The short answer: For a creative company of around 50 people, a managed IT retainer can cost about the same as one in-house hire, and it gives you a team instead of one person. An in-house hire makes sense when you need someone at a desk every day. Many companies do both: keep one person in house and use a managed provider behind them.
What an in-house IT hire costs
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median wage for computer user support specialists at $61,860 a year, and for computer network support specialists at $76,220 (May 2025). Network and computer systems administrators in the Los Angeles area earned a mean of $109,850 a year (May 2023). Those figures are before benefits, payroll taxes, tools and training, and they buy one person’s skills and hours.
What managed IT costs for 50 people
Datapath’s 2026 pricing guide puts managed IT at about $100 to $400 per user a month. For 50 people, that is roughly $60,000 to $240,000 a year. KoobrikLabs retainers run from $48,000 a year (Protect, $4,000 a month) to $108,000 a year (Lead, $9,000 a month), whatever your headcount.
What you get with each
- One in-house person: someone in the office every day who knows your people. But one set of skills, one person’s hours, and a gap when they are sick, on holiday or leave.
- Managed IT: a team covering help desk, security, cloud, storage and AI, with cover around the clock. KoobrikLabs has 24-hour human support across Los Angeles and London, and an LA team for in-person help.
- Both: your in-house person handles the day to day, and the managed team takes security, projects, out-of-hours support and the specialist work.
Which to choose
- Choose in-house if people need hands-on help at their desks all day, every day.
- Choose managed IT if you need security, cloud and AI skills that no single hire has, or support outside office hours.
- Choose both if you already have an IT person who is stretched, or you are growing past 50 people.
Common questions
Can a managed IT provider work alongside our IT person?
Yes. We often back up an in-house IT lead, taking security, out-of-hours support and projects so they can focus on the team in front of them.
How much does managed IT cost in Los Angeles?
Industry guides put it at about $100 to $400 per user a month in 2026. KoobrikLabs retainers are $4,000, $6,000 or $9,000 a month. See How much does managed IT cost in Los Angeles?
Related
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer Support Specialists (median pay, May 2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages: Network and Computer Systems Administrators (May 2023)
- Datapath, “Managed IT Services Pricing, MSP Costs, and IT Support Rates”, updated September 2026
- KoobrikLabs pricing
KoobrikLabs is the AI and managed IT partner for creative companies, in Los Angeles and London.