For many businesses, IT services are a critical focus due to the security risks that are posed online nowadays. As more people find a home on the internet, the dangers of cyber attacks and scams are more prominent than ever before. Any business of any size should be taking their IT  services seriously. But how much should IT services cost?

Hiring In-House 

It’s important to have eyes and ears on the ground. When it comes to IT services, hiring in-house staff will be important to help deal with issues right there and then as they happen. They might not be as knowledgeable as those you seek outside of the workplace but they will be helpful for everything that happens on a day-to-day basis.

The average employee working in an IT services department may earn around $80,676, depending on what it is they do. For example, system administrators get around $63,000 but project managers may earn up to $88,000. 

The issue with hiring in-house, however, is the additional costs that come with hiring any employee. It’s the package you present to all your staff such as federal and state payroll taxes, covering staff sicknesses and vacation time.

However, with that being said, there are some areas of IT services that do require someone to be on the premises itself and remote workers may not always be able to provide that. 

Outsourcing To Freelance & IT Support Companies

It might be that you opt to not use in-house staff at all. But it’s fairly common for businesses to have a mixture of both. You may find that services referred to as ‘on-demand’ or ‘break/fix mode’ might be more useful. These are services you outsource to freelance or IT support companies as and when things go wrong. 

You’re only paying for when a problem needs fixing. These prices can vary quite dramatically depending on what you’re looking for in regards to specialisms and the popularity of the business or freelancer in question.

According to Payoneer, the average freelancer in IT services will likely earn around $31 an hour in comparison to $26.30 for an employee that’s in-house. However, weighing up the additional costs that come with employees in-house, it may end up being around the same.

Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

And then there are MSPs. Managed service providers are effectively an internal department based externally out of the premises. They’ll likely work remotely and have in-person visits when needed. 

This Thornton IT company, for example, charges a fixed monthly fee in return for their services. MSPs will usually vary depending on who they are but the average is usually $52 per desktop and $216 per server which includes monthly support and maintenance. 

It’s worth remembering that these figures mentioned can vary and that they also don’t factor in everything. MSPs may be able to provide more expertise, whereas in-house staff can help with the groundwork that other options cannot provide so freely. 

IT Services will cost differently depending on your needs as a business, so it’s worth assessing your requirements and going from there.