Written By: Frank Saulsbery
THE LATEST THOUGHTS FROM THE FOUNDER
A running column from Frank Saulsbery. Not a sales pitch, just the way he’d explain it if you pulled up a stool next to him. Meet Frank →
A SNEAK PEEK…
“A simple way to think about it is this: do you need a person, or do you need a team?”
If your organization is growing, things are getting more complicated, and you’re starting to wonder… should we have our own IT person, or should we just keep outsourcing it?”
It is a fair question and usually it comes up right after something has gone wrong. Maybe a system went down, maybe an employee couldn’t work for half a day, maybe a security scare got everyone’s attention. Suddenly, technology feels a lot more important than it did last week.
If you have felt that tension, you are not alone. Technology sits right in the middle of your business now. When it works, nobody thinks about it. When it does not, everything slows down. So the idea of having someone “in-house” who is always there can feel like peace of mind.
At the same time, hiring and managing another department is not a small decision. You are not just adding a salary. You are adding responsibility, structure, and long-term commitment. The reality is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It usually comes down to a few straightforward factors: how big your company is, how complex your systems are, and how your business is structured day to day.
Let’s start with having someone internal, usually from 75 staff members and up. There is a lot to like about an internal IT person or team. They are part of your company, they know your people, your systems, and the way your business runs. If something breaks, they are right there. There is a level of familiarity and control that many business owners find comforting.
But that control comes with responsibility. You have to manage them, just like any other department. You have to make sure they are staying current with technology, not just maintaining what already exists. As your company grows, one person often turns into two, then three, because people take vacations, get sick, or simply cannot do everything at once. Technology has layers, and no single person can be an expert in everything. So what starts as a simple hire can gradually turn into a full department with real overhead.
Now let’s look at outsourcing IT. Many small to mid-sized businesses, especially under about 75 employees, outsourcing tends to work really well. Instead of relying on one person, you get access to a team. That team covers each other, stays current on new threats and trends, and brings experience from working with many other businesses.
You are not responsible for managing their training, their schedule, or their growth as professionals. That is handled for you. For a lot of business owners, that is a relief.
But outsourcing is not perfect either. You are working with a partner, not an employee, that means communication matters. Expectations need to be clear, and if your business has highly specialized systems, applications, or custom-built software, an external team may need time to learn those things.
That is where a third option often makes a lot of sense, and it does not get talked about enough, co-managed approach. This is where you keep a smaller internal IT presence, maybe someone who understands your unique systems or handles day-to-day user needs, and you pair them with an external team that handles the heavier lifting. Things like cybersecurity monitoring, backups, system maintenance, and broader support.
This setup works especially well for companies that are growing. You are not putting all the pressure on one person, and you are not trying to build a full internal department overnight. You are essentially giving your internal person backup, resources, and a broader bench of expertise. It is also one of the fastest ways to strengthen your technology without making a massive organizational change.
So where does this leave you? If you are a smaller organization with straightforward needs, outsourcing is often the most practical and cost-effective choice. If you are larger, with complex systems and the structure to support a department, an internal team may make sense. And if you are somewhere in the middle, growing, with a mix of unique and standard needs, a co-managed approach is often the most flexible and balanced path.
The important thing is not choosing what sounds best in theory. It is choosing what fits how your business actually runs today, and where you see it going. A simple way to think about it is this: do you need a person, or do you need a team? And maybe the better question is, if something important broke tomorrow, would your current setup give you confidence… or stress?
If you are not completely sure, it might be worth stepping back and having an honest conversation about what is working, what is not, and where the gaps are. Sometimes just putting that on the table brings a lot of clarity.
That’s how I see it, anyway, and I’d enjoy hearing how you see it. None of this is a sales pitch. It’s just the kind of thing I’d talk through with you if we were sitting across the table. If it raised a question, or you think I have it wrong, I want to hear about it.
My door is always open. Whether you want to talk this through or just say hello, you can reach me anytime.
Network Solutions Unlimited is a generational managed IT services provider based in Decatur, Illinois, serving businesses and nonprofits with genuine support and decades of trusted relationships. Led by Baily Saulsbery and founded by her father Frank, we're not just your IT provider; we're your neighbors who happen to be really good at technology. Contact us today to experience IT support that actually cares.
