Freelancer, Large Integrator or External IT Department: Which Is Right for Your Company

In short:

