When your business reaches 15-50 employees, technology decisions become critical to your growth trajectory. The question of managed IT services vs in house IT isn’t just about cost—it’s about finding the right balance of expertise, reliability, and scalability to support your expanding operations.
Most growing companies face a common dilemma: their current IT setup worked fine with 10 employees, but now they’re experiencing more downtime, security concerns, and technology gaps that slow productivity. Understanding the practical differences between these approaches helps you make the right choice for your business stage.
The True Cost Comparison
The financial reality is more complex than comparing a monthly service fee to a single salary. In-house IT typically costs 35-45% more than the base salary once you factor in benefits, payroll taxes, training, tools, and recruitment expenses.
For a growing company, here’s what the numbers look like:
• In-house IT Manager: $90,000-$150,000 total annual cost (including benefits and overhead) • Managed IT Services: $18,000-$50,000 annually for a 15-person team • Hidden in-house costs: Ongoing training, software licensing, emergency repairs, coverage during vacations
Managed IT services provide predictable monthly expenses that scale with your team size. You avoid the budget surprises that come with hardware failures, security incidents, or the need for specialized expertise your internal person doesn’t have.
In-house IT also means you’re paying full-time wages whether you need 40 hours of IT work per week or just 10. Most growing companies don’t have enough IT work to justify a full-time position, but they have too much complexity for part-time help.
Expertise and Specialization Differences
A managed IT provider brings a team of specialists rather than relying on one person’s knowledge. Your business gets access to network engineers, cybersecurity experts, cloud specialists, and help desk technicians without hiring each role separately.
Here’s how expertise typically breaks down:
Managed IT Team Coverage
• Network infrastructure and monitoring • Cybersecurity and compliance • Cloud services and migrations • Help desk and user support • Strategic IT planning • Vendor management
Single In-House Person Limitations
• Usually strong in 1-2 areas, weaker in others • Limited availability for emergencies • Continuous training costs to stay current • No backup coverage for vacations or departures
For growing companies, the breadth of expertise matters more than deep specialization in any single area. You need reliable networks, strong security, efficient user support, and strategic guidance—not just someone who can fix computers.
Scalability for Business Growth
Growing companies need IT solutions that adapt quickly to changing needs. Managed IT services excel at scaling resources without the delays and costs of hiring.
When you add new employees, locations, or business applications:
Managed IT Scaling: • New users added within days • Additional services activated as needed • No recruitment or training delays • Predictable cost increases
In-House IT Scaling: • May require hiring additional staff • Training time for new technologies • Risk of being understaffed during busy periods • Difficulty downsizing if needed
Many growing companies experience seasonal fluctuations or project-based workload changes. Managed IT providers can adjust support levels without the complexity of hiring temporary staff or overworking your internal person.
Reliability and Business Continuity
Downtime costs growing businesses an average of $5,600 per minute according to recent studies. The approach you choose directly impacts how quickly problems get resolved.
Managed IT providers offer: • 24/7 monitoring to catch issues before they cause downtime • Faster response times with dedicated support teams • Proactive maintenance to prevent problems • Redundant coverage so you’re never without support
In-house IT relies on one person who: • May not be available during emergencies • Could miss issues without monitoring tools • Might lack expertise for complex problems • Creates a single point of failure if they leave
For businesses where technology downtime directly impacts revenue, the reliability advantage of managed services often justifies the cost alone.
When In-House IT Makes More Sense
Managed IT isn’t always the right choice. In-house IT may be better if you have:
• Highly specialized industry requirements that need constant customization • Strict compliance needs requiring dedicated, on-site oversight • Complex proprietary systems that require intimate knowledge • Budget for multiple IT staff members to avoid single-person dependency • 50+ employees where the fixed costs become more reasonable
Some growing companies choose a hybrid “co-managed” approach, keeping basic in-house support while outsourcing specialized functions like cybersecurity, cloud management, or after-hours monitoring.
Making the Right Choice for Your Growth Stage
Most companies between 15-50 employees benefit from managed IT services because they need enterprise-level capabilities without enterprise-level costs. The key is matching your IT strategy to your growth plans.
Consider managed IT if: • You’re growing quickly and need scalable support • Technology isn’t your core expertise • You want predictable IT costs • Downtime significantly impacts your operations • You need 24/7 reliability
Stick with in-house IT if: • You have complex, industry-specific requirements • Your current person handles all needs effectively • You’re planning to build a full IT department • Immediate, on-site response is critical
Many successful growing companies find that outsourced IT support options provide the expertise and reliability they need while allowing them to focus resources on their core business activities.
What This Means for Your Business
The choice between managed IT services and in-house IT isn’t just about current needs—it’s about positioning your business for sustainable growth. Managed IT services typically offer better value for growing companies because they provide enterprise-level expertise, reliability, and scalability without the overhead of building an internal IT department.
The most successful approach aligns your IT strategy with your business goals. If technology enables your growth rather than constraining it, you’re on the right track. The right IT support model should reduce your operational stress, not add to it.
Ready to evaluate your IT support options? Contact TECHZN today to discuss how managed IT services can support your company’s growth while keeping technology costs predictable and performance reliable.
