MSP vs. Internal IT: Which Is Right for a 25-Person Business in NC?

Your business has grown to the point where technology problems are eating real time and money, and you’re facing a fork in the road: do you hire someone in-house to handle IT, or bring in a managed service provider (MSP)? Let’s break down the real costs and trade-offs for a typical 25-person business here in North Carolina, so you can make the call with clear eyes.

Option 1: Hire an internal IT person

The instinct is reasonable — someone on staff, down the hall, who knows your business. But run the numbers honestly. A competent IT generalist in the Triangle commands somewhere around $65,000 to $90,000 a year in salary, and the fully loaded cost — benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, training, software — typically pushes the true number well past $100,000.

For that, you get one person. One person who takes vacations, gets sick, and goes home at 5pm. One person who knows what they know but can’t be an expert in networking, cybersecurity, cloud platforms, and backups all at once. And one person who, when they leave, takes all of your institutional knowledge with them.

Option 2: Work with an MSP

A managed service provider gives you a whole team instead of a single hire — specialists in security, cloud, networking, and support — for a predictable monthly fee. For a 25-person business, comprehensive managed IT in the Triangle typically runs $2,500 to $5,000 a month, or roughly $30,000 to $60,000 a year.

That’s less than the loaded cost of one mid-level employee, and you get broader expertise, coverage that doesn’t call in sick, and tools and systems an MSP already owns that would be expensive to buy on your own. You also stop being a single point of failure away from chaos.

The honest trade-offs

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, so here’s the fair version of both sides.

An internal hire makes more sense when your technology is genuinely specialized — custom software, unusual equipment, or a need for someone physically present all day, every day. At larger headcounts (often past 75 to 100 employees), a hybrid model or an internal team starts to pencil out.

An MSP usually wins for businesses in the 5-to-75 range that rely on fairly standard technology — Microsoft 365, normal networking, common business software — and want broad expertise and reliability without the overhead and risk of a single hire. That describes the large majority of small businesses.

The option people forget: both

As you grow, the best answer is often a blend — an internal point person who knows the business day to day, backed by an MSP that provides specialized expertise, after-hours coverage, security, and a safety net. The internal person isn’t on an island, and you’re not paying to build an entire department from scratch.

How to decide

Ask yourself three questions. First, how specialized is our technology, really? Second, what would it actually cost us — in lost productivity and risk — to have IT covered by just one person who could leave or burn out? Third, what do we want our team spending its time on: our business, or our computers?

For most 25-person North Carolina businesses, the math and the risk both point toward an MSP — or an MSP-plus-internal blend as you scale. The goal isn’t to spend the least; it’s to get reliable, secure technology that lets your team focus on the work that actually grows the company.

If you’d like help running these numbers for your specific situation, that’s a conversation we’re always happy to have — no pressure, just a clear picture.

Black River Secure provides managed IT services and cybersecurity to small businesses across the Triangle — Fuquay Varina, Holly Springs, Apex, Raleigh, Cary, and Garner. Want an honest look at where your technology stands? Call (919) 926-9116 or request a free on-site tech audit.