Managed IT Services for Canadian Businesses
One Canadian managed service provider for help desk, security, backups, and IT strategy. Fully managed IT, usually for businesses with 15 to 200+ users, with CISSP-led oversight, 93% first-contact resolution, and a 1-hour critical response objective.
first-contact resolution
critical response
security leadership
Canadian-owned
2024 & 2025
Scope your managed IT requirements
Start with a free 30-minute discovery call about your users, devices, Microsoft 365 environment and current provider. We agree the information needed for a managed IT estimate. Any paid IT assessment is scoped and priced separately before work starts.
- ✓ The systems and support you want covered
- ✓ Responsibilities for your team and Fusion Computing
- ✓ The scope needed for an indicative monthly estimate
Request a managed IT estimate →
What are managed IT services?
Managed IT services are an ongoing agreement for a provider to operate and support a business’s technology. Fusion Computing handles help desk, monitoring, security, backup, Microsoft 365 administration and IT planning for Canadian businesses, usually with 15 to 200+ users. The written agreement defines the systems, coverage and responsibilities included.
Managed IT support is the day-to-day help desk inside that program. The inclusion matrix below separates support from monitoring, security, backup and planning responsibilities. For firms handling PHIPA or PIPEDA information, the scope also identifies the evidence your team needs.
Choose fully managed IT when you need Fusion Computing to run the agreed IT program. If you already have an internal IT lead, co-managed IT services let your team retain ownership while adding the support and expertise it needs. Smaller firms can discuss a scoped setup, migration, security or AI project.
What are the signs a small business needs to hire a managed IT provider? A Canadian business may need a provider when nobody owns IT coverage, the same faults keep returning, offboarding or patches are delayed, or an insurer or customer asks for security evidence the team cannot produce. Identify the work that needs an owner before comparing quotes.
For buying detail, see managed IT services cost in Canada and managed IT services for a 50-employee business. The IT support vs managed IT comparison explains the difference between help-desk coverage and a wider managed program. Toronto businesses can also review IT support in Toronto.
Managed, co-managed, or in-house
Scroll sideways to compare all columns. The selected table also supports arrow keys.
| Decision | Fully managed by Fusion | Co-managed with Fusion | In-house IT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs IT? | Fusion Computing runs the agreed IT program. | Your IT lead retains ownership; Fusion adds agreed responsibilities. | Your employees run the program and arrange external help where needed. |
| Starting cost basis | From $180 CAD per user/month. | From $160 CAD per user/month, alongside your internal team. | Staff costs, tools, licences and any specialist contracts. |
| Support and coverage | Coverage and response objectives are set in the agreement. | Your team and Fusion divide coverage and escalation in writing. | Your staffing and supplier agreements determine coverage. |
| Security and evidence | CISSP-led security work and agreed technical records. | Fusion supports the security/evidence work your team assigns. | Your team builds the capability or retains specialists. |
| Continuity | A provider team supports the agreed environment. | Fusion can backstop agreed work when your internal lead is unavailable. | Your staffing and documentation plan provides cover. |
| Best fit | A Canadian business needing an external IT department, usually 15–200+ users. | A business with an IT lead who needs capacity or specialist depth. | A business choosing to build and manage its own IT capability. |
Managed IT or hourly support? A managed agreement assigns ongoing responsibilities for a recurring fee. Hourly support charges for the work requested. Confirm monitoring, documentation, response and project scope in either proposal. See outsourcing IT vs in-house for the ownership decision.
If you need a defined migration or implementation, compare managed services vs professional services. For shared ongoing responsibilities, see co-managed IT services.
How much do managed IT services cost?
Canalys sizes the 2026 Canadian managed-services market at over CA$11 billion in annual revenue, growing 11% year over year, with SMB workloads driving most of that growth. The question is no longer whether to invest in managed IT. It is whether your spend is bundled and predictable, or scattered across vendors and surprise invoices.
Pricing is per user, per month, set by team size, setup complexity, and your compliance needs.
Co-Managed
$160+
per user / month. You keep an internal IT lead; we add depth, tooling, after-hours coverage, and the CISSP layer.
Fully Managed
$180+
per user / month. We run the whole program end to end, no in-house IT staff needed.
Managed IT vs co-managed vs in-house IT (annual, fully loaded)
Co-managed splits the cost between your internal lead and our team. In-house IT becomes cost-competitive only near 100 users, and even then one admin carries no overnight coverage.
