Build a rough first-year budget range for managed security based on headcount and service type.
This estimator multiplies your headcount by a per-employee annual cost range and then adds one-time costs such as an initial risk assessment, onboarding or tool deployment. Pick a service level to load an illustrative per-employee range, then edit any number to match the quotes you actually receive.
Formula: first-year low = employees x low annual cost per employee + one-time costs. First-year high uses the high figure. For example, with 40 employees, a range of $300 to $600 per employee and $3,000 of setup, the result is 40 x 300 + 3,000 = $15,000 at the low end and 40 x 600 + 3,000 = $27,000 at the high end.
The per-employee ranges preloaded here are planning placeholders, not published market prices. Real quotes vary with industry, number of locations, cloud environments, existing tools, compliance requirements and the provider's pricing model. Some providers price per device, per server or per log volume rather than per person, so convert their quote to an annual per-employee figure before comparing.
Limits: the tool does not include internal staff time, hardware, cyber insurance premiums or incident costs. Treat the output as a starting budget conversation, then request written proposals that itemize every fee.
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