In-house IT means hiring your own staff. Outsourced IT means a provider handles everything. Co-managed IT means a provider works alongside your internal person. The right choice depends on your size, your systems, and how critical IT is to the business.
In-house IT
- For: someone in the building who knows your business deeply
- Against: a single point of failure, expensive (salary + benefits + tools), hard to cover holidays, one person cannot be expert in helpdesk, security, cloud and network
- Fits: larger businesses, or those with constant hands-on needs
Outsourced / managed IT
- For: a whole team’s skills for less than one salary, monitoring and security included, no HR overhead
- Against: less day-to-day presence; you rely on the provider’s responsiveness
- Fits: most small and mid-size businesses (roughly 3-75 staff)
Co-managed IT
- For: keep your internal person for the business knowledge, add a provider for tools, security, after-hours and specialist projects
- Against: needs a clear split of responsibilities to work
- Fits: businesses that have outgrown one IT person but are not ready for two
More on the middle option: co-managed IT. For cost comparison see managed IT pricing.
IT buyer’s guides
- What is a managed service provider?
- How much do managed IT services cost?
- Break/fix vs managed IT services
- What to look for in an IT support contract
- In-house vs outsourced vs co-managed IT
- How to switch IT providers
- Signs your IT provider is failing you
Thinking about managed IT in Edmonton? Call +1 (587) 400-9991 (also on WhatsApp) or request a quote. We start with a short review at no cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to outsource IT or hire?
For most small businesses, outsourcing is cheaper and gives broader skills. A single hire costs a full salary plus benefits and tools and still cannot cover every specialty.
Can we start outsourced and hire later?
Yes – many businesses do, then move to co-managed as they grow so the provider and the new hire share the load.
What size business needs its own IT person?
It varies, but typically past 50-100 staff, or earlier if IT is core to the product. Below that, managed or co-managed usually wins.
How does Scandifix fit?
We do fully managed IT and co-managed (working with your internal person). We will tell you honestly which makes sense for your size.