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At a glance
- Managed IT: recurring fee per user, device or site.
- Projects: fixed scope, milestones, or time and materials.
- Response time is not resolution time; read the agreement.
Managed IT vs project services
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare all options.
| Buying difference | Managed IT service | Defined IT project service |
|---|---|---|
| Typical pricing unit | Per user, device, location, service bundle, or agreed recurring fee | Fixed scope, milestones, time and materials, or another project basis |
| Current public Sigma price | No standardized price established here; scoped proposal required | No standardized price established here; scoped proposal required |
| Main outcome | Continuing operation and support within the contracted scope | A specified deliverable completed against acceptance criteria |
| Term | Recurring service period | Project schedule or defined work package |
| Monitoring and routine work | Included only where the service agreement specifies it | Included only during or after the project if explicitly contracted |
| Major changes | Often separately scoped | The reason for the engagement |
| Completion measure | Service reporting and agreed performance obligations | Test results, acceptance, documentation, and handover |
| Emergency coverage | Defined hours, escalation, and response terms | Do not assume continuing emergency support after handover |
| Main limitation / extra cost | Recurring support does not automatically include major projects or 24/7 coverage | Completion does not automatically include ongoing monitoring or emergency support |
| Best fit (Sigma assessment) | You need a named provider responsible for recurring operation and support | You need a defined migration, assessment, deployment or other finite change |
| Official sources | Splunk: Managed services vs. professional services Ingram Micro: IT lifecycle services |
Ingram Micro: IT lifecycle services |
What does “included support” really mean?
An agreement should identify supported users, locations, devices, applications, and hours. Response time is the time to respond under the agreement; it is not necessarily a promise to resolve every issue within that period. On-site attendance, replacement hardware, third-party escalation, and after-hours work need their own terms.
A project quote needs a similarly clear boundary. For a cloud migration, specify the systems being moved, the data quantity, testing, cutover, rollback, and post-cutover assistance. “Migrate to the cloud” is too broad to establish a fair fixed price.
When a combined approach makes sense
A business replacing its network may need design and installation as a project, followed by monitoring and support as a recurring service. Compare the implementation cost separately from the operating cost. A low monthly fee does not reveal whether the initial configuration is included.
Ingram Micro's lifecycle portfolio includes assessments, migrations, integration, cybersecurity services, AI workshops, and vendor-aligned services. Availability through that portfolio does not establish a specific response guarantee or imply that all specialties belong in every agreement. The proposal should identify the actual provider responsibilities and handoffs.
Choose managed IT when the recurring work and accountability justify a continuing agreement. Choose project services when the business needs a defined result with a clear completion point. Sigma can help put the work, deliverables, ongoing obligations, and complete price into a proposal you can compare.
Questions to ask before you buy
- Which users, devices, sites and hours does the agreement cover?
- What is excluded and billed as project work?
- What are the response and resolution commitments in writing?
- Who comes on-site on our island, and how quickly?
What Hawaiʻi businesses should check
Ask each provider which work is remote and which requires an on-site visit, and who covers your island. A response-time promise means little if the nearest technician is a flight away.
Frequently asked questions
How is managed IT priced?
Usually per user, per device or per site each month. Compare what is included, the hours covered and what counts as extra project work.
Sources and pricing notes
Prices and specifications checked September 27, 2026 against the providers’ published sources below. Prices are US list or published rates before taxes, fees and equipment unless stated; offers change, so confirm the current terms before you buy.
- Splunk. Managed services vs. professional services
- Ingram Micro. IT lifecycle services
How Sigma is paid. Sigma is a Hawaiʻi technology advisor. Provider or reseller partners compensate Sigma; product and service prices may include a margin. No procurement fee applies. Standalone consulting is quoted separately.