Swipe sideways for the full table →
Scroll sideways to read all columns. The selected table also supports arrow keys.
| Firm size | Managed IT | Co-managed (Fusion) | In-house IT (fully loaded) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 users | $72K to $90K, all-in | $58K to $65K + your IT lead | $95K to $130K (one admin, no coverage) |
| 50 users | $120K to $150K, all-in | $96K to $108K + your IT lead | $140K to $180K (one senior admin) |
| 100 users | $240K to $300K, all-in | $192K to $216K + your IT lead | $280K to $380K (two staff plus tooling) |
Your written package specifies the Microsoft 365 licences, endpoint protection and backup storage included in the monthly price, plus any separately scoped project work. Want your own numbers? Try the IT cost calculator.
Start with a free 30-minute discovery call. Pricing follows agreed scope. New business: (416) 566-2845
What’s included in Fusion Computing’s managed IT
A complete Canadian managed IT contract covers six operational functions. Tiers vary; the functions do not. If a quote omits one, the gap surfaces later as a surprise invoice or an unmonitored exposure. Here is exactly what we run, and what each piece protects.
Swipe sideways for the full table →
Scroll sideways to read all columns. The selected table also supports arrow keys.
| Function | What we run | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 help desk | Tier 1 to Tier 3 support, password resets, app issues, named senior engineers on file, ConnectWise PSA ticketing. | Most productivity loss happens in the first 30 minutes of a problem. We resolve 93% of tickets on first contact. |
| Proactive monitoring | NinjaOne RMM agents on every endpoint and server, firewall and switch monitoring, 24/7 alert routing. | A monitored environment catches most outages before users notice. An unmonitored one turns every incident into an emergency. |
| Baseline security | Huntress EDR and SentinelOne XDR, Microsoft Entra ID conditional access, MFA, Keeper password vault, Fortinet firewall management, CIS Controls v8.1 alignment. | Security is baked into every plan, not a premium add-on. The 2025 IBM Cost of a Data Breach put the Canadian average at CA$6.98 million. |
| Microsoft 365 admin | Tenant configuration, license right-sizing, Exchange and Teams policy, Intune mobile device management, Copilot governance. | Microsoft 365 is the operational core of most Canadian SMBs. Misconfigured tenants are the most common entry point for identity attacks. |
| Backup and DR | Immutable cloud backups, a ransomware-isolated recovery vault, quarterly restore tests, documented RTO and RPO targets. | A backup you have never restored is not a backup. Tested DR is the difference between a four-hour outage and a four-week rebuild. |
| vCIO and strategy | Quarterly business reviews with leadership, a three-year roadmap, risk register, budget alignment, vendor consolidation. | Without a vCIO, IT stays reactive forever. The strategic layer turns managed IT from a cost line into a planning function. Compare virtual CIO vs traditional CIO. |
Four things a real contract puts in writing
- An SLA with measurable targets. Response time by priority (a 1-hour critical response, faster acknowledgement on lower tiers), resolution targets, and escalation paths to named senior engineers. “Best effort” does not qualify.
- A quarterly vCIO cadence. A standing leadership meeting, a roadmap, a risk register, and a budget. Without it, IT stays tactical.
- An exit clause and data return. A 60-to-90-day exit for cause, records handover, and a clear process for returning credentials, agent licenses, and backup vaults. Anyone who resists should not be signed.
- Security-stack disclosure. The exact tooling, named: EDR, MDR, MFA platform, password vault, firewall, backup engine. Named tools map directly to your insurance and compliance attestations.
Security is the layer most SMBs underestimate. Managed IT includes a baseline; for a dedicated, CISSP-led detection-and-response program, see our managed cybersecurity services.
How managed IT works, day to day
Signing with an MSP isn’t like hiring an employee. Here is what the first year actually looks like, in three stages.
Discovery and onboarding (weeks 1–4)
We audit what you have today: servers, laptops, cloud accounts, security gaps, backups, and network gear. We document it and build a plan to fix anything that needs work, including a firewall migration plan when the perimeter hardware is past its support date. If the fleet still runs Windows 10, the same review maps the four paths off it before the October 2026 business deadline; see the Windows 10 end of support in Canada breakdown.
Stabilization (months 1–3)
We deploy monitoring agents, security tools, and backups, then fix the issues found during discovery. Ticket volume usually peaks here as buried problems come to light and your team learns the new process.
Steady state (ongoing)
Upkeep runs in the background. Your staff sends tickets by phone, email, or portal, and most close on first contact. Quarterly reviews keep your IT roadmap lined up with where the company is headed. If you are not on managed IT yet, an IT business assessment is the usual starting point.
