What does an online workspace cost per employee?

At Virtual Computing, an online workspace costs from €35 per user per month. For that, every employee gets a full Windows desktop in the cloud, with unlimited storage, daily backups, security and 24/7 support. The Microsoft 365 licence (Office, email, Teams) is a separate line per user on top — fair is fair, and we explain exactly why further down. No upfront investment, no hidden costs, cancellable monthly.

That is the short answer. The honest nuance: the price per employee depends on how heavy the work is and which software runs on it. In this article we do the math concretely — per user, per team and compared to running your own server.

Prefer to see the different workspace types and providers side by side? Read our article on comparing online workspaces: costs, features and providers. This article is purely about the price per employee.

The short answer: price per user per month

Most SMB employees do standard office work: Office, email, files, a browser and an industry application. That is where the entry price is lowest. Heavier profiles cost more because they need more compute power or a dedicated virtual machine.

*Amounts are indicative and exclude VAT. The exact price depends on the number of users, the storage required and the desired service level. The current price breakdown is on our Online Workspace page.*

These amounts are for the workspace itself. The Microsoft 365 licence (Office, email, Teams) is a separate licence from Microsoft and is charged per user separately — more on that in the next section.

A note: with some providers you will see amounts of just a few euros per month. That is almost always only that bare Microsoft 365 licence — not a working workspace with desktop, storage, backup, security and support. So always compare the total price per employee, including everything you actually need.

What is included in that price — and what is not?

The workspace price per employee at Virtual Computing concretely includes:

• A full Windows desktop in the cloud, anywhere and on any device
• Unlimited storage
• Daily backups and disaster recovery
• Security: MFA, antivirus and monitoring
• 24/7 support — you reach a technician directly, no call centre
• Hosting in ISO 27001-certified Dutch data centres

One item is deliberately not included by default: the [Microsoft 365](/en/office-365-zakelijk) licence (Office, email and Teams). You take that directly from Microsoft, at its own price per user. We don't quietly fold it into the workspace price, because many companies already hold their M365 licences — doing so would make for an unfair comparison. So you pay for the workspace (from €35) plus the M365 licence that fits your team.

On top of that, many providers leave even more lines out of the base price. Storage above a limit, backups, support outside office hours, migration and security are then billed separately. A low entry price can still climb significantly. So with every quote, ask explicitly: what is the total price per employee — workspace and licences — when everything is included?

Translated to your team: 5, 20 or 50 employees

A price per user only means something once you translate it to your own team. Calculating with the €35 entry price per employee:

*These are the amounts for the workspace itself; the Microsoft 365 licence is charged per user on top.*

The beauty of a price per employee: you pay for what you use. Grow from 20 to 25 people and your bill grows by five workspaces — no new server, no migration project. Shrink, and you scale back just as easily.

The math: online workspace vs. your own server

The question behind the question is usually: is this cheaper than running our own server? For SMBs that almost always works out in favour of the cloud once you count all the costs.

Your own server looks like a one-off expense on paper, but over five years a lot is added:

• Buying the server and peripherals, again every 4 to 5 years
• Windows Server and CAL licences
• Backup solution, UPS and cooling
• Power consumption
• Management hours — updates, incidents, security
• The risk and cost of downtime

Add that up per employee per month and, for a typical SMB team, your own server quickly lands in the same €40 to €70 range — but with investment spikes, depreciation and a management burden that sit with you. The online workspace has all of that settled into one predictable monthly amount per employee.

We work through the full 5-year comparison, including every hidden line item, step by step in your own server vs. cloud workspace: the 5-year TCO.

Why "per employee" is the fairest measure

Prices per server or per project make comparison hard, because they hide the real cost of one working employee. A price per user per month is transparent: you know exactly what a new colleague costs and what you save when someone leaves.

That is why we communicate it this way. And it is why we simply put the price on the site instead of "contact us for a quote". Want the complete picture of outsourcing IT — workspaces, management, security and support together — then read the complete guide to outsourcing IT.

Try it free for 30 days

The best way to know what an online workspace gives you per employee is to simply use it. At Virtual Computing you can try our online workspace free and without obligation for 30 days. You have access within hours and after 30 days the trial account closes automatically — you are not committed to anything.

Schedule a no-obligation advisory call and we will calculate exactly what it costs for your team. Prefer a tailored proposal straight away? Request a quote — a transparent offer within one working day, with the price neatly stated per employee.