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Investment Guide

How Much Does Managed Cybersecurity Cost?

Managed cybersecurity services for small and mid-sized businesses typically range from $2,000 to $15,000 per month, depending on the number of users, endpoints, compliance requirements, and service scope. This represents a fraction of the $200,000+ annual cost of building an internal security team — while providing 24/7 SOC coverage that a single hire cannot deliver.

Cost Reality

The Real Cost of Cybersecurity

Before you evaluate MSSP pricing, understand what you're actually comparing it against. Building an internal security team is a capital-intensive undertaking most SMBs cannot sustain.

Internal Security Team

True annual cost

CISO / Security Director$200,000+
SOC Analyst (1 FTE)$85,000+
Security Tooling (EDR, SIEM, email)$50,000+
Annual Training & Certifications$20,000+
Total Annual Minimum$355K+

Before benefits, overhead, turnover risk, and tool sprawl

Managed MSSP (Vigil Cyber)

Complete coverage, predictable cost

Essential Security tier$2K–$4K/mo
Managed Security tier$4K–$8K/mo
Complete Security tier$8K–$15K/mo
All tooling & licensingIncluded
Total Annual Investment$36K–$120K

Full SOC team, enterprise tooling, compliance support — included

Most SMBs save 60–80% compared to building an equivalent in-house capability

And get more coverage — because an MSSP brings a full team, 24/7 shifts, and tooling built at enterprise scale.

Pricing Factors

What Affects Managed Security Pricing

No two businesses have identical security requirements. These variables shape where your investment falls within the typical range.

User & Endpoint Count

The number of users, workstations, and servers directly scales monitoring scope, licensing, and SOC workload. More endpoints mean broader coverage requirements.

Compliance Requirements

HIPAA, SOC 2, CMMC, and PCI DSS add documentation, control implementation, and audit support overhead. Each framework brings specific tooling and evidence requirements.

Current Security Posture

Greenfield engagements (no existing tools) require more upfront deployment work. Organizations with existing infrastructure may have lower onboarding complexity.

Industry & Risk Profile

Financial services, healthcare, and defense contractors face higher threat density and regulatory scrutiny, which translates to broader monitoring and stricter controls.

Service Level

Monitoring-only engagements cost less than full managed security with active response. The more hands-on the service, the more resources are dedicated to your environment.

Contract Term

Month-to-month agreements offer flexibility at a slight premium. Annual contracts provide pricing certainty and typically reduce the monthly investment.

Service Tiers

What You Get at Each Level

Ranges shown reflect typical SMB engagements. Your exact investment depends on scope, user count, and compliance requirements. All tiers include onboarding, 24/7 SOC access, and a dedicated account team.

Essential Security

$2K–$4K/mo

Basic protection

24/7 SOC Monitoring
EDR / XDR Endpoint Protection
Email Security
Vulnerability Management
Compliance Management
Security Awareness Training
Add-onIncident Response
Cloud Security
Dedicated Account Team
Monthly Security Reporting

Managed Security

$4K–$8K/mo

Most SMBs

24/7 SOC Monitoring
EDR / XDR Endpoint Protection
Email Security
Vulnerability Management
Compliance Management
Security Awareness Training
IncludedIncident Response
Cloud Security
Dedicated Account Team
Monthly Security Reporting

Complete Security

$8K–$15K/mo

Regulated industries

24/7 SOC Monitoring
EDR / XDR Endpoint Protection
Email Security
Vulnerability Management
Compliance Management
Security Awareness Training
IncludedIncident Response
Cloud Security
Dedicated Account Team
Monthly Security Reporting

Ranges are representative. Contact us for a tailored quote based on your specific environment.

Risk Reality

The Cost of Not Having Security

Every dollar saved by deferring cybersecurity is borrowed against the cost of a breach. These are the numbers your insurance underwriter already knows.

$4.88M
Average Data Breach Cost
IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report, 2024
$1.54M
Average Ransomware Payment
Sophos State of Ransomware, 2024
21 Days
Average Ransomware Downtime
Coveware Quarterly Report, 2024
43%
SMBs That Close Within 6 Mo. of a Breach
National Cyber Security Alliance

Cyber Insurance Is Tightening

Insurers are increasingly denying claims — or coverage entirely — for organizations that lack documented security controls. The controls they require (EDR, MFA, email security, patching) are precisely what a managed MSSP delivers. Your MSSP investment may directly determine whether your policy pays out when you need it most.

Common Questions

Pricing Questions Answered

Straight answers to the questions buyers ask before requesting a quote.

No Hidden Fees

Get a Custom Quote

Every business is different. Tell us about your environment and we'll provide transparent pricing with no hidden fees — so you can evaluate the investment against real numbers, not ballpark estimates.