This blog post was updated on October 16, 2024

It was originally published on December 15, 2019

Why pay for IT support for your small business when you could handle it yourself?

The logic is tempting: you’ve grown up in a tech-savvy environment, perhaps you’ve even built your own computer or set up a home network. Naturally, you’d feel confident about managing the technology at your workplace. By taking on IT support for your small business yourself, you might think you're saving significant costs upfront.

But here’s the truth…

Technology is a vast, ever-evolving field. No single individual can truly “know” it comprehensively. While you may be proficient in a specific area of IT, business environments are far more complex than personal or home-based tech setups. The technologies that drive operations, security, and scalability in a business context are intricate, interdependent, and require continuous updates and specialized knowledge.

Let’s break down why it might not be the best idea to go solo, and why investing in professional IT support is a strategic decision, rather than a cost.

The Complexity of Business IT

Running the IT infrastructure of a business is fundamentally different from setting up a home office or resolving minor computer issues. Business networks often involve:

• Server management: Ensuring uptime, maintaining backups, and securing sensitive data.

• Cybersecurity protocols: Keeping your systems safe from the rising tide of cyberattacks, which target small businesses more frequently than ever before.

• Compliance requirements: Many industries are subject to specific regulatory requirements, such as PCI-DSS or HIPAA, which mandate strict data handling and protection standards.

• Software integration and maintenance: Keeping business-critical software updated and fully integrated can be a challenge, especially as your business grows and adds new tools or services.

The scale, security, and efficiency required to run a business network effectively require specialized knowledge in each of these areas, which often surpasses the skill set of a generalist. In other words, DIY IT management might leave you exposed to hidden costs and operational risks that could far exceed the cost of professional support.

The Real Cost of In-House IT Support

Let’s consider the option of hiring in-house IT support. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for an IT Support Specialist in San Francisco is around $68,134 per year. Add in overhead costs like HR, administration, training, and benefits, and this number easily reaches over $78,608 per year.

However, IT support is rarely a one-person job. Modern businesses require expertise in various domains. The responsibilities of a typical IT Support Specialist cover only basic helpdesk functions and troubleshooting. But what about:

• Network management: Ensuring connectivity and preventing network downtimes.

• Systems engineering: Handling server architecture, cloud solutions, and system optimization.

• Cybersecurity: Protecting the business from breaches, ensuring compliance, and performing regular audits.

• Project management: Managing IT projects like software upgrades, migrations, or new system implementations.

To meet these needs, you would need to hire multiple specialists—Network Engineers, Systems Administrators, Cybersecurity Analysts, and Project Managers—each of whom demands a higher salary. On average, a well-rounded IT department would cost you between $350,000 and $500,000 annually. These numbers can be overwhelming for a small business.

The Cost-Effective Alternative: Outsourced IT Support

Outsourcing IT services offers a much more cost-effective solution for small businesses. For a fraction of the cost (typically 20-30% of the expense of an in-house team), you gain access to a fully equipped IT department with specialized professionals across all critical areas.

This means you can tap into:

• 24/7 monitoring: Outsourced providers often offer round-the-clock services, ensuring your business stays online without you having to bear the burden.

• Specialized expertise: Instead of relying on a single IT Support Specialist, you have access to a range of professionals—from cybersecurity experts to network architects—without the added cost of full-time salaries.

• Scalability: As your business grows, so do your IT needs. Managed IT providers offer flexibility, scaling their services based on your business’s evolving requirements without the need for expensive recruitment drives.

• Strategic guidance: Managed IT services don’t just fix problems—they can help align your IT infrastructure with your broader business goals, ensuring you get maximum value from your technology investments.

When Should You Hire An External IT Service Provider?

Here are 7 signs your business needs IT Support:

1. Your Meetings Take Longer Than Planned

Does this surprise you as the first sign? We've all heard about how inefficient meetings can be, but they are often necessary. That said, there’s no reason your meetings should drag on due to “technical difficulties.”

If you find yourself constantly wrestling with the Wi-Fi, struggling to connect to Zoom, Google Meet, or GoToMeeting, and battling to get your screen to mirror on the Apple TV, then something is wrong. Choppy calls and tech issues are stretching your 15-minute meetings into hour-long sessions.

Virtual meetings are supposed to enhance collaboration, not derail it. If you’re wasting time troubleshooting video conferencing tools in front of your team or clients, it’s time to ask yourself:

“Can we afford to keep losing time this way?”

