All comparisons
Comparison
In-House IT vs Managed IT Support
Both models can work well. The right choice usually comes down to your size, how much IT you actually run, and how much risk you can carry on one person or one contract.
| In-house IT | Managed IT (MSP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Salary, employer NI, pension, training and tools. A single hire is a fixed cost whether busy or quiet. | A predictable monthly fee, usually per user or device, that scales with headcount. |
| Cover | One person means no cover during holidays, illness or resignation unless you add a second hire. | A team covers absences, with helpdesk hours and out-of-hours options set in the contract. |
| Breadth of skills | Strong on your own systems, but one person can't be expert in security, cloud, networking and licensing. | Access to several specialisms (security, cloud, backup) without hiring each one. |
| Knowledge of your business | Deep, day-to-day familiarity and on-site presence. | Builds understanding over time; relies on good documentation and regular reviews. |
| Security monitoring | Hard to staff around the clock; usually business hours only. | Often includes monitoring tooling and a security operations service. |
| Scaling | Slow: hiring takes months and capacity is lumpy. | Fast: add users or sites and the fee follows. |
| Control | Direct management of priorities and day-to-day work. | Governed by an agreed scope and SLA, with reporting rather than direct supervision. |
In-house IT makes sense if...
- You have enough IT work to keep a full-time person busy
- You run specialist or on-site systems that need constant hands-on attention
- You can afford cover for absence and a second pair of hands
Managed IT (MSP) makes sense if...
- You have under roughly 100 staff and no full IT department
- You want security, backup and patching handled to a standard
- You'd like predictable costs and cover for holidays and sickness
Our honest take
Many businesses land on a hybrid: an in-house person for day-to-day and relationships, with an MSP for security, out-of-hours cover and projects. If you only need one, the deciding question is usually: what happens when your one IT person is off sick?
Not sure which fits?
Tell us about your setup and we'll give you a straight answer, even if it's not us.