It is one of the most common questions growing businesses ask. You have reached the point where IT issues are happening often enough that someone needs to be responsible for them. Do you hire someone, or do you bring in an external provider?
The honest answer is that it depends on your business, but for most South African SMBs the maths strongly favour outsourcing. Here is why.
The Real Cost of an In-House IT Person
An experienced IT support technician in Johannesburg earns somewhere between R25,000 and R45,000 per month in salary alone. Add to that:
- UIF, skills levy, and employment costs on top of the salary
- Leave, sick days, and the reality that one person cannot be available 24 hours a day
- Training and certification costs to keep their skills current
- The fact that one person cannot be expert in everything: networking, security, cloud, hardware, software all require different specialisations
- Recruitment costs and the risk of a bad hire
What a Managed IT Support Contract Gives You Instead
- A full team with specialists across every area of IT, not a generalist trying to cover everything
- Consistent availability including after-hours support for critical issues
- No leave gaps, no sick days, no single point of failure
- Predictable monthly cost with no surprise salary increases or employment disputes
- Experience across many different business environments, bringing best practices to yours
When In-House Does Make Sense
For larger businesses with 50 or more staff, complex custom software environments, or very specific technical requirements, an in-house IT person can make sense, often working alongside an external provider rather than replacing one. For most businesses under that size, outsourcing delivers more value for less money.
The Hybrid Approach
Many of our clients have an internal person who handles day-to-day user support and basic tasks, backed by DelTrix Technology for the more complex, strategic, and security-related work. This often gives the best of both worlds.
Talk to DelTrix Technology about what the right IT structure looks like for your business size and budget. Call 0716763026 or email support@deltrixtech.co.za.