Managed IT vs in-house IT: which is right for your business?
Hiring your own IT staff gives you someone on site. Managed IT gives you a whole team for one monthly price. Here is how they compare, and when a mix of both makes sense.
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How the two approaches compare
| What matters | In-house IT | Managed IT with CTEKS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Salary, benefits, training, tools and recruiting. One person is a single point of cost and risk. | One predictable monthly price. Plans starting at $80 per user per month. |
| Coverage | Vacations, sick days and turnover leave gaps. | A team, so someone is available according to your service agreement. |
| Skills | One or two generalists. Hard to be expert in security, cloud and networking at once. | A team with depth across help desk, security, Microsoft 365, cloud and networks. |
| Security | Often limited by time and tooling. | Monitoring and endpoint protection by plan, with email security and backups available or quoted separately. |
| Tools | You buy and maintain monitoring and security tools. | Professional management and security tools are part of the service. |
| Planning | Day to day work often crowds out planning. | Regular reviews and a written roadmap tied to your budget. |
| Knowledge | Lives with one or two people. | Documented, so any trained team member can help. |
| Growth | Hiring takes months. | Add users and locations without hiring. |
Be honest about what you need
In-house can work when
You have enough work and budget for a full team, including security, and can cover absences and turnover.
Managed IT fits when
You want deep skills and monitoring without building a department, or one person is carrying everything.
Co-managed fits when
You already have IT staff and want our team for help desk overflow, security, projects and coverage.
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Do I have to replace my IT person?
No. Many clients use co-managed IT, where our team works alongside in-house staff.
Is managed IT cheaper than hiring?
It often costs less than a full team, but it depends on your size and needs. Use our cost calculator for a starting estimate.
See which approach fits your business
Find out where your risks are before they become outages.
- Network, backup and security health check
- Plain-English report with a priority list
- Written quote if you want our help
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