Managed IT vs Hiring an IT Person for a Construction Company: Cost Comparison

Published January 30th, 2026 by Canetadmin

For 10–25 employee construction companies, the choice between managed IT services and hiring an internal IT employee usually comes down to cost, coverage, and risk. Hiring an in-house IT person typically costs $55,000–$80,000 per year, not including benefits, training, or after-hours coverage. Managed IT services, by comparison, usually cost $100–$125 per user per month, or $1,000–$3,125 per month, while providing broader expertise and predictable pricing.

The True Cost of Hiring an In-House IT Employee

An internal IT hire often seems appealing, but real costs add up quickly:

Salary: $55k–$80k per year

Benefits, payroll taxes, and insurance

Limited availability (vacation, sick days, no 24/7 coverage)

Expertise limited to one person

If that employee is unavailable during a critical outage, projects can stall.

What Managed IT Provides Instead

Managed IT replaces a single hire with a full support team. A typical plan includes:

24/7 monitoring and maintenance

Help desk support for daily issues

Cybersecurity and threat monitoring

Backup and disaster recovery

Onsite support when problems affect operations

All of this is bundled into a predictable flat monthly rate.

Coverage and Response Time Comparison

Construction companies don’t operate on a 9-to-5 schedule. Managed IT offers:

Faster response for urgent issues

Multiple technicians instead of one

Same-day onsite support for critical problems

In-house IT often can’t match this level of coverage without additional staffing.

Risk and Security Considerations

Security is another major factor. Managed IT providers:

Monitor systems 24/7

Apply patches and updates automatically

Respond quickly to ransomware or data loss

Test backups and recovery processes

A single internal IT hire may not specialize in cybersecurity or disaster recovery.

Which Option Makes Sense for Construction Companies?

For most small to mid-size construction companies, managed IT delivers:

Lower overall risk

More consistent support

Predictable costs

Better protection for job site data and payroll

In-house IT may make sense at much larger company sizes, but not for most firms with 10–25 employees.

Real-World Example

A 20-employee construction company considered hiring an internal IT technician at $65,000 per year. Instead, they chose a $110 per user managed IT plan, saving over $30,000 annually while gaining faster response times, improved security, and reliable backups.