Your IT director walks into a leadership meeting and says:
“We need another person.”
The reasons make sense.
Support tickets are increasing.
Technology projects are falling behind.
Cybersecurity requires more attention.
Attorneys need faster support.
And your IT director can't be available every minute of every day.
Now leadership has a decision to make:
Do we hire another full-time IT employee?
Or:
Do we partner with a managed service provider through a co-managed IT arrangement?
There isn't one correct answer.
For some law firms, hiring another employee is absolutely the better decision.
For others, co-managed IT can provide broader coverage and specialized expertise without adding another position to the internal team.
And sometimes, the best answer is both.
The key is understanding what problem you're actually trying to solve before comparing solutions.
What Is the Difference Between Hiring IT Staff and Using Co-Managed IT?
Hiring another IT employee adds one dedicated person to your internal team. Co-managed IT gives your existing IT department access to an outside team that can take responsibility for specific technology functions.
An employee may provide deep familiarity with your firm's people, culture, applications, and workflows.
A co-managed IT provider may provide access to multiple technicians, cybersecurity expertise, monitoring tools, project resources, and additional coverage.
Neither approach automatically wins.
The better choice depends on whether your law firm primarily needs:
Another person or additional capabilities.
That's an important distinction.
Start With This Question: Why Does Your IT Team Need Help?
Before looking at résumés or MSP proposals, sit down with your IT leader.
Ask:
“If we gave you more resources tomorrow, what problem would you solve first?”
The answer can tell you a lot.
If they say:
"I need another person who understands our attorneys and can be here every day,"
hiring may make sense.
If they say:
"I'm drowning in help desk tickets and don't have time for security,"
co-managed IT may make sense.
If they say:
"We need someone with cybersecurity expertise,"
you need to determine whether that expertise justifies another permanent position or could be supplied through a partner.
If they say:
"I can't take a vacation because nobody else knows our systems,"
your biggest problem may be redundancy and documentation.
If they say:
"We're opening two offices next year and I can't manage all the projects myself,"
your problem may be scalability.
Diagnose the capacity gap before prescribing the solution.
Option 1: Hiring Another Internal IT Employee
There are good reasons law firms continue to build internal IT teams.
The Advantages of Hiring Another IT Employee
They're dedicated to your firm.
An internal employee works within your organization every day.
They learn your attorneys' preferences, your firm's culture, your applications, your practice groups, and the unusual technology quirks unique to your environment.
That institutional knowledge can be extremely valuable.
You control their priorities.
If the managing partner has an important technology initiative, the employee can focus on that project without balancing the needs of other clients.
They can become part of your culture.
Relationships matter in IT support.
Employees may be more comfortable approaching someone they know.
Your IT employee can also gain an understanding of how technology decisions affect specific attorneys and departments.
You can develop specialized institutional knowledge.
Perhaps your firm relies heavily on a particular document management system, litigation platform, legal application, or customized workflow.
An internal employee can become deeply knowledgeable about those systems.
For certain law firms, that alone can justify the position.
What Are the Limitations of Hiring One More IT Employee?
The biggest limitation is simple:
One person is still one person.
They have one set of skills.
They work a finite number of hours.
They take vacations.
They get sick.
They attend training.
They may eventually leave.
And regardless of how talented they are, they probably won't be an expert in every technology discipline your law firm needs.
Consider the expertise a modern law firm may require:
- Help desk support
- Microsoft 365
- Networking
- Servers
- Cloud infrastructure
- Cybersecurity
- Identity management
- Email security
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Endpoint management
- Vendor management
- Legal applications
- AI governance
- Technology projects
- Strategic planning
Finding one person who is exceptional in every category is difficult.
And even if you find them, you still have a coverage problem when that individual isn't available.
What Does an Internal IT Employee Really Cost?
This is where comparisons can become misleading.
Leadership sees an annual salary and compares it with an MSP's monthly fee.
But salary isn't the employee's total cost.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics illustrates how widely compensation varies depending on the level of IT expertise being hired. Nationally, median annual pay in May 2025 was $61,860 for computer user support specialists and $76,220 for computer network support specialists.
