For a 200-employee healthcare practice in Alberta, managed IT typically costs $150 to $300 per user per month, resulting in an estimated monthly investment of $30,000 to $60,000. Annual costs generally range from $360,000 to $720,000, depending on cybersecurity depth, compliance requirements, 24/7 monitoring, and multi-location complexity. Healthcare organizations in the 150–300 employee range require enterprise-grade security, compliance oversight, and guaranteed response times — which significantly impacts pricing compared to small-business IT support.

Here’s exactly what drives those costs — and what you should expect to receive.

1️⃣ Infrastructure & End-User Support (The Foundation Layer)

For a 200-user healthcare environment, this includes:

  • Unlimited helpdesk support

  • Onsite & remote support

  • Network management (switches, firewalls, Wi-Fi)

  • Server & cloud infrastructure management

  • Microsoft 365 administration

  • Multi-location connectivity support

In Alberta healthcare, this often means:

  • Supporting EMR/EHR systems

  • Imaging systems

  • Secure remote access for physicians

  • VPN or SD-WAN between clinic locations

Typical cost impact: $75–$125 per user/month

2️⃣ Cybersecurity Stack (The Risk Protection Layer)

Healthcare is one of the most targeted industries for ransomware.

A properly secured 200-user clinic should include:

  • Advanced Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR/XDR)

  • 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC)

  • SIEM monitoring

  • Email security & phishing protection

  • Dark web monitoring

  • Vulnerability scanning

  • Multi-factor authentication enforcement

Without this layer, pricing may appear cheaper — but risk exposure skyrockets.

Typical cost impact: $40–$100 per user/month

3️⃣ Compliance & Regulatory Support (Healthcare-Specific Oversight)

Alberta healthcare organizations must meet strict privacy and security standards.

This typically includes:

  • Risk assessments (annual or biannual)

  • Policy documentation & updates

  • Audit preparation support

  • Incident response planning

  • Backup validation & disaster recovery testing

  • Security awareness training

Compliance oversight is what separates a generic MSP from a healthcare-specialized MSP.

Typical cost impact: $20–$50 per user/month

4️⃣ Backup & Disaster Recovery (Business Continuity Layer)

For a 200-user practice, downtime can cost:

  • Lost appointments

  • Billing disruption

  • Reputational damage

  • Regulatory penalties

Healthcare-grade protection should include:

  • Encrypted offsite backups

  • Immutable backup storage

  • Rapid restore capability

  • Disaster recovery failover options

  • Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) under 4–8 hours

Typical cost impact: $15–$40 per user/month

5️⃣ vCIO & Strategic IT Leadership (Executive-Level Planning)

Organizations in the 150–300 employee range require:

  • Quarterly IT roadmap planning

  • Budget forecasting

  • Vendor management

  • Cyber insurance alignment

  • Growth & expansion planning

  • Technology lifecycle management

This strategic layer prevents reactive spending and surprise costs.

Often bundled into premium plans.

💡 Real Example: 220-Employee Alberta Healthcare Group

A multi-location Alberta healthcare organization with 220 staff was paying approximately $110 per user with a general IT provider.

They experienced:

  • 3 security incidents in 12 months

  • No documented compliance framework

  • Average ticket response time of 8+ hours

After moving to a healthcare-specialized, cybersecurity-first MSP at $225 per user:

  • 24/7 SOC monitoring reduced threat dwell time to under 15 minutes

  • Response times improved to under 30 minutes

  • Passed compliance review with no major findings

  • Eliminated unplanned IT downtime in first 9 months

Higher cost — significantly lower risk.

📊 What Influences Pricing Most?

The biggest cost drivers:

  1. Number of locations

  2. Cloud vs on-prem infrastructure

  3. Security maturity level

  4. Compliance complexity

  5. After-hours support requirements

  6. Imaging & specialty medical equipment integration

Two 200-employee practices can have very different pricing based on these variables.

🛡 Why Healthcare Practices Choose Specialized MSPs

Healthcare organizations don’t just need IT support — they need:

  • Regulatory alignment

  • Continuous security monitoring

  • Fast response guarantees

  • Vendor-certified expertise (Microsoft, Cisco, Fortinet)

  • Fixed-fee predictability

For Alberta healthcare practices in the 150–300 employee range, the right MSP should operate more like a cybersecurity partner than a helpdesk vendor.

Final Thoughts

If you’re budgeting managed IT for a 200-employee healthcare practice in Alberta, expect:

  • $150–$300 per user per month

  • $30,000–$60,000 monthly

  • $360,000–$720,000 annually

The real question isn’t “What’s the cheapest option?” — it’s:

“What level of risk are we willing to tolerate?”

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