The Real Cost of In-House IT
When Brisbane businesses hire an in-house IT person, they usually focus on the salary. What they miss is everything else: superannuation, annual leave, sick leave, training, tools, licensing — and the growing list of specialisations a single person simply can’t cover. A competent IT generalist costs $75,000–$95,000 per year in Brisbane. Add on-costs and you’re closer to $110,000 before they’ve fixed a single server.
But cost isn’t the only problem. One person leaves for two weeks and your business is exposed. One person gets sick and your helpdesk queue fills up. One person doesn’t know cybersecurity and you’re a breach waiting to happen.
What Managed IT Actually Gives You
A managed IT services provider replaces the single-person model with a full team: helpdesk engineers, senior consultants, cybersecurity specialists, and a vCIO who can translate technology into business decisions. For most Brisbane businesses with 10–100 users, that team costs less per month than a single junior IT employee.
Managed IT also means predictable billing. Instead of capital expenditure on hardware and surprise emergency callout fees, you pay one flat monthly fee that covers everything. Budgeting becomes straightforward.
When In-House IT Makes Sense
In-house IT is the right call if your business has complex, proprietary systems that require dedicated daily management — think manufacturing lines with custom software, or healthcare systems with highly specific compliance workflows. If you need someone on-site every day managing infrastructure that can’t be remotely monitored, hiring in-house makes sense.
For most Brisbane SMBs, that’s not the reality. Most businesses need reliable daily IT support, cybersecurity monitoring, Microsoft 365 management, and occasional project work — all of which managed IT handles more cost-effectively than a single hire.
The Hybrid Option
Some businesses land in between: a senior internal IT manager who sets strategy and vendor relationships, with a managed IT provider handling day-to-day helpdesk and monitoring. This gives you the best of both worlds — strategic ownership internally, operational reliability externally.
Questions to Ask Before Deciding
- How many users do you have, and how much of their time is spent on IT issues?
- Do you have compliance requirements (healthcare, legal, financial) that need specialist IT knowledge?
- What would a data breach or 4-hour outage cost your business?
- Can one person realistically cover helpdesk, security, infrastructure, and projects?
If you’re uncertain, it’s worth understanding how much managed IT support actually costs in Brisbane before making any decisions. You may find it’s significantly less than you expected.
Also worth reading: what to look for in a managed IT provider so you know what questions to ask.
Looking for a trusted managed IT services provider in Brisbane? Connected Platforms delivers managed IT services for Brisbane businesses with local helpdesk support, proactive monitoring, and a single flat-fee model that covers everything your business needs.
