--- title: "In-House IT Hire vs. Managed MDM: The Real Math" description: A sysadmin costs about $141,600 a year once benefits are in. Here is the math on in-house IT vs. managed MDM, and when each wins. image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1522071820081-009f0129c71c?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1080&q=80 --- [Skip to content](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/phalanx-llc-blog/in-house-it-hire-vs-managed-mdm#main-content) ![](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Circle%20Logo%20White.png?width=5732&height=5732&name=Circle%20Logo%20White.png)Homepage - Home - Products - Pricing - Blog - Company Get started - Home - Products - Pricing - Blog - Company Get started ![in house IT vs MDM](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1522071820081-009f0129c71c?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1080&q=80) # In-House IT Hire vs. Managed MDM: The Real Math ![Josh Caliguire](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/de0992335debd4c864cbb349e6026a1e) Josh Caliguire October 6, 2026 ## The short answer One in-house IT hire costs about $141,600 a year. That is the national median pay for a systems administrator plus the average employer benefit load. Managed MDM wins when your fleet is too small to keep one person busy, or too important to leave to one person. The deciding number is cost per device per month. Divide the cost of the hire by your device count. If a managed quote comes in under that and covers the same work, it wins. If not, hire. **Not sure what your fleet looks like?** Answer 10 questions in about 2 minutes. No login. See where your device management stands. [Take the free MDM Health Check](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/mdm-health-check) ![Team members working together on laptops at a shared table](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1522071820081-009f0129c71c?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1080&q=80) Photo by [Annie Spratt](https://unsplash.com/@anniespratt?utm_source=phalanx&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=phalanx&utm_medium=referral) ## What one in-house IT hire really costs Salary is about 70% of what an employee costs you. Benefits, payroll taxes, and insurance are the other 30%, according to the [Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_09092026.htm) (private industry, June 2026). So the real cost is pay divided by 0.70. Here is that math for the two roles most companies consider: | Role | Median pay (May 2025) | Benefits and taxes | Total per year | Per month | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Computer user support specialist](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-support-specialists.htm) | $61,860 | about $26,500 | about $88,400 | about $7,400 | | [Systems administrator](https://www.bls.gov/OOH/computer-and-information-technology/network-and-computer-systems-administrators.htm) | $99,130 | about $42,500 | about $141,600 | about $11,800 | A support specialist answers tickets and sets up laptops. Owning Jamf or Intune, patching, encryption, and audit evidence is a systems administrator's job. If MDM is the goal, the second row is the honest one. Treat these as a floor. They are national medians, and pay in the Bay Area, Boulder, and Denver runs higher. They also leave out recruiting time, training, and the cost of replacing someone who quits. ## What one hire still does not cover The salary is only part of the comparison. A single hire also leaves gaps you pay for in other ways. - **Coverage.** One person takes vacations, gets sick, and eventually leaves. While the seat is empty, nobody patches the fleet or handles a lost laptop. - **Depth.** Apple, Windows, identity, encryption, and audit prep are different skills. One hire is usually strong in two or three. - **Knowledge in one head.** If the runbooks live in someone's memory, the company is one resignation away from starting over. - **Uneven workload.** Device work arrives in bursts: a hiring wave, a new laptop order, an audit. You pay for the quiet weeks too. None of this makes a hire a bad idea. It means the real comparison is a person versus a team that keeps records. **Which of these gaps do you have?** The Health Check covers patching, encryption, onboarding, and device visibility. If you answer "not sure," that is the finding. [Take the free MDM Health Check](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/mdm-health-check) ## How managed MDM is priced Most managed MDM is priced per device per month, so the bill scales with headcount. Identity and SaaS management is often a per-user add-on, and helpdesk is often a block of hours. That structure is the point. You pay for the fleet you have, not for a seat that sits empty in a slow month. Prices vary by provider, so compare quotes on scope, not just the number. Ask each one: 1. Are Jamf or Intune licenses included, or billed separately? 