Managed IT vs. In-House IT: What Fits a Growing Business?

As businesses grow, informal IT support eventually stops being enough. The employee who once handled an occasional  laptop or email issue may now be responsible for Microsoft 365, cybersecurity, backups, network performance, new-user setup, and technology planning.

At this point, leaders need to decide: Should we hire an Internal IT Employee or Managed IT Services provider? Maybe a hybrid approach?

Internal IT Employee

An internal IT employee can be a strong asset frequent onsite needs. Salary is only one component of the true cost.

Consider the following:

• Salary, payroll taxes, benefits, and retirement contributions
• Recruiting time and hiring costs
• Ongoing training and certification expenses
• IT management, monitoring, and security tools
• Coverage for vacations, illness, and after-hours issues
• The potential disruption if the employee resigns

Comprehensive IT requires a complex skillet and specialties. One person may be expected to support users while managing networks, cloud services, cybersecurity, backups, devices, and long-term technology decisions. Finding a single employee with deep expertise across every area can be difficult and costly.

Managed IT Services Provider

A Managed IT Service Provider, like Alpha, has deep experience levels across a broad array of services. You now have a team instead of one person. They aren’t on vacation, don’t call in sick and aren’t going to leave with all of the experience needed to maintain your network. Instead of depending on one person, you have resources available for routine support, urgent issues, and specialized needs.

Services include:

• Strategic IT planning and budgeting
• Help desk support for employees
• Microsoft 365 and cloud administration
• Endpoint protection and cybersecurity management
• Patch management and account security
• Network, firewall, and Wi-Fi support
• Network monitoring and maintenance
• Backup and disaster recovery planning
• Onsite support

The key advantage is continuity. If one technician is unavailable, cross training allows additional qualified personnel to support your business.

Questions to Ask

Before choosing an IT model, leadership should consider the following:

• Availability: Who handles IT issues when your IT is sick, on vacation or training?
• Expertise: Does the business need better management and deeper skills?
• Continuity: What happens to your system knowledge if IT staff leaves?
• Security: Are cybersecurity responsibilities clearly assigned and actively managed?
• Control: Which IT decisions and responsibilities need to remain internal?
• Scalability: Will the current approach support another 20 employees, new cloud systems, or an additional location?
• Cost: Does the comparison include benefits, tools, recruiting, downtime, and business risk—not just salary?

A Hybrid Approach

Many organizations use a hybrid model that combines internal company knowledge with an MSP’s broader expertise.

For example, an internal employee may focus on company-specific applications and day to day operations while a managed IT provider handles:

• Strategic planning and technology roadmaps
• Cybersecurity monitoring
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Cloud administration
• Network management
• Advanced troubleshooting
• Proactive maintenance

Find the Right Balance

Some businesses benefit from a dedicated internal IT employee. Others companies require a more advanced skillset, stronger continuity, and/or broader technical expertise available through managed IT services. A hybrid approach may provide a balance of control, responsiveness, and protection.

Alpha Network Systems provides strategic IT Management, cybersecurity, cloud/local solutions, telecommunications, web development and disaster recovery services for businesses located in Greeley, Northern Colorado and the surrounding region.

Last updated: August 2026
By Rob Citrino, CEO at Alpha Network Systems. Rob has 30 years experience providing CIO advisory to C-Suite, ownership and IT Management teams for local and national companies.