It all…you guessed it…depends.
To answer this question (which we’ve done over and over again for the past two decades), you have to consider a number of multi-faceted variables. IT support is customized based on your organization, what you need, and how much you need of it.
Have thousands upon thousands of employees? You’re going to pay a whole lot to support and maintain your environment. Have one new and pristine server? Chances are you won’t have to worry about investing in any sort of upgrade project for a good four years.
“Well that’s all well and good, David, but can’t you give me a ballpark figure?”
Why yes, disembodied voice, I sure can!
Here’s the skinny: a 25- to 30-person organization can outsource their IT for as little as $3,000 each month, to as much as $15,000 each month.
What factors affect the cost of outsourcing your network?
Below are the main factors that will influence how much your monthly investment will amount to:
- How is your organization using technology?
Are all elements of your business rooted in technology, or can you go ten years without updating your workstations? - How are you going to manage your technology?
Do you want to outsource your entire infrastructure and the people that support it? One or the other? Just your email? - What’s your tolerance for risk?
Are you the NSA, or a construction company? Can you stand to have your network down for more than an hour? A day? A week? - What are your organization’s growth objectives?
Are you in the process of down-sizing? Are you gaining employees and revenue by the minute? - Are you flush with cash?
Do you have the freedom to demand the latest and greatest solutions, or are you a small not-for-profit with very little wiggle room?
A company in stable condition with recently upgraded hardware and few non-traditional applications will fall on the low end of the scale as far as monthly support costs.
On the flip side, if you rely on a lot of non-traditional applications, have dying servers, and are in the throes of growth, you will have to invest more to get the level of support necessary to properly care for your network.
Now, don’t be discouraged if you’re a large and booming company; while you may be in for a fairly hefty monthly bill, outsourcing is often more economical than hiring, training, managing, and replacing IT staff in-house.
It all depends.