Field note from Mike
A 65-seat professional services firm in the GTA called us mid-renewal with their incumbent MSP. The annual fee had climbed 18%, the help desk had churned twice, and a phishing incident three weeks earlier had exposed that nobody owned the EDR alerts. We ran a 10-day baseline. It found 11 unmonitored endpoints and a backup chain untested in 14 months. We rebuilt the program around a CISSP-led security baseline and quarterly vCIO reviews. Ticket dwell time fell from 8 hours to under 90 minutes, and the cyber-insurance audit closed without findings.
Mike Pearlstein, CISSP, CEO of Fusion Computing. About Mike
Why Canadian businesses choose Fusion Computing as their managed IT provider
As a Canadian managed IT services company, Fusion Computing has delivered managed IT services across the country since 2012. Our help desk holds a 93% first-contact resolution rate, against an industry average closer to 70 to 80%, because it is staffed by senior techs, not tier-one script readers. We run a 4:1 technician-to-client ratio, where the industry norm sits near 12:1. That is why your tickets actually get answered.
“The pattern I see in most inbound managed IT inquiries is the same: an internal IT person left, the owner is patching it themselves on weekends, and someone just got phished. The mistake is treating that as a hiring problem. It’s a structural problem, and a managed services agreement with a written SLA and a CISSP-led security baseline stabilizes it in 90 days.”
Proof, not adjectives
Named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed IT Companies two years running (2024 and 2025). 4.9/5 on Google. 93% first-contact resolution on support tickets.
CISSP leadership
Every account inherits a CIS Controls v8.1 baseline set by a CISSP who knows what auditors, insurers, and regulators expect. Security is built in, not bolted on.
Canadian-owned since 2012
Three regional offices in Toronto, Hamilton, and Metro Vancouver, with on-site dispatch and PIPEDA-aligned data handling. Recognized by Clutch and Expertise.com.
A named account lead
Every client gets a named lead, a hands-on onboarding project, and quarterly reviews. The 7% of tickets that need escalation get an engineer, not a queue.
Recent engagements
- Scaling a Design Studio: 35 to 205 users
Zero unplanned downtime through a four-month phased deployment. - Co-Managed IT for a GTA Construction Firm
60% ticket-backlog cut and 97% patch compliance in 90 days. - Ransomware Recovery: Back Online by Monday
all in-scope data recovered from air-gapped backups; $0 ransom paid.
“We came to Fusion after our previous MSP was acquired and the help-desk relationship fell apart. What we got back was something the prior contract never delivered: a named account lead who attends every quarterly review, a written SLA the team actually meets, and a security program our cyber insurer signed off on without conditions.”
Operations Director, 80-seat professional-services firm, Toronto GTA. Quote shared with permission.
Their staff is very professional, reliable and trustworthy, able to handle absolutely all your IT needs and keeping all your data safe and secure. A must have for any business looking for IT solutions.
Truly a blessing to have them by your side and watching your back while you take care of day to day tasks.
Managed IT by industry and region
The same managed IT engagement runs differently inside a law firm than a medical clinic or a wealth practice. Each regulated vertical inherits the same operational standard described on this page, with industry-specific regulator mapping and audit prep. We dispatch from three regional offices in Toronto, Hamilton, and Metro Vancouver, with remote coverage nationwide.
Law firms
Healthcare
Accounting and finance
Accounting IT hub · Managed IT for financial services · Financial services IT
Wealth and more
Wealth management IT · Managed IT for manufacturing · All industries served
Managed IT, security and vCIO across the GTA, on-site or remote.
Hamilton, Burlington and the Waterloo corridor.
Managed IT and on-site coverage across the Lower Mainland.
Find your city: Managed IT services in Markham · IT services Vaughan · Managed IT services in Mississauga · Managed IT services in Burlington · IT services Thornhill. Outside these corridors, managed IT runs remotely across Canada.
Related
Useful next reads
For a provider shortlist, use the Managed IT Provider RFP Kit + Scorecard. The IT cost calculator provides an indicative planning estimate before you compare written proposals.
Co-Managed IT Services →
Keep your internal IT lead and add depth, tooling, and 24/7 coverage on top.
vCISO Services →
Virtual CISO: security strategy, board reporting, IR retainer, compliance roadmap.
IT Support vs Managed IT →
Where reactive help desk ends and a managed contract begins.
Secure Microsoft Teams for Business →
The eight Teams policy controls set on every Microsoft 365 tenant under management.
Common questions about managed IT services
Answers from our team. Need more detail? Request a managed IT discussion about your users, systems and current provider.
What is the difference between managed IT services and IT support?
