You just received three proposals for server management. One costs €200/month. Another €800/month. The third is €2,500/month.
They all promise “24/7 monitoring,” “comprehensive support,” and “enterprise security.” Your developers shrugged when you asked which one to pick. And you’re not technical enough to know what half the buzzwords even mean.
So how do you choose?
Quick Take: Most server management proposals hide critical details behind technical jargon, making it nearly impossible for non-technical founders to spot the difference between genuine partnership and oversold packages.
Why it matters: Choosing the wrong provider can cost you €20K+ in emergency fixes, security breaches, or locked-in contracts that don’t deliver what you need.
The Real Problem Nobody Talks About
Here’s what typically happens: Your technical co-founder left. Or your developers are great at building features but don’t think strategically about infrastructure. You know you need help, but evaluating proposals feels like reading a foreign language.
You’re worried about two things:
- Being sold something you don’t need
- Missing something critical you do need
Both are valid concerns. Let’s fix that.
Red Flag #1: They Quoted You Without Asking Questions
A good server management company won’t give you a price without understanding your situation first.
Warning signs they’re selling a package, not solving your problem:
- They never asked what downtime costs you
- No questions about your growth plans
- Didn’t ask about compliance requirements (GDPR, etc.)
- Never mentioned your risk tolerance
- Proposal arrived within 24 hours of initial contact
What good providers do instead: They spend 30-60 minutes understanding your business before proposing anything. They ask uncomfortable questions like “What happens if your site goes down at 2pm on Tuesday?” because they need to know what level of support you actually require.
Red Flag #2: Vague Promises Instead of Specific Services
“24/7 monitoring and support” sounds great. But what does it actually mean?
Compare these two statements:
❌ Vague: “Comprehensive security hardening”
✅ Specific: “We’ll implement fail2ban, configure UFW firewall, disable root SSH access, set up automated security patches, and conduct quarterly vulnerability scans”
The test: Can you understand exactly what they’ll do? If not, ask them to explain it in plain language. A provider who can’t explain their services clearly to a non-technical person either doesn’t know what they’re doing, or is hiding something.
Red Flag #3: “Unlimited Support” at Suspiciously Low Prices
Industry data shows MSPs typically charge €150-€400 per user per month for genuine managed services. Pricing varies from €50-€200 depending on scope, and providers need at least 30% profit margin to stay viable.
When you see “unlimited support” for €100-200/month total for your entire infrastructure, here’s the reality:
The math to consider:
- Senior infrastructure expertise costs €60-100/hour
- “Unlimited support” means they need 50-100+ clients to survive
- Nobody can give real attention to 100 infrastructures
What different price points typically mean:
€100-300/month: Monitoring-only service. Automated alerts, but you’re mostly managing yourself. Think: smoke detector that beeps, but you still need to call the fire department.
€500-1,000/month: Ticket-based support with shared attention. You’ll get help, but you’re one of many clients. Response times measured in hours or days.
€1,500-3,000/month: Real partnership. Someone actually knows your setup. Monthly reviews, proactive recommendations, responds in hours not days.
€5,000+/month: Dedicated team or highly complex infrastructure. Most SMBs don’t need this unless you’re managing 20+ servers or have strict compliance requirements.
The key question to ask: “How many other clients do you currently support?” If it’s more than 30-40 clients and they’re quoting low prices, the math doesn’t work for genuine attention.
Red Flag #4: No Clear “What’s NOT Included”
Good proposals explicitly state what’s extra.
Look for this clarity:
✅ Included: Monthly security patches, backup monitoring, 48hr response time for non-critical issues
✅ NOT included: Application debugging, feature development, 24/7 emergency support
✅ Extra cost: Major migrations (€2K-8K), compliance audits (€1K-3K), emergency weekend work (€150/hour)
If everything is just vague “support” and you only discover limitations when you need something, that’s a problem.
Red Flag #5: Guaranteed Uptime Without Understanding Your Setup
“We guarantee 99.9% uptime” sounds reassuring. But here’s the catch: they haven’t audited your current infrastructure yet.
Reality check: They can’t guarantee uptime on systems they don’t control yet.
Honest answer sounds like: “After we audit your current setup, we’ll recommend changes to achieve 99.9%+ uptime, and then we can commit to that guarantee.”
Anyone promising specific uptime before understanding what you have is making promises they can’t keep.
Questions That Actually Matter
When you’re evaluating server management proposals, these questions cut through the noise:
1. “Walk me through what happens if my site goes down at 2am on Saturday.”
This reveals if they have real 24/7 coverage or just automated alerts that ping someone’s phone.
2. “How many other clients do you currently support?”
Over 50 = you’re a number. Under 20 = real attention possible.
3. “Can you give me a reference from a company similar to mine?”
Not just any reference - someone at your size, your tech stack, your growth stage. That’s who you want to talk to.
4. “What’s NOT included in this price that catches clients off guard?”
Honest providers tell you upfront. Sketchy ones make you discover it later.
5. “What’s the most common infrastructure mistake you see companies my size making?”
Tests if they understand your stage. Generic answers = generic service.
Is €800/Month Reasonable for Server Management?
It depends entirely on what you’re getting and what your business needs.
€800/month makes sense if:
- You have 2-5 servers or equivalent cloud infrastructure
- They actually know your setup (not just ticket responses)
- You get monthly check-ins and proactive recommendations
- Response time is measured in hours, not days
- They work with your existing developers (not replacing them)
€800/month is probably too much if:
- All you get is monitoring and ticket responses
- They manage 100+ other clients
- You never talk to the same person twice
- Everything beyond basics costs extra
€800/month might not be enough if:
- You have complex compliance requirements (HIPAA, PCI-DSS)
- You need genuine 24/7 emergency response
- You’re managing 10+ servers
- Your downtime costs €1,000+ per hour
Quick Decision Framework
Score each proposal:
☐ Asked questions about my business before quoting
☐ Explained specific services (not vague promises)
☐ Clearly stated what’s NOT included
☐ Pricing makes sense for attention level promised
☐ References I can actually talk to
☐ No pressure tactics
☐ Acknowledged tradeoffs honestly
7/7 = Strong candidate
4-6 = Ask more questions
<4 = Keep looking
What This Actually Looks Like
Sarah, a CEO with 20 employees, was evaluating proposals after her technical co-founder left. Three companies responded:
Company A: €200/month, “unlimited support,” 120 clients, vague proposal
Company B: €850/month, 18 clients, specific services listed, monthly reviews included
Company C: €2,800/month, dedicated team, features she didn’t need
She picked Company B. Why? They asked about her business goals, explained what they’d do in plain English, and the pricing made sense for the attention promised. A year later, they prevented a security issue before it became a problem, caught a backup failure that could have cost her €30K in data recovery, and her developers actually like working with them.
The Real Question
You’re not just choosing a service provider. You’re choosing someone who’ll take ownership of infrastructure decisions while you focus on growing your business.
The best server management companies don’t try to sell you everything. They tell you honestly what you need, what you don’t need, and why. If someone’s afraid to say “You don’t need that yet,” they’re not your partner.
Need a second opinion? Send over a proposal you received - I’ll review it (no charge) and tell you what I see. No sales pitch, just honest assessment. Contact here