Hiring one internal IT person feels like a simple fix. In practice, it often creates a single point of failure instead of full coverage. As Alex McGillivray, founder of Sure Systems, puts it: "One person has limits. They take holidays, they go to the bathroom. They can't be a help desk, a security team, a project team, and a strategist all at once."
The Real Cost of One IT Hire
In Alberta, computer and information systems managers earn an average of $125,457 a year, according to the province's own wage and salary survey, and that figure is salary alone, before benefits, training, tools, or software licenses. For that investment, you get one person's calendar, one person's skill set, and one person's bandwidth to cover everything from help desk tickets to cybersecurity to long-term strategy.
The Blind Spots of a One-Person IT Team
- Vacation and sick days: When your one IT person is out, who's watching your network?
- Specialization limits: Cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and compliance each require deep expertise. Few generalists are strong in all three.
- Turnover risk: If that person leaves, so does the institutional knowledge of your entire environment.
- Hiring difficulty: Half of Canadian technology leaders say finding skilled talent has gotten harder over the past year, and that competition drives up both the cost and the time it takes to fill a vacancy.
Why Co-Managed IT Solves This Without Replacing Anyone
Co-managed IT isn't about choosing between an internal hire and an outside provider. It's both, working together. Your internal person keeps the institutional knowledge and day-to-day relationships. A managed partner adds the depth, coverage, and specialization that one hire can't reasonably provide alone, security monitoring around the clock, a bench of specialists instead of a single generalist, and continuity when your internal person is out or moves on.
What Makes Sure Systems Different
Mutual Success, one of Sure Systems' four core values, shapes how co-managed engagements are built. Rather than a one-size-fits-all package, plans are built around what your internal team already handles well and where the gaps really are. McGillivray is clear that the goal isn't to replace a good internal hire: "I'd rather tell somebody to fix a workable relationship than force a needless transition." The same logic applies here. If your internal person is strong, the right move is reinforcing them, not replacing them.
Not Sure Where Your Coverage Gaps Are?
A second set of eyes on your IT environment costs nothing to start.
Talk to Sure Systems today about what co-managed support could look like for your team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a co-managed setup step on my internal IT person's toes? Done right, no. Co-managed IT is designed to fill specific gaps, like after-hours coverage or specialized security work, not take over what your internal person already handles well.
Is co-managed IT more expensive than hiring a second internal person? Usually not. You get specialized coverage across multiple disciplines for less than the cost of a second full-time salary, benefits, and training included.
How do we figure out what gaps we really have? That starts with an honest assessment of your current environment and where coverage is thin, before any plan gets built.
Watch This To Learn More
You can also hear from Alex McGillivray in this quick video, "Is Your IT Always Putting Out Fires?"