The True Cost of IT Support in 2025
Why Small Businesses Are Switching to Managed IT Services
Think your in-house IT team has you covered? Last month alone, we helped three Tampa businesses recover from preventable disasters their internal teams missed. As Tampa’s #1 ranked MSSP (Inc 5000), we’ve seen how in-house IT fails – and what it really costs.
What's Inside
The Hidden Costs Behind In-House IT
Before we look at numbers, let’s talk about what your IT budget is really buying. A recent study shows the average Tampa business loses $5,000 per hour during IT outages. Yet most in-house teams still spend 70% of their time on basic maintenance instead of prevention.
Why In-House IT Keeps Failing
Here’s what we discovered after rescuing businesses from failed in-house IT:
The Skills Gap
One person can’t master it all. A Tampa manufacturer learned this the hard way when their “IT guy” missed critical patches, leading to a $108,000 ransomware incident. Our team spots these vulnerabilities before they become disasters.
The Coverage Gap
Threats don’t sleep, but your IT person does. When a Tampa insurance firm got hit at 2 AM, their in-house team didn’t notice until 9 AM. With our commitment to rapid-response, our SOC caught a similar attack in 3 minutes.
The Tools Gap
Consumer-grade tools mean consumer-grade protection. A local healthcare provider tried saving money on security tools – then spent $250,000 recovering from a breach. Our clients get the same protection trusted by defense contractors.
Breaking Down the Real Costs
What You're Really Paying For In-House IT
Let’s look at the minimum costs for basic in-house coverage:
Base Team (3-Person Minimum)
- IT Manager: $95,000
- Systems Administrator: $75,000
- Help Desk Support: $55,000
- Benefits & Overhead (30%): $67,500
Total Personnel: $292,500
Required Tools & Infrastructure
- Security Tools: $36,000
- Monitoring Systems: $24,000
- Backup Solutions: $18,000
- Training & Certifications: $15,000
Total Infrastructure: $93,000
Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
- Recruitment: $20,000/hire
- Lost Productivity During Outages: $5,000/hour
- Security Incident Response: $50,000/incident
- Compliance Penalties: Up to $100,000
Total Hidden Costs: $175,000+
Total Annual Cost for Basic In-House IT:
There's a Better Way
What if you could get better protection for less? Our clients typically:
- Respond to threats 89% faster than in-house teams
- Prevent 98% of security incidents before they happen
- Save 40-60% compared to in-house IT costs
Real Results
Small, Midsized and Enterprise Businesses
The City of Asheville was extremely impressed with the depth of knowledge and the project management capabilities of Ridge IT Cyber. Their engineers presented solutions to our issues while educating our team along the way. They excel in both their technical expertise as well as their customer service skills. It was a pleasure to work with Ridge IT Cyber.
In all matters under our current SOW, Ridge IT Cyber has consistently delivered above and beyond our expectations. I can confidently state that Ridge IT Cyber is an exemplary partner for managed IT services, particularly for cloud-centric and security-focused organizations.
We worked with Ridge IT Cyber when implementing a zero trust environment within our globally diverse workforce. They were professional from the start and ensured we were 100% operational. They continue to provide immediate support even though we don’t have a managed service contract with them. I’d highly recommend Ridge IT Cyber!
We used Ridge for the implementation of Zscaler to provide improved cyber security for our home working staff, during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ridge completed configuration quickly and easily, providing clear guidance at every step so we gained an understanding of the system. Ridge also helped us resolve additional firewall rule issues. At all stages of the implementation, Ridge has been responsive and patient.
The team at Ridge IT Cyber was methodical and efficient during all phases of our Zscaler ZPA solution deployment, as well as during debugging sessions. I would like to thank you for your professionalism and I wish the entire Ridge team continued success.
Ready to Stop Overpaying for Basic IT?
See how much you could save with our free assessment. We’ll show you:
- Where your current IT budget is being wasted
- Security gaps your in-house team might be missing
- How to get better protection for less
- Your potential savings with managed services
Stop throwing money at IT problems. Start preventing them.