IT Outsourcing vs In-house Staff: Cost Analysis

The question we get regularly: "Is outsourcing worth it or should we hire an IT person?" Here's our analysis with real numbers.

Costs of in-house IT staff (annual)

• Gross salary: €18,000–30,000/year
• Social insurance (23%): €4,140–6,900
• Holidays, training, certifications: €2,000–4,000
• Hardware + software: €1,500–3,000
• Total: €25,640–43,900/year

IT Outsourcing costs (IT Arena)

• Business package (up to 25 users): €4,788/year
• No additional HR or training costs
• Total: €4,788/year

When is in-house staff worth it?

• >100 users with complex and continuous needs
• Industries with special regulations (banking, healthcare)
• In-house software development projects

Conclusion

For businesses with 10–80 users, IT outsourcing is 4–8× more economical and offers far broader expertise.