Managed plans
Flat monthly fee per user
One fee per person covers that person's computer, phone, and accounts, including unlimited remote help desk. This is the core of most agreements.
How we charge
Clear billing, explained before you sign anything.
Most of what you pay ECS is a flat monthly fee per person, so your IT bill is predictable and follows your headcount. Anything outside that is quoted before the work starts.
The six ways work is billed
Most clients start with a plan, add per-device coverage for servers and network gear, and use the rest only when they need it.
Per-device coverage
Monthly fee per device
Plans cover people, and these lines cover the equipment behind them: servers, firewalls, network gear, printers, shared workstations, mobile devices, and additional locations.
Security services
Monthly, per user or per endpoint
Managed detection, email protection, cloud backup, and security training are included in Professional and Complete, and can be added to any other plan one at a time.
Projects and assessments
Fixed price, quoted first
Migrations, network refreshes, server builds, and office moves are quoted in writing before work starts. Vulnerability assessments are priced by the number of IP addresses in scope.
Hourly work
Hourly, by the quarter hour
Work outside your plan is billed hourly after a short minimum, in 15-minute increments. Plan clients get a lower rate on every line. Clients without a plan can prepay blocks of hours.
Strategic services
Monthly retainer or fixed session
vCIO planning runs on a monthly retainer. Standalone business reviews, AI workshops, and training are priced per session, and AI automation builds are quoted per project.
What counts as a user
A user is a person, counted once, no matter how many devices or accounts they have. You never pay for a mailbox nobody logs in to.
Counted as a user
- Employees, owners, and partners with a company email or device
- Part-time and seasonal staff during the months they are active
- Long-term contractors with a company email or device
- Anyone ECS supports directly, even without a company device
Not counted
- Service accounts, admin accounts, and accounts in your domain controller that nobody logs in to
- Shared mailboxes, distribution lists, and conference room or resource calendars
- Disabled or departed-employee accounts kept for records
- Shared workstations with no assigned person, which are covered per device instead
A worked example
| An office with | Billed as |
|---|---|
| 9 staff, each with a laptop and phone, plus 1 part-time bookkeeper | 10 users |
| 40 accounts in the domain controller, including service, admin, and old employee accounts | Not billed |
| 2 shared front-desk computers | 2 shared workstations |
| 1 file server and 1 firewall | 1 server, 1 firewall |
We count users on the first of each month, and you see the list on every invoice.
Agreements and invoices
- Month to month
- No minimum term. End the plan with 30 days' written notice.
- 12-month agreement
- Lowers your plan fee and waives one-time onboarding. Renews annually, and ends with 60 days' written notice before renewal.
- Billing
- Invoiced monthly in advance by ACH or card on file, with user and device counts updated on the first of each month.
- Your rate is protected
- Existing agreements hold their pricing through the current term.
Billed separately
- Third-party licenses: Microsoft, Google, and other vendors, passed through at the vendor's current price.
- Hardware and software: Business-class equipment sourced through ECS, with setup quoted as a project.
- Structured cabling: Quoted per job through our licensed cabling partner.
- Projects outside your plan: Quoted in writing before work starts.
- Equipment past end of life: Support is billed at your plan's hourly rate.
- Texas sales tax: Added where it applies.
What you get for it: response targets
Every ticket gets a priority when it is opened, and we report against these targets at each business review.
| Priority | Example | Response target | Resolution target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | Business down: server, internet, phones, or email offline for the company, or an active security incident | 30 minutes | 4 hours |
| High | A department or several users cannot work, or a critical application is degraded | 1 business hour | 8 business hours |
| Normal | One user is affected and a workaround is available | 4 business hours | 2 business days |
| Low | How-to questions, new-user setup, and scheduled changes | Next business day | Scheduled with you |
Business hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. The critical-incident target runs 24/7 on Complete, and during business hours on other plans unless after-hours support is requested.
How vulnerability assessments are scoped
Assessments are priced by the number of IP addresses in scope, so you know the cost before we arrive.
- Security Snapshot
- External perimeter scan only, performed remotely. Credited toward a full assessment booked within 60 days.
- Small
- One location, up to 25 IP addresses
- Medium
- One or two locations, up to 100 IP addresses
- Large
- Up to three locations, up to 250 IP addresses
- Enterprise
- More than 250 IP addresses or four or more locations, quoted to scope
From first call to day one
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Step 1
Discovery call
A 30-minute conversation about your team, your systems, and what is not working today. It is free, with no commitment.
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Step 2
Written quote
A line-item quote from our price guide, usually within two business days, with the plan we recommend and why.
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Step 3
Onboarding
Network discovery, documentation, agent deployment, and a security baseline, typically complete within two weeks of signing.
Common questions about billing
- Why don't you list prices on the website?
- The right number depends on your headcount, devices, locations, and security needs, so a price without that context would mislead you. After a free first conversation we share our price guide and a written, line-item quote, usually within two business days.
- What counts as a user?
- A user is a person on your team who uses company technology. Each person counts once, no matter how many devices or accounts they have. Service accounts, shared mailboxes, and departed-employee accounts are not billed.
- Do we have to sign a long-term contract?
- No. Plans can run month to month and end with 30 days' written notice. A 12-month agreement lowers the plan fee and waives the one-time onboarding fee, renews annually, and ends with 60 days' written notice before renewal.
- What happens when our headcount changes?
- Your bill follows it. We count users on the first of each month, and you see the list on every invoice. A new hire is covered the same day, and a departed employee drops off the next invoice.
- Do you mark up Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licenses?
- Not for plan clients. Licenses are billed at the vendor's published price with no markup, on one consolidated invoice.
- Is there a minimum?
- Yes. A monthly minimum applies to managed agreements, and your quote will show it if it affects you. New clients also pay a one-time onboarding fee, which is waived with a 12-month agreement.
- Will you ever do billable work without telling us?
- No. Projects and assessments are quoted in writing before work starts, and the written quote governs.
Want the numbers for your business?
Tell us about your team and we will send the price guide and a written quote. The first conversation is free.
Replies within one business day · No obligation