The real question isn't "IT person or no IT person"
Most business owners we talk to have never sat down and priced out what an in-house IT hire actually costs, or compared it honestly against outsourcing. The math matters, because the wrong answer either leaves you paying for a full-time salary you don't need, or leaves your business one bad day away from a problem nobody in the building knows how to fix.
What a full-time IT hire really costs
A single competent IT generalist in most markets runs well into six figures once you count salary, benefits, and the training to keep their skills current across networking, security, and whatever software your team runs. And one person means one point of failure — vacation, sick days, or turnover leave you exactly where you started.
When "the guy who's good with computers" isn't enough anymore
Almost every small business starts with an informal setup — an owner, an office manager, or an outside friend handling IT on the side. That works fine until it doesn't: a laptop gets stolen, a vendor asks for a security questionnaire you can't answer, or a ransomware note shows up on a screen. The gap between "good with computers" and actual IT operations — monitoring, patching, backup, access control — is where businesses get hurt.
What a managed IT partner actually replaces
A managed IT relationship is built to cover what a full IT department would — helpdesk support, network monitoring, patch management, cybersecurity, and a documented plan for when something breaks — for a flat, predictable monthly rate instead of a payroll line and a training budget. You get a team with broader coverage than any single hire, without carrying that hire on your books.
If you're weighing this decision for your business, the cost estimator gives you a real number in about two minutes, or reach out and we'll walk through what makes sense for your size and setup — no pressure either way.
Have a project like this in mind? We'll scope it and give you a straight answer.