Break-fix
- You pay by the hour, after something breaks
- Nobody is watching between incidents
- Small problems become outages
- The provider earns most when you are down
Managed IT services
Fully Managed IT Services for Small Business, Built Security-First
Ongoing monitoring, patching, and support keep small problems from becoming outages. Instead of paying by the hour after something breaks, you have a team watching your systems every day, for a monthly rate you know in advance.
The basics
What Managed IT Services Means
Most small businesses have only ever done IT one way: something breaks, you call somebody, and you pay by the hour to fix it. Managed IT is the other way round. One provider looks after your systems all the time, for a monthly rate you know in advance, so most problems are caught before they stop anyone working.
In-house
- One salary buys one person
- Coverage stops when they are out
- One person, four specialist jobs
- A single point of failure, by design
Managed
- Published pricing, known in advance
- Monitored and patched continuously
- 24/7 security operations on every plan
- Protect is the plan we recommend for most
Hiring one person does not solve it either. One IT hire is asked to be four specialists at once.
Security analyst
Microsoft 365 specialist
Network engineer
Helpdesk
The engagement model
How Working With Gradient Works
Every engagement follows the same four steps, whatever your size.
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An Assessment and a Proposal
A thirty-minute call going through what you run and what is not working, then a written proposal with the plan and add-ons we recommend, at the published rates.
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Onboarding
We document your environment, deploy our agents, secure every Microsoft 365 account, and bring monitoring online. Usually two to four weeks, depending on size.
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Ongoing Operations
The SOC watches for threats around the clock, monitoring catches issues before they become outages, and your team has one number to call.
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Reports and Reviews
A monthly security report on every plan, and on Protect+ a quarterly review of what happened and what is coming.
What you get
What a Managed IT Services Plan Includes
These are the building blocks of every Gradient engagement. Some scale up by plan, and each card says where.
24/7 SOC Monitoring
Security operations watching every plan, every hour. Identity, M365, and endpoint coverage scoped to your tier.
Proactive Maintenance
Continuous monitoring on every plan, and on Protect and Protect+ automated patching and updates, so problems are caught before they take down your business.
IT Helpdesk Services
End-user support on every plan, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CT. Microsoft 365 and identity on Connect; full device-level support on Protect and Protect+.
Microsoft 365 Management
Tenant configuration, licensing management, identity, and security baselines done right and kept current.
Vendor Management
One number for your ISP, software vendors, and hardware suppliers. We handle the calls so you do not have to.
Documentation & Reporting
Your environment is written down, changes and issues are logged, and you get a monthly security report on every plan and a quarterly review on Protect+. You always know what is happening.
Hardware Lifecycle
Procurement guidance, deployment, and replacement planning. We help you buy the right gear and retire the old gear cleanly.
Advisory
Quick questions answered as part of the plan: a best-practice check, a recommendation, a look at a change you are considering.
Differentiators
Why Small Businesses Choose Gradient
Here is what is actually different about working with Gradient.
Security is the floor, not the upgrade
Every Gradient plan includes 24/7 SOC monitoring. We do not sell plans without it, because it is the baseline, not a premium tier.
Transparent pricing, every line item visible
Per-user, per-month. You always know what you are paying for. Backup, servers, the network, and Microsoft 365 licensing are billed separately at published rates and shown clearly on every invoice.
Two devices per person included
Protect and Protect+ cover two company devices for each person, so a laptop and a desktop are one seat.
We tell you when the smaller plan fits
Every recommendation comes with the reason, and when Connect would do the job, or an add-on is not worth it for you, we say so. You get the plan your business needs, not the largest one we could sell.
- Transparent
- Every line item visible
- Security-first
- 24/7 SOC in every plan
- CIS IG1 Aligned
- The small-business security standard
Frequently asked
Managed IT Services for Small Business: FAQs
How much does managed IT cost?
Our managed IT pricing is per-user, per-month, and varies by tier. See our pricing page for current rates on Connect, Protect, and Protect+. Backup, servers, the network, and Microsoft 365 licensing are billed separately at published rates and shown clearly on every invoice.
What's the difference between Connect, Protect, and Protect+?
Connect is the security-first entry tier: Microsoft 365 management, identity protection, and 24/7 SOC monitoring of your cloud and identity layer. It is ideal for contractor-heavy teams, BYOD environments, and co-managed clients with internal IT. Protect adds full endpoint protection: EDR, patch management, mobile device management, and device-level helpdesk for the company devices each person uses. Protect+ adds Microsoft Intune deployment, advanced security tooling, and CIS IG1 aligned controls.
What does 24/7 SOC monitoring actually cover at each tier?
A 24/7 Security Operations Center is included on every Gradient plan, but the scope of what is monitored expands as you scale up. On Connect, the SOC watches your identity layer and Microsoft 365: suspicious sign-ins, malicious mailbox rules, and compromised tokens. On Protect, that coverage extends to your endpoints. On Protect+, the controls around it widen: conditional access, identity governance, and an audit log that is kept.
Do you require a contract?
Yes. Gradient requires a managed services agreement, and we view that as a feature rather than a limitation. Contracts give us the runway to invest in your environment properly: deploying agents, configuring security baselines, building documentation, and proactively maintaining systems. They give you commitment from us: defined scope, defined hours, and exit terms written in plain language.
Ready to See What Predictable IT Looks Like?
A thirty-minute call where we go through what you run and what is not working. We reply within one business day, and there is no obligation.
Schedule an IT assessment