IT support is one component of managed IT. Support is the reactive help-desk side: someone fixes things when they break. Managed IT is the broader contract. It bundles support with proactive monitoring, patching, security tooling, backup, Microsoft 365 administration, and quarterly planning, all under a fixed monthly per-user fee. Put differently, support keeps the lights on; managed IT decides what lights you should have.
How much do managed IT services cost in Canada?
Fusion Computing prices by user, per month. Co-managed runs $160+ per user when you keep an internal IT lead and we add depth, tooling, and the CISSP layer. Fully managed runs $180+ per user when we run the whole program. Your exact figure depends on team size, setup complexity, and your compliance framework.
What is included in a managed IT services contract?
A complete Canadian managed IT contract covers six functions: a 24/7 help desk, proactive monitoring, a layered security stack (EDR, MDR, MFA, password vault, firewall), Microsoft 365 administration, backup with tested disaster recovery, and a vCIO running quarterly reviews. Omit any one, and the gap surfaces later as a surprise invoice or an unmonitored exposure. The contract should also name an SLA, an exit clause, and the exact security tools in writing.
How does managed IT differ from hourly IT support?
Managed IT is proactive and bundled: a fixed monthly fee covers prevention, monitoring, security, and help desk under one contract. Hourly IT is reactive and hourly, at $150 to $250 per hour, charged only when something breaks. For firms above 15 users, managed IT usually pays for itself once you count the outages it prevents. A prevented outage costs far less than emergency response.
What is the difference between managed IT and co-managed IT?
Managed IT means the MSP runs the entire technology stack end to end. Co-managed IT means the MSP supplements an existing internal IT lead with depth, tooling, and 24/7 coverage. Co-managed pricing starts at $160+ per user per month, with the scope based on what your internal team already covers. It fits businesses that need more coverage alongside an internal IT lead, with responsibilities agreed for their environment.
What is a vCIO and why does it matter?
A vCIO, or virtual chief information officer, is a senior advisor inside the MSP. The vCIO owns the technology roadmap, budget, risk register, and vendor strategy on your behalf, runs quarterly business reviews with leadership, and aligns IT with PIPEDA and Ontario’s PHIPA. Without a vCIO, IT stays tactical. The strategic layer is what turns managed IT from a cost line into a planning function.
Can a managed IT provider help with PIPEDA and PHIPA?
Yes, and this is where managed IT earns its premium for regulated Canadian SMBs. A full-scope contract includes breach-response runbooks tied to PIPEDA timelines, PHIPA-aligned controls for Ontario health-information custodians, and the audit logging that proves due diligence for cyber-insurance and regulator reviews. We map controls to CIS Controls v8.1 and NIST CSF. Bill C-27 / AIDA died on the Order Paper in January 2025 and no successor has passed, so we plan around the frameworks that apply to your sector today.
How fast do you respond to critical issues?
Critical tickets run on a 1-hour response objective, measured from ticket creation to a live human acknowledgement, with 4-hour on-site coverage across the GTA and Metro Vancouver. We hold 93% first-contact resolution across all priorities, against an industry average closer to 70 to 80%. The 7% that need escalation get a named engineer, not a queue.
Do you handle Microsoft 365 administration?
Yes. Microsoft 365 tenant admin is included in every managed plan, and Google Workspace is supported for clients already on it. We handle identity and conditional access in Microsoft Entra ID, licensing, SharePoint and OneDrive structure, Exchange Online mail flow, Intune enrollment, Defender for Office 365, and Copilot rollout governance.
Can you support a multi-site or multi-province business?
Yes. We run physical offices in Toronto, Hamilton, and Metro Vancouver, and dispatch on-site technicians coast to coast through a vetted partner network. Monitoring, ticketing, and security sit in a single tenant view, so a head office in Mississauga sees the same data as a satellite in Burnaby. Canadian-owned and operated since 2012.
Is Managed IT Right for You?
Tell us your team size, Microsoft 365 or other core systems, current provider, and when you want to make a change. We aim to reply within one business day to discuss your managed IT scope. Our usual clients have 15 to 200+ users; smaller firms can ask about a suitable ongoing engagement or a scoped project.
Start the conversation
Share the business problem, team size and timing. Managed services usually suit 15 to 200+ users; smaller project and AI enquiries are welcome.
- ✔We aim to reply in 1 business day
- ✔CISSP-led Canadian team
- ✔No obligation
By submitting this form, you consent to Fusion Computing contacting you. We do not sell your information. We use service providers to operate the form and our communications. See our Privacy Policy.
Updated
