Managed IT vs. In-House IT: Which Fits Your CPA Firm?
Managed IT vs. In-House IT: Which Is Right for Your CPA Firm?
The answer usually comes down to firm size — and it’s not as close as most owners assume.
A single qualified in-house IT hire typically costs $85,000–$120,000 per year in salary alone, before benefits, tools, and training — and one person rarely covers help desk, security, cloud administration, and compliance equally well. Managed IT for accounting firms typically runs $100–$200 per user/month, bundling monitoring, help desk, security, backups, and FTC Safeguards/WISP compliance support into one predictable fee. Industry benchmarking puts the breakeven point around 12–15 staff: below that, fully managed IT is almost always the more cost-effective and better-covered option; above it, a co-managed model (an internal hire supplemented by an MSP) often starts to make sense.
Why This Isn’t Just a Salary-vs-Contract Comparison
The real question isn’t “what does an IT person cost” — it’s whether one person can actually cover everything a modern accounting firm needs. A capable in-house hire needs network administration, cybersecurity, cloud services management, and help desk skills simultaneously, typically requiring 5–10 years of broad experience. In practice, technology has gotten specialized enough that someone strong in security often isn’t strong in cloud architecture, and vice versa — meaning a single generalist hire frequently leaves real gaps, even at a $100K+ salary.
Side-by-Side: What Each Model Actually Delivers
The Breakeven Point: Around 12–15 Staff
Industry cost modeling consistently lands on a similar answer: below roughly 12–15 staff, fully managed IT is almost always the more cost-effective choice, because there simply isn’t enough day-to-day work to justify a full-time salary, and a managed provider’s bundled security and compliance coverage costs less than trying to build the same breadth internally. Above that size, firms often have enough ongoing work to keep an internal person genuinely busy, which is when a co-managed model — an in-house hire handling daily support, backed by an MSP for security depth, compliance, and after-hours coverage — frequently becomes the better fit.
What to Actually Compare When Evaluating Managed IT Quotes
The lowest per-user price isn’t useful if your firm still owns the risk. When comparing managed IT proposals specifically for an accounting practice, look past the monthly number and check:
Why CPA Firms Choose SilverStorm Solutions
| Cybersecurity-first approach | FTC Safeguards Rule / WISP support built in |
| Predictable, transparent pricing | Tax-season-ready escalation support |
We build managed IT plans around what accounting firms actually need — tax software support, secure client portals, and compliance documentation — not a generic small-business package.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is break/fix IT a reasonable third option instead of managed or in-house?
Break/fix (paying hourly only when something breaks) can look cheaper on paper, but it typically includes no proactive monitoring, no security tooling, and no compliance documentation — which rarely satisfies FTC Safeguards Rule or IRS expectations, and offers no protection against unplanned downtime during filing season.
What is co-managed IT, exactly?
Co-managed IT combines an internal IT hire with an outside provider — the internal person typically handles day-to-day support, while the MSP fills gaps in security depth, after-hours coverage, and specialized compliance work.
Does managed IT pricing usually include FTC Safeguards Rule compliance work?
It varies significantly by provider. Some bundle WISP and compliance documentation support into their standard tiers; others treat it as a separate consulting engagement. This is one of the most important things to clarify before comparing prices across proposals.
What size firm should still consider an in-house IT hire?
Firms above roughly 12–15 staff often have enough consistent day-to-day IT need to justify an internal hire, typically paired with an MSP in a co-managed arrangement rather than going fully in-house alone.
Not Sure Which Model Fits Your Firm?
SilverStorm Solutions can walk through your firm’s size, growth plans, and compliance needs to find the right fit.
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