The Dallas-Fort Worth market can also command substantial compensation for more advanced technology expertise. BLS reported that the broader computer and mathematical occupational group in DFW averaged $57.55 per hour in May 2025.
Those figures shouldn't be treated as a quote for the person your firm needs. They demonstrate why the job description matters.
A help desk technician, systems administrator, cybersecurity professional, and IT director are very different hires.
When calculating the cost of an employee, consider:
- Base salary
- Payroll taxes
- Health insurance and benefits
- Retirement contributions
- Paid time off
- Recruiting costs
- Training and certifications
- Computer and equipment
- Software licenses
- Cybersecurity tools
- Monitoring platforms
- Documentation systems
- Backup tools
- Continuing education
- Overtime or after-hours coverage
Then ask another important question:
Who covers their responsibilities when they're unavailable?
The goal isn't to make an employee appear expensive.
It's to make sure you're comparing the total cost and capability of each option, rather than salary versus an MSP invoice.
Option 2: Using Co-Managed IT
As we explained in our previous article, “What Is Co-Managed IT, and Does It Make Sense for a Growing Law Firm?”, co-managed IT doesn't have to replace your internal technology team.
It supplements it.
Your firm decides which responsibilities remain internal and which responsibilities an MSP assumes.
For example:
Your internal IT director might handle:
- Technology strategy
- Firm-specific applications
- Attorney relationships
- Internal projects
- Vendor coordination
The MSP might handle:
- Help desk overflow
- Endpoint monitoring
- Cybersecurity
- Microsoft 365 administration
- Backup monitoring
- Patch management
- After-hours coverage
- Specialized projects
Or the responsibilities could be divided completely differently.
Co-managed IT should fit around the strengths of your existing team, not force your team into somebody else's model.
What Are the Advantages of Co-Managed IT?
1. You Gain a Team Instead of One Additional Skill Set
Suppose your internal IT manager is excellent at infrastructure but needs help with cybersecurity.
A co-managed provider may give that person access to technicians with different areas of expertise.
That can be particularly valuable when your firm encounters a problem that requires knowledge outside your internal team's normal responsibilities.
2. You Gain Coverage
This may be one of the most overlooked benefits.
If your only IT employee takes Friday off, technology doesn't take Friday off.
Attorneys still need support.
Security alerts still occur.
Systems still need monitoring.
A co-managed arrangement can provide continuity when internal personnel are unavailable.
3. Your IT Leader Can Focus on Higher-Value Work
Consider what your most experienced IT employee's time is worth.
Now ask:
How much of that time is spent resetting passwords, troubleshooting printers, configuring laptops, or handling repetitive tickets?
Those tasks are important.
But they may not require your highest-level technology resource.
If an MSP handles appropriate routine work, your internal leader can focus on:
- Cybersecurity strategy
- Application improvements
- AI initiatives
- Process automation
- Infrastructure planning
- Vendor management
- Technology budgeting
- Major projects
That's not replacing your IT leader.
It's allowing them to lead.
4. You Can Add Specialized Capabilities Without Hiring a Specialist for Every Need
Your firm may need cybersecurity expertise without needing a full-time cybersecurity employee.
You may need network engineering during a major project but not every day.
You may need Microsoft 365 expertise during a migration or security review.
Co-managed IT can provide access to specialized resources when needed.
5. It Can Scale With the Firm
If your firm adds 20 employees, opens another location, acquires another practice, or launches a major project, an outside team may be able to add capacity more quickly than recruiting and onboarding another employee.
That flexibility can be valuable for growing firms.
What Are the Potential Disadvantages of Co-Managed IT?
Co-managed IT isn't automatically the better option.
There are potential disadvantages worth considering.
The MSP won't know your firm as well on Day One.
Your internal employees have institutional knowledge an outside provider has to learn.
Good onboarding and documentation can help, but that knowledge doesn't appear overnight.
Poorly defined responsibilities can create confusion.
If nobody knows whether internal IT or the MSP owns a problem, tickets can bounce between teams.
That's why responsibility needs to be documented.
The wrong MSP can frustrate your internal IT team.
If a provider treats your IT director like an obstacle instead of a partner, the relationship probably won't work.
