IT helpdesk on a subscription basis or a full-time IT specialist: how to compare the models

A company can hire its own IT specialist, buy external support or combine both solutions. No variant is by definition cheaper or better. The result depends on the number of tasks, required attendance, needed competences, expected support time and responsibility stipulated in the contract.

How to calculate the full cost of IT employment

Gross salary is not sufficient for comparison. The cost model should take into account:

• total employment cost in accordance with current regulations;
• computer, phone, licences and administrative tools;
• training and competence maintenance;
• recruitment and implementation;
• replacement during holidays, sickness and vacancy;
• possible on-call or overtime;
• other people's time needed for supervision and prioritization.

Remuneration and charges amounts change, so the calculation should be made based on the candidate's current offer, the company's payroll policies and current HR and payroll data. Don't double-count costs: paid leave is already included in your salary, but providing a replacement may be an additional cost.

How to calculate the full cost of outsourcing

On the external service side, you need to sum up:

• subscription and client implementation costs;
• licences not included in the price;
• work exceeding the hours limit;
• projects, migrations and purchases billed separately;
• visits, commutes and support outside the standard window;
• cost of an internal person who approves changes and sets priorities.

Fixed fee improves predictability only within a well-described range. The phrase "no limit on submissions" does not necessarily mean an unlimited number of administrative hours or any projects.

Availability and substitutability

An in-house employee may know the environment well and be available on-site, but the company needs a plan for his or her absence and departure. Privileged accounts, documentation and procedures cannot be solely under the control of one person.

An external supplier can ensure team replaceability, but this is not automatically implied by the word "outsourcing" itself. You need to check whether the contract defines the roles, escalation, documentation and availability of other specialists. Customers should remain in control of their own accounts and receive up-to-date information needed to switch providers.

Competencies: one person or a team

A general administrator can support users and some infrastructure, but does not have to specialize in networking, cloud, cybersecurity, ERP systems and disaster recovery. An external team can combine these competencies, if they are actually available in the purchased scope.

On the other hand, a multi-customer vendor has less day-to-day business context than an in-house employee. This cost of communication must be limited by a caregiver, documentation, regular meetings and a clear division of responsibilities.

Current subscription example NexaIT

As of the article update date, the BUSINESS IT package costs from PLN 2,490 net per month and is intended for 6-20 positions. Includes eight hours of administrative work, support window Mon-Fri. 8:00-18:00 and response to P1 notification within one working hour.

The PROFESSIONAL IT package costs from PLN 5,490 net per month and is intended for 21-50 workstations. Includes 16 hours of administrative work, support window Mon-Fri. 8:00-18:00, weekend duty for P1 and response to P1 up to 30 minutes.

These are "starting" prices, excluding licences and surcharges for site protection. Response time means starting a diagnosis, not fixing a fault. The full and applicable scope can be found on the website external IT department and in an individual offer.

Model comparison

Criterion	Own employee	External helpdesk
On-site presence	possible continuously during working hours	dependent on contract and location
Knowledge of company processes	usually expanded daily	requires implementation and documentation
Replacement	the company must arrange it	should be provided by the supplier in accordance with the contract
Scope of competence	depends on one person and the support of partners	depends on team composition and package
Cost	employment, tools and replacement	subscription, add-ons and out-of-scope work
Scaling	recruitment or partners	change of package or scope of the contract
Priority control	direct	requires an established collaborative process

When to consider a hybrid model

An internal coordinator connected to an external team may make sense when the company needs constant on-site contact, but at the same time uses specialized competences only periodically. The coordinator knows the processes and sets priorities, and the supplier is responsible for, for example, servers, network, cloud, security or projects.

The division must be unambiguous. Each system should have a business owner, a technical person, an escalation path and a replacement.

Questions before you decide

1. How much IT work actually occurs in a typical and difficult month?
2. Which tasks require on-site presence?
3. Which competencies are needed constantly and which only periodically?
4. Who will provide support when you are away or outside of working hours?
5. Who owns the accounts, documentation and configuration?
6. What response and recovery times are really needed?
7. Which costs are outside the full-time salary or subscription?

Conclusion

First describe the expected range and then calculate both variants using the same assumptions. Full-time employment may be justified by a fixed number of tasks and the need to be present. Outsourcing may better suit an organisation that needs substitutability and several specializations without building an entire department. The hybrid model combines both approaches, but requires particularly clear accountability.

Book a free IT reviewif you want to prepare a scope for such a comparison.