IT outsourcing for small businesses: Is it worth it?

You run a company with 5, 10 or 30 employees. Computers, networks, printers, emails, all of it must work. But do you need to hire your own IT specialist for that? Or is it better to entrust IT management to an external firm?

This decision affects dozens of small and medium-sized businesses in Prague. In this article, we will plainly show you what IT outsourcing entails, how much it costs, and when it makes sense.

What is IT outsourcing?

IT outsourcing means entrusting your IT management to an external company instead of employing your own IT technician. The external IT company takes care of your computers, network, security, backups and resolves issues when they arise.

In practice, this means you have a team of specialists who know your environment. When something breaks, you call and the problem is resolved. Additionally, they proactively monitor your systems, updating them, checking backups and addressing security threats before they cause damage.

Cost comparison: in-house IT versus outsourcing

Let's look at the hard numbers. How much does an in-house IT employee cost compared to outsourcing?

Item	In-house IT technician	IT outsourcing
Monthly costs	55 000-85 000 Kč (gross salary)	5 000-25 000 Kč (depending on scope)
Holiday / sick leave	Yes: who will represent them?	The team ensures representation.
Training and Certification	Your costs	Included
Breadth of expertise	One person	Team of specialists
Availability	Opening hours	In accordance with the SLA, often outside working hours.

For a company with 10-20 employees, IT outsourcing typically costs 8 000-15 000 Kč per month. Employing your own IT technician will cost you at least four times as much. This does not include recruitment costs, workspace and tools.

What is included in IT outsourcing?

Quality IT outsourcing should cover:

Helpdesk: resolving employees' daily issues (printer malfunction, forgotten password, slow computer)
Network management: working Wi-Fi, internet connection, network drives
Security antivirus, firewall, updates, protection against ransomware
Deposits: regular data backups and recovery testing
Email management: Microsoft 365 or another email solution
Hardware: advice on purchase, repairs, replacements
Licence: management of software licences and their renewal
Documentation asset records, passwords, configurations

When does outsourcing pay off?

IT outsourcing makes sense in these situations:

Small company (up to 50 employees). You do not have enough work for a full-time IT technician, but you require reliable management
IT is not your main business activity: want to focus on your trade and have IT sorted out
You need predictable costs: a fixed monthly amount instead of unexpected expenses
Do you require a professional standard?: access to a team of specialists instead of a single generalist
Rapid growth. You need a scalable solution that grows with you

When does outsourcing not make sense?

Let's be honest: outsourcing isn't for everyone:

Specialised software requiring constant presence: if you have a production system that requires continuous monitoring
More than 80-100 employees, at this point, it is usually worthwhile to have your own IT manager (though they can still collaborate with an external company).
Software development company: if IT is your main activity, you need people inside

What to watch out for when choosing a provider

Not all IT companies are the same. When choosing, ask about:

Response time, how quickly will they respond to your issue? Demand a specific figure (SLA), not vague promises.
Physical accessibility, some issues cannot be resolved remotely. How far away is the technician?
Reference: do they have experience with companies of similar size and sector?
A transparent contract: what is exactly included in the price and what is charged separately?
Representability: what if your technician is ill or on holiday?
Proactive approach: do they only extinguish fires, or prevent problems beforehand?

How we do it here

We are based in Prague 1 at Břehová 40/1. For our clients, this means we can be on site within 30 minutes. However, we resolve most issues remotely. You call, we connect and fix it. No waiting, no unnecessary visits.

Each client is assigned a technician who knows their environment. This is not an anonymous call centre. We know your server, network and software. When you call, there is no need to explain everything from the beginning.

Our monthly flat rates start at 5 000 Kč for small offices and are scalable to your needs. No hidden fees, no surprises on the invoice.