You’ve probably thought about hiring an IT person at some point, and for good reason. The business world is becoming so reliant on technology that any network slowness or downtime can really impact your team’s efficiency, your client satisfaction, and your overall bottom line. But since technology is so precious (and expensive), the cost of hiring your own in-house IT person is a lot more than just the agreed upon salary.

So if you’re looking to hire your own IT person, listen up!

Cost

It’s important to keep in mind that there are several different job titles for IT professionals, so salaries will vary depending on the level of experience required. Small and medium sized businesses who do not currently have an IT department will start by hiring an entry level Computer/Network support technician.

According to payscale.com, the national average salary for a Computer-Network Support Technician is around $42,000 a year, or $18.03 an hour. So now that you have an idea of how much the salary is, let’s talk about everything else you’ll need.

Your new IT professional is going to need a real badass computer (most likely with several monitors) that can efficiently run all of the software needed to maintain your network. Speaking of software, you will definitely need to invest in network diagnostic tools and the most up-to-date security programs.

If you have multiple locations, they will most likely need a cell phone with a data plan and most likely a vehicle expense account or a company car. We haven’t even talked about benefits and worker compensation yet.

Where the Managed Service Provider comes in

As you can see, hiring an IT professional isn’t cheap. One person might not even be enough if you’re a larger business or if your business runs 24 hours a day (IT guys need to sleep too). So what’s the solution?

Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Think about it. Why hire an individual person to handle all of your technology needs when you can bring on an entire IT company for the same price, if not cheaper?

Managed Service Providers will not only have the skill and talent to keep your technology safe and up-to-date, but they will also have all of the resources needed to ensure all your hardware and software is running efficiently. Whether you have multiple locations or staff that works after-hours, a Managed Service Provider will give you piece of mind, so you can focus on what’s most important, running your business.

If you’re interested in learning whether or not managed services is right for your business, then give us a call today to schedule a private briefing with one of our technology consultants.