2. You’ve Suffered an IT Security Breach (More Than Once)

Many businesses mistakenly treat cybersecurity as a one-and-done project. They set up basic policies, install some security tools, and consider the job done. But thinking you’re “unhackable” is one of the biggest misconceptions you can have.

Small businesses often assume they’re too insignificant to be targeted by cybercriminals. The reality? According to the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses. Even worse, only 14% of small businesses rate their cybersecurity as highly effective.

If you've had more than one security incident in recent months, it’s time to seek professional help. Ignoring even minor incidents can lead to major issues like malware infections, ransomware attacks, and data breaches.

A reliable IT services company will:

• Eliminate common cybersecurity mistakes

• Implement best practices and security standards

• Continuously monitor and update your security systems

• Conduct penetration tests and phishing simulations

• Educate your staff about emerging threats

• Set up a robust backup and disaster recovery plan

3. Your Backup and Recovery Plan is a Mystery

According to the statistics compiled by bostoncomputing.net, every week, 140,000 hard drives crash in the U.S. alone. But here’s the kicker: 60% of companies that lose their data shut down within six months.

Data loss, whether from theft, deletion, ransomware, or hardware failure, can be devastating. It’s not just the revenue loss—it’s the loss of trust from your customers.

Despite this, many businesses either don’t have a backup plan, or worse, don’t know how their existing plan works. A client once thought they had a solid backup system, only for us to discover that the hard drives weren’t even connected to the network!

A competent IT support team will:

• Identify critical data for backup

• Recommend the right type of backup (on-premises, cloud, or hybrid)

• Develop a tailored disaster recovery plan

4. The productivity of your best employees drop

Have you noticed a drop in billable hours from your top employees? If they spend time troubleshooting printers, routers, or other tech issues instead of doing their actual work, this downtime can cost your business more than you realize.

On average, lost productivity due to IT issues can cost businesses $6,876+ per employee per year. Beyond the immediate financial cost, these interruptions can frustrate your employees and reduce job satisfaction, potentially driving your best talent away.

If your team is constantly distracted by IT problems, it’s time to call in expert help and let your employees focus on what they do best.

5. Your Company is Growing

Growth is a great problem to have, but it comes with its own challenges—especially when it comes to IT infrastructure. As your company scales, the complexity of your IT systems grows exponentially. You’re juggling office expansions, new hires, admin duties, and financial planning, and scaling IT might be the last thing you want to handle.

An experienced IT service provider can help ensure your IT infrastructure grows with your business, preventing future bottlenecks. They’ll help you avoid “technical debt,” which occurs when quick, short-term decisions (like buying equipment or adopting tech without foresight) accumulate and create future inefficiencies.

In other words, smart IT management can make scaling easier and set you up for sustainable growth.

6. You’re Always Firefighting IT Problems

Many business owners wear the "jack-of-all-trades" badge with pride. Maybe you've set up your own home network or fixed personal tech problems. But running IT for a business is a different ballgame. If you or a key employee is spending most of the day putting out IT fires instead of focusing on core responsibilities, it’s not sustainable.

The more your company grows, the more your IT needs will outpace your in-house capabilities. Relying on makeshift solutions leads to lost productivity, and constantly reacting to IT problems rather than planning ahead can put you behind your competitors.

Proactive IT support helps you move from a reactive “firefighting” approach to a strategic, forward-thinking model that treats IT as a business asset.

7. Your Technology Investments Aren’t Delivering ROI

Few things are more frustrating than investing in technology that doesn’t deliver. Say you buy an expensive Wi-Fi system to fix connectivity issues, but your office is in a crowded downtown area where startups are battling for wireless bandwidth. Without proper setup, the new equipment won’t solve your problem.

Business IT environments are inherently complex due to the wide range of devices, software, and networks involved. If you’re not seeing the return on your tech investments, you may be making decisions based on incomplete knowledge.

Partnering with an experienced IT service provider helps you avoid these pitfalls. They’ll help you make informed choices, optimize your tech investments, and set up IT solutions that support your long-term goals.

In Summary

Whether you run a tech startup, law firm, or nonprofit, managing IT is not your core competency—it’s a means to achieve your business goals. Your time is better spent focusing on what makes your business unique, rather than on IT troubleshooting.

It may seem like a cost-saving measure to handle IT support on your own or hire one internal IT professional, but the complexities of modern business technology require a broader, more specialized approach. Modern businesses need to remain agile and focus on core competencies, rather than juggling IT issues that could be managed more effectively and affordably by an outsourced service provider.

Outsourcing your IT services isn't just an expense; it’s an investment in your business’s long-term operational efficiency, security, and growth.

If you liked this blog post, please share it with your friends