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Anyone finalising the 2027 budget today needs three answers: how much it costs to keep the company running, which expenses are already imposed by the calendar, and which part can be contracted as a managed IT service, at a known monthly price. This guide organises those answers into six budget lines, three deadlines and one decision rule.
The usual starting point is weak: a single line called “IT”, copied from the previous year plus 5%. A server failing in March or a licence changing price is enough for that line to stop being useful.
Which expenses are already fixed in the calendar?
Before discussing figures, it helps to know what will force spending, whether the company likes it or not.
| Deadline | Date | Effect on the budget |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 | Support ended in October 2025 | Workstations still to be migrated go into the equipment line as replacements. See the plan for Windows 10 workstations. |
| Windows Server 2016 | January 2027 | Replace, virtualise or migrate during the year. See the options for servers and virtualisation. |
| NIS2 | Already in force | In-scope entities, and many of their suppliers, must demonstrate the measures in 2027. Check whether NIS2 applies to your company. |
These three points explain a good share of 2027's surprises. Those who budget for them now buy with time to spare. Those who ignore them buy in a hurry, and pay more.
How should spending be divided to support decisions?
The single line should give way to six budget lines. Splitting the 2026 figures across them takes about half a day and is what makes it possible to compare, cut and negotiate.
- Management and support In-house team, external partner or a combination of both; helpdesk, monitoring and maintenance.
- Licences and subscriptions Microsoft 365, management software, antivirus, backup and per-user tools. This is the line that grows most without anyone noticing.
- People's equipment Laptops, workstations, monitors and phones, planned by renewal cycle and not at the pace of failures.
- Infrastructure Servers, storage, network, Wi-Fi, firewall and UPS. High values, long cycles, decisions taken a year in advance.
- Security and continuity Endpoint protection, managed firewall, off-site backups and a recovery plan. NIS2 and insurers already require it.
- Communications Internet access (preferably with two connections), telephony and links between offices.
What should be a monthly fee and what should be investment?
Some spending is bought once — equipment and projects — and some is paid every month — support, licences, security and communications. Mixing the two is the source of most overruns.
The typical case is support paid by the hour, only when something breaks. The annual figure becomes impossible to predict, and the habit sets in of putting off the call while the problem “sort of works”. A managed services contract with a fixed monthly fee and a written SLA changes the incentive: the company knows in January how much it will pay, and the partner earns by preventing, not repairing.
The formats are compared side by side in IT Unlimited versus retainer, hour bundles and outsourcing, and market prices in the cost of IT support for businesses. At DataRoad, IT Unlimited plans start from €395 (Essential), €750 (Premium) and €1,200 (Premium 365) per month + VAT.
Where is the money that can be recovered?
- Orphaned or oversized licences Former employees' accounts and Microsoft 365 plans above actual use. In companies with 50 workstations, 10 to 15% surplus licences are common.
- Duplicate tools Two antivirus products, two meeting platforms, three storage services.
- Repairs with no return On a 7-year-old laptop, fixing it costs more than depreciating a new one.
- Old telecoms contracts Speeds and tariffs have moved on; asking the operator for a review usually pays off.
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Talk to DataRoad. We assess your operation and propose the right plan.
Which lines cannot be pushed to 2028?
Four measures, when missing, bring the company to a halt or expose it to fines. None is expensive compared with the damage it prevents.
- External, tested backups — the absolute priority. With verified backups, the company can recover from almost any incident.
- MFA — multi-factor authentication on the accounts that matter.
- An actively managed firewall — installed and forgotten does not count.
- An end to unsupported systems — replace whatever no longer receives patches.
Alongside these four, set aside 10% of the total for the unexpected: a device that fails before end of life, a legal change, more hiring than planned. If it is not used, it pays for the next renewal. Without a reserve, the money comes out of another line — almost always security, because it is the gap that is least visible.
How do you compare proposals from IT partners?
Two monthly fees can only be compared if they cover the same thing. Send all candidates the same brief: workstations and servers to support, what is included (call-outs, extended hours, projects), contractual response times by priority, and exit terms. The clauses to ask for are gathered in what an IT contract should include.
In DataRoad's proposals this is written down from the outset: annual contract with automatic renewal, 60 days' notice and no lock-in.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of revenue should an SME spend on IT?
Between 3% and 6% is the usual benchmark for service companies with 10 to 100 workstations, counting people, licences and equipment. The figure varies with the sector and with dependence on systems; knowing which lines the money goes on is more useful than the percentage.
Is it better to buy or lease computers?
Buying works out cheaper after 4 to 5 years and gives full control. Leasing turns everything into a monthly fee and makes renewal easier. For workstations, both options work; for servers, the first question is whether the company still needs one.
Is an in-house technician worth it?
Rarely, below 100 workstations. A full-time technician creates a single point of failure during holidays or departures; the most common model combines an external partner with an SLA and an internal person responsible for the relationship. The comparison is in in-house team or external IT partner.
When should the IT budget be started?
In September and October, with the inventory up to date. Renewing equipment and replacing servers require delivery times and migration windows that can only be secured months in advance.
Next step: your 2027 IT budget with real figures
DataRoad - IT Services and Consulting surveys your fleet and licences, flags everything that loses support in 2027 and delivers a plan with monthly fees and investments in separate columns. That is 11 years of service, 232 clients and the Top 5% PME distinction awarded by scoring.pt.
Discover the IT Unlimited plans and request a no-obligation proposal: +351 211 459 950* · sales@dataroad.pt. More than 10 workstations · support contract · remote, on-site and telephone support.
*Call to a Portuguese landline.