Collaboration is essential.
Service quality varies.
Not every MSP offers the same response times, technical depth, security capabilities, or customer experience.
Ask specific questions before signing a contract.
Costs still need to be evaluated carefully.
Co-managed IT isn't inherently “cheap IT.”
Depending on the scope, it can represent a significant investment.
Compare capabilities, coverage, service levels, tools, and responsibilities—not simply monthly price.
Internal IT vs. Co-Managed IT: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Consideration | Another IT Employee | Co-Managed IT |
| Dedicated to your firm | Excellent | Shared external team |
| Institutional knowledge | Excellent | Builds over time |
| Number of skill sets | Primarily one person's expertise | Potentially multiple specialists |
| Vacation/sick coverage | Requires another internal resource | Usually broader team coverage |
| Cybersecurity specialization | Depends on hire | Can be included |
| Help desk capacity | One additional person | Can provide multiple support resources |
| Major project capacity | Limited by employee workload | Can scale resources |
| Recruiting required | Yes | No employee recruitment |
| Benefits/payroll | Yes | Included in service pricing |
| Tools/platforms | Firm generally purchases/manages | May be included, depending on agreement |
| Direct management | High | Shared/vendor relationship |
| Scalability | Requires additional hiring | Often more flexible |
| Firm-specific knowledge | Strong | Requires onboarding and collaboration |
The table doesn't produce a winner.
It's meant to reveal which characteristics matter most to your firm.
Here is North Texas Law Firm’s Buyer’s Guide that helps with weighing costs.
Which Option Fits Your Firm?
When Is Hiring Another IT Employee the Better Choice?
This is important.
An MSP shouldn't tell every prospect that outsourcing is always the answer.
Hiring another employee may be the better decision when:
Your firm needs someone physically present every day.
You have enough consistent work to justify a dedicated full-time position.
Your technology environment requires extensive firm-specific knowledge.
You already have strong cybersecurity, monitoring, backup, documentation, and escalation resources.
Your existing IT department has sufficient senior expertise but simply needs another pair of hands.
You want direct control over the person's daily priorities.
Or the position serves a strategic role that belongs inside the organization.
If those conditions describe your law firm, hiring could be the right investment.
When Does Co-Managed IT Make More Sense?
Co-managed IT becomes particularly attractive when the problem is broader than headcount.
Consider it when:
- Your internal IT team is overwhelmed.
- You need additional help desk capacity.
- Cybersecurity responsibilities exceed your team's expertise.
- Projects continually get postponed.
- One employee holds too much institutional knowledge.
- Your firm needs coverage during vacations and absences.
- You need expertise in several different technology disciplines.
- Your firm is growing quickly.
- You need additional monitoring or security tools.
- Your IT leader spends too much time on routine support.
- Hiring one person still wouldn't solve all of those problems.
The last point is particularly important.
If you hired one excellent person tomorrow, would all your technology problems be solved?
If the answer is no, your challenge may be bigger than one vacancy.
What About Using Both?
For some growing law firms, this is the answer leadership overlooks.
You can maintain or expand your internal IT department and use a co-managed provider.
For example, imagine a 50-person North Texas law firm with one experienced IT manager.
The firm could hire an internal help desk technician because having someone onsite every day is valuable.
At the same time, it could use a co-managed provider for:
- Cybersecurity
- Network monitoring
- Microsoft 365 security
- Backup and recovery
- Escalated technical issues
- Major projects
- Vacation coverage
Now the firm isn't choosing between people and outsourcing.
It's designing an IT department with layers of capability.
For a growing organization, that can be much more resilient.
Run the “Two-Week Test”
Here's a simple exercise for leadership.
Imagine your primary IT employee unexpectedly became unavailable for two weeks beginning tomorrow.
Ask:
Who handles support tickets?
Who creates accounts for new employees?
Who monitors security alerts?
Who verifies backups?
Who handles a Microsoft 365 problem?
Who contacts your technology vendors?
Who responds if an attorney can't access critical information?
Who leads the response if a cyber incident occurs?
If the answers aren't immediately clear, your law firm has identified something more important than a staffing issue.
You've identified a business continuity issue.
Whether you solve it through another employee, co-managed IT, or a combination of both, it deserves attention.
7 Questions to Ask Before Making the Decision
Before hiring or signing a co-managed IT agreement, have leadership and your current IT team answer these questions:
- What work is currently not getting done?
- What skills are missing from our existing team?
- How much support coverage do our attorneys actually need?
- Who provides coverage when our IT employees are unavailable?
- Which cybersecurity responsibilities require specialized expertise?
- What technology projects are coming in the next 12–24 months?
- Would one additional employee solve the problem—or do we need access to a broader team?
Those answers should drive the decision.
Not fear.
Not the cheapest proposal.
And not the assumption that there's only one way to structure IT.
Frequently Asked Questions: Hiring IT vs. Co-Managed IT
Is co-managed IT cheaper than hiring another employee?
Sometimes, but not always.
The comparison depends on the employee's role and compensation, the services included in the co-managed agreement, your firm's existing tools, support requirements, cybersecurity needs, and technology environment.
Compare total cost and capability, not salary versus monthly service fee.
Does co-managed IT mean we're outsourcing our IT department?
No.
Co-managed IT is specifically designed to work alongside an internal IT team. Your firm determines which responsibilities remain internal and which are handled by the provider.
Will our IT director lose control?
They shouldn't.
A well-designed co-managed relationship should give the internal IT leader visibility and clearly define authority, responsibilities, documentation, escalation procedures, and administrative access.
What size law firm benefits from co-managed IT?
There isn't a magic employee count.
It can be useful for a 25-person firm with one overwhelmed IT employee or a much larger firm with an established technology department that needs specialized support.
Capacity and complexity matter more than headcount alone.
Can we use co-managed IT temporarily?
Potentially, yes.
Some firms may need additional resources during a migration, office move, cybersecurity initiative, staffing transition, or major project.
Whether short-term arrangements are available depends on the provider and service agreement.
Should our law firm hire an IT employee or use an MSP?
If your primary need is a dedicated person with deep firm-specific knowledge and a consistent full-time workload, hiring may be appropriate.
If your primary need involves broader coverage, multiple specialties, cybersecurity expertise, monitoring, or scalable capacity, co-managed IT may be a better fit.
Some firms benefit from combining both approaches.
Don't Ask “Employee or MSP?” Until You Ask This
The decision doesn't have to begin with:
“Which option is cheaper?”
Start with:
“What capabilities does our law firm need?”
Maybe you need another employee.
Maybe your existing employee needs a team behind them.
Maybe you need cybersecurity expertise.
Maybe you need faster support.
Maybe you need better coverage.
Maybe you need all of the above.
Once you've identified the problem, you can build the right solution.
Build the IT Team Your Law Firm Actually Needs
Your attorneys don't care whether a technology problem is solved by Employee #27 or Technician #4 at your MSP.
They care that it gets solved.
Your managing partners care that client information is protected.
Your COO cares that employees remain productive.
Your IT director cares that they have enough resources to do the job correctly.
And your clients expect their information to be handled responsibly.
The best IT model is the one that supports all of those goals.
For some North Texas law firms, that means adding another employee.
For others, it means co-managed IT.
And for a growing firm with increasingly complex technology requirements, the strongest answer may be an internal IT team backed by an outside team of specialists.
Not Sure Which IT Model Makes Sense for Your Law Firm?
Datatex Computer Services has been helping North Texas businesses manage technology since 1975.
We provide managed IT, co-managed IT, cybersecurity, help desk support, Microsoft 365, backup and recovery, networking, and technology project support.
If you already have an IT employee, we're not coming in assuming that person needs to be replaced.
We can help determine where they need backup.
During a no-cost technology assessment, we can look at your existing environment, support demands, security needs, and upcoming projects to help identify where additional resources could make the biggest difference.
Schedule a no-cost technology assessment with Datatex Computer Services.
Keep the knowledge you already have. Add the capabilities you need.
Local support. Real people. No Geek-Speak.
This article provides general business and technology information. Compensation, employment costs, MSP pricing, and technology requirements vary by organization. Salary figures should be verified against current market data when making hiring decisions.