2. Is the initial cleanup or migration a one-time fee or part of the rate? 3. What response times are in writing? 4. Do you keep the runbooks and records if you leave? 5. Who actually does the work: an engineer or a ticket queue? ## Do the math for your fleet Four steps, five minutes: 1. Count every managed device: laptops, phones, and tablets. 2. Pick the role. For MDM ownership, use the systems administrator. 3. Divide the monthly cost of that hire by your device count. 4. Compare the result to a managed quote that covers the same work. ![Calculator sitting on a table next to a laptop](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1709880945165-d2208c6ad2ec?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1080&q=80) Photo by [Jakub Żerdzicki](https://unsplash.com/@jakubzerdzicki?utm_source=phalanx&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=phalanx&utm_medium=referral) Here is the bar a managed quote has to beat, using the figures above: | Devices | Systems administrator (about $11,800/mo) | Support specialist (about $7,400/mo) | | --- | --- | --- | | 25 | about $472 per device | about $296 per device | | 50 | about $236 per device | about $148 per device | | 100 | about $118 per device | about $74 per device | | 200 | about $59 per device | about $37 per device | The cost per device falls as the fleet grows. That is why in-house gets more attractive at scale. At 25 or 50 devices, one hire carries a high cost per device. ## When hiring in-house is the right call Managed MDM is not always the answer. Hire in-house when: - **Your fleet is large and steady.** If the workload fills a full week, every week, the cost per device drops and one person earns their keep. - **You need hands on site.** Remote management cannot fix a broken screen or run cable. A managed provider that works remotely is the wrong fit for that part. - **IT is part of your product.** If your team builds custom internal tooling or runs infrastructure beyond devices, you want that expertise in the room. - **You already have a strong admin.** Then the question changes. Keep them, and ask whether you need backup coverage and audit evidence. ![Row of computer monitors on a wooden desk](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1686150766133-c9d132aa7567?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1080&q=80) Photo by [Rhamely](https://unsplash.com/@rhamely?utm_source=phalanx&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=phalanx&utm_medium=referral) Many growing companies land in the middle: one in-house generalist for people and on-site needs, and a managed team for the fleet. ## FAQ ### How much does an in-house IT hire cost? About $88,400 a year for a support specialist and $141,600 for a systems administrator, benefits included. That uses BLS median pay (May 2025) and the 30% average benefit share. Recruiting and training are extra. ### What is managed MDM? It means a provider runs the software that configures, patches, and secures your company's laptops and phones. That covers enrollment, updates, encryption, and reporting. ### How many devices before an in-house hire makes sense? There is no fixed number. Divide the hire's monthly cost by your device count and compare it to a managed quote with the same scope. The larger and steadier the fleet, the stronger the case for in-house. ### Can managed MDM and an in-house IT person work together? Yes. A common setup is one in-house generalist plus a managed provider that owns the device fleet, patching, and audit evidence. ## Get the math on your fleet **Find the gaps first** Take the free 10-question MDM Health Check before you compare quotes or write a job post. [Take the free MDM Health Check](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/mdm-health-check) Prefer to talk it through? Book a free consult. We will count your devices, check what is actually enforced, and give you a plain read on whether to hire or hand it off. [Book a free consult](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/schedule) ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.phalanxmanagement.com%2Fphalanx-llc-blog%2Fin-house-it-hire-vs-managed-mdm](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.phalanxmanagement.com%2Fphalanx-llc-blog%2Fin-house-it-hire-vs-managed-mdm) ## Keep reading ### [![](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/christopher-gower-m_HRfLhgABo-unsplash.jpg?width=3882&height=2584&name=christopher-gower-m_HRfLhgABo-unsplash.jpg) SOC 2 Compliance Checklist: What Your Device Management Needs to Cover](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/phalanx-llc-blog/soc-2-compliance-checklist-what-your-device-management-needs-to-cover) [![](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Circle%20Logo%20White.png?width=5732&height=5732&name=Circle%20Logo%20White.png)](https://www.phalanxmanagement.com/) - Home - Products - Pricing - Blog - Company --- Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2026. 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