Every growing Johannesburg business hits the same question: do we hire an IT person, or outsource to a managed IT provider? The answer depends on your size, complexity and risk tolerance — but most businesses underestimate the true cost of in-house IT by 40% or more. Here is an honest breakdown with real 2026 numbers.
The Real Cost of In-House IT
The salary is only the beginning. Typical 2026 Johannesburg market rates:
| Role | Monthly salary (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Junior desktop support technician | R18,000 – R30,000 |
| Mid-level systems administrator | R35,000 – R50,000 |
| Senior engineer / IT manager | R55,000 – R65,000+ |
Then add the costs that don't appear on the payslip:
- Benefits and statutory costs — UIF, SDL, medical aid and pension contributions: typically 15–25% on top of salary.
- Recruitment — agency fees of 15–20% of annual salary, plus weeks of management time.
- Tools and training — monitoring software, remote-access tools, certifications: R3,000–R8,000/month.
- Cover gaps — 15+ days of leave, sick days and resignations, when you have no IT at all.
- Skills gaps — one person cannot be an expert in networking, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, cloud and backups.
Realistically, a single mid-level IT hire costs R45,000–R65,000+ per month all-in — and still leaves you exposed after hours.
What Managed IT Costs
A managed IT provider gives you a whole team — helpdesk, network, security and cloud specialists — for a fixed monthly fee. MBICT's transparent plans:
- Starter — R4,500/month, up to 10 users, remote helpdesk and security basics.
- Business — R8,500/month, up to 25 users, on-site support, 24/7 monitoring, backup management.
- Pro — R12,000/month, up to 40 users, 24/7 critical support, dedicated engineer, vCIO strategy.
See every line item on our IT support pricing page.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | In-house (1 mid-level hire) | MBICT managed IT (Business) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | R45,000 – R65,000+ | R8,500 |
| Annual cost | R540,000 – R780,000+ | R102,000 |
| Skills coverage | One person's skill set | Team of specialists |
| Leave & sick cover | None | Always covered |
| After-hours support | Overtime / goodwill | 24/7 critical on Pro |
| Security monitoring | Limited tools | Enterprise tools included |
| On-site presence | Full-time | Scheduled + SLA visits |
| Scalability | Hire again | Change plan |
| Exit | Labour law process | 30 days' notice |
When In-House IT Makes Sense
- You have 75+ users and enough daily requests to keep someone busy full-time.
- You run specialised on-site systems (factory floor, labs, broadcast) that need a person physically present all day.
- IT is a core part of your product and you need deep internal knowledge.
- You have the budget for at least two people to avoid single-person dependency.
When Outsourcing Wins
- You have 5–50 users — the vast majority of Johannesburg SMEs.
- You need cybersecurity and POPIA compliance but cannot afford a dedicated security specialist.
- You want predictable costs and no HR risk.
- Your current "IT person" is a staff member doing it part-time on top of their real job.
- You've been burned by a key-person dependency when someone left with all the passwords.
The Hybrid (Co-Managed) Model
Larger businesses often get the best of both worlds: keep an internal IT coordinator for day-to-day user support, and use a managed provider for monitoring, security, Microsoft 365 administration, backups, after-hours cover and projects. Your internal person stops firefighting and becomes far more productive — and you remove the single point of failure. MBICT offers co-managed plans tailored to your team.
Get a Free IT Cost Review
Tell us what you spend on IT today — salaries, contractors, licences — and we'll show you, in writing, what managed IT would cost and what you'd gain. No obligation.