on the licenses your firm actually uses. It is not marked up inside the managed services fee and is not part of the per-user planning range above. For most CPA firms, Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the appropriate license tier given the security features it includes, but the specific license selection depends on your firm's requirements and is a separate conversation from managed services pricing.

A concrete scenario: a 10-person Phoenix CPA firm

The table below shows how the three billing layers combine for a 10-person firm. These numbers use the planning ranges above and are illustrative examples, not a quote.

A 10-person firm with existing network hardware should budget roughly $2,050–$2,700 per month in recurring managed services and network management combined, before licensing. A firm that needs OTS to provide and manage the network hardware should budget approximately $2,150–$2,900 per month before licensing. These figures assume a standard single-location setup. Projects, migrations, hardware purchases, and assessments are priced separately as one-time or third-party costs.

What changes the cost for larger firms (25–50 employees)

The per-user rate is the same whether a firm has 10 employees or 50, so cost scales predictably with headcount. What can change the total picture are factors that add complexity beyond a simple user-count multiplication:

• Multiple office locations: each location carries its own network management line item.
• Remote or hybrid staff: VPN configuration, endpoint policy enforcement for home networks, and identity controls add operational scope.
• Server infrastructure: on-premises servers for tax software or document management require monitoring, patching, and backup beyond the standard endpoint scope.
• Third-party integrations: tax preparation software, document management platforms, and client portals each represent an integration point that needs security review and access controls.
• Compliance documentation needs: firms that want a more complete WISP or that face an FTC examination may need a more structured compliance documentation engagement, which would be priced as a project rather than recurring managed services.

What the FTC Safeguards Rule actually requires of your IT program

The FTC Safeguards Rule is not a single product or a one-time setup. It requires CPA firms to maintain a living information security program. The specific technical requirements include MFA for any individual accessing customer information, encryption of customer data in transit and at rest, access controls limiting who can reach sensitive client files, continuous monitoring, and periodic risk assessments. Your firm, not your IT provider, is ultimately responsible for its own compliance program. What a managed IT program does is implement and operate the technical safeguards that support it, generate the evidence your WISP documentation needs, and respond when something goes wrong. Do not accept a proposal that conflates having security tools installed with having a program in place. The tools matter. The ongoing operational responsibility for running them consistently is what actually reduces risk.

How to compare managed IT proposals as a CPA firm

When you receive competing proposals, apply these questions before comparing monthly totals:

• Is the per-user fee the complete managed services and security rate, or are cybersecurity components priced separately on top of it?
• Is network management included or excluded? If excluded, what would it cost to add it?
• Is Microsoft 365 licensing wrapped into the per-user number or billed as its own line?
• Which specific security functions are included: EDR, MDR, ITDR, DLP, application controls, email protection, backup, and encryption?
• Who is operationally responsible for each function on a daily basis, and how is that documented?
• Does the program include WISP support and compliance documentation, or is that a separate engagement?
• What is the support model: business-hours helpdesk with 24/7 monitoring and after-hours incident response, or something narrower?

A proposal that answers all of these questions cleanly is easier to evaluate. One that deflects them warrants further scrutiny before signing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the FTC Safeguards Rule apply to CPA firms?

Yes. CPA firms that prepare tax returns or provide financial planning services are considered financial institutions under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which means the FTC Safeguards Rule applies. Its requirements include a Written Information Security Program (WISP), multi-factor authentication, encryption of customer information, access controls, and ongoing monitoring.

Is network management included in the monthly per-user managed IT price?

No. Network management (firewall, switches, wireless) is always a separate line item from the per-user managed services rate. The two are never bundled together. Network management pricing depends on whether the firm owns its own hardware or whether Onsite Technical Services provides it, and scales with network size and complexity.

What does a WISP have to do with managed IT?

A Written Information Security Program is a required compliance document under the FTC Safeguards Rule. A managed IT program that includes WISP support generates the technical evidence (access logs, patch records, security configurations, incident documentation) that your WISP needs to demonstrate an active, functioning security program. The WISP itself remains the firm's responsibility; the managed IT program supports it operationally.

Why is Microsoft 365 licensing billed separately from managed services?

Microsoft 365 licensing is owned and priced by Microsoft and billed based on the licenses your firm uses. It is a separate cost from the labor and security operations that a managed services program provides. Bundling the two obscures what you are actually paying for each, making it harder to compare proposals or adjust scope later.

How does a 50-person CPA firm's managed IT cost compare to a 10-person firm?

The per-user rate is the same regardless of firm size: approximately $200–$250 per user per month as a planning range. A 50-person firm should budget approximately $10,000–$12,500 per month in recurring managed services before network management and licensing. Additional complexity (multiple locations, on-premises servers, third-party integrations) can increase the total, since network management is priced per location.

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