It’s one of the most common decisions a growing Brisbane business faces: do we hire someone in-house, or bring in a managed services provider? There’s no single right answer — but there are clear patterns that make one option better for most businesses at most stages.
Here’s an honest comparison, including the numbers and the things most providers won’t tell you.
When in-house IT makes sense
Hiring a dedicated IT person (or team) internally is worth considering if:
- You have 100+ users and IT complexity that requires daily hands-on, on-site work
- IT is your core product — you’re a software company, tech startup, or SaaS business
- You run a highly specialised environment (custom manufacturing systems, research infrastructure, proprietary software) that needs deep institutional knowledge
- Your industry contract or compliance obligation specifically requires an internal IT role
For most professional services businesses, law firms, accounting practices, healthcare providers, logistics companies, and manufacturers in Brisbane with 10-100 staff — none of these apply.
When managed IT makes more sense
A managed IT service is almost always the better choice if:
- You have 10-100 users and IT is critical to operations but not your core product
- You’ve had problems with IT response times, unresolved issues, or a provider that closes tickets without actually fixing the underlying cause
- Your Microsoft 365 environment has become a mess — shared accounts, unclear permissions, Teams channels nobody manages
- You’re worried about cyber insurance requirements or security compliance you don’t fully understand
- Leadership is spending too much time dealing with IT issues instead of running the business
- You want predictable monthly costs instead of unpredictable break-fix bills
The real cost comparison
Let’s use a 25-person Brisbane business as the example. This is where the comparison gets interesting — because hiring someone in-house doesn’t replace your software licensing costs. Those bills exist regardless.
Option 1: hire a junior IT person
Employment costs:
- Salary: $65,000-$75,000/year
- Super (11.5%): $7,500-$8,600/year
- Training and certifications: $3,000-$5,000/year
- Tools and software: $2,000-$4,000/year
Plus the licensing stack you still need to pay for separately:
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium (25 users): ~$10,500/year — covers Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, Intune, and Defender
- Microsoft 365 cloud backup (25 users): ~$1,800/year — M365 does not back itself up; you need a separate backup tool
- Endpoint security / EDR (25 users): ~$3,600/year — advanced threat detection beyond what Defender alone provides
Total: $93,000-$108,000/year — and you still get coverage gaps when they’re sick, on annual leave, or hand in their notice. And when something genuinely complex comes up (a security incident, a server migration, a compliance audit), one junior generalist may not have the skills to handle it.
Option 2: fully managed IT service
Based on Connected Platforms’ pricing for a 25-35 user business:
- Monthly cost: $7,750-$10,850/month
- Annual total: approximately $93,000-$130,000/year
- Already includes: Microsoft 365 Business Premium, M365 cloud backup, advanced endpoint security (EDR), Brisbane-based helpdesk, remote and onsite support, proactive monitoring and maintenance, cybersecurity monitoring, vendor management, strategic IT advice, and account management
When you add the licensing stack back into the in-house option, the cost comparison is much closer than it first appears. And what you get is very different: one junior generalist vs. a full team of specialists — helpdesk technicians, security engineers, a virtual CTO, and project capability — with no single point of failure and no six-week recruitment gap when someone leaves.
What about hiring someone senior?
A strong senior IT manager who knows your business inside-out has real value. But consider the numbers:
- A senior IT manager in Brisbane costs $90,000-$120,000/year in salary — $120,000-$150,000 all-in with on-costs, before you add the licensing stack on top
- They still can’t be everywhere at once. They have knowledge limits, leave periods, and a life outside your business
- When they move on — and they will — your IT knowledge, vendor relationships, and environment documentation go with them
- When something goes wrong at 2am, or you need a specialised security response, one person is one person
The hybrid option
At 80-100+ users, some businesses benefit from a hybrid model: an in-house IT manager who owns the relationship, strategy, and internal accountability — backed by a managed services provider who handles day-to-day helpdesk, monitoring, and specialist work.
This is also the right answer for businesses that already have internal IT staff but need more capacity, specialist skills, or better after-hours coverage. It’s called co-managed IT, and it’s something we offer at Connected Platforms.
Which is right for your business?
If you’re a 10-100 person Brisbane business, IT isn’t your core product, and you’ve experienced IT problems that cost you time or money — managed IT is almost certainly the better choice on cost, coverage, and risk.
If you’re pushing past 100 users with a complex environment, it might be time to consider a hybrid model — internal accountability with MSP depth behind it.
Not sure where you sit? Book a no-obligation 20-minute call and we’ll give you a straight answer — even if that answer is that you should hire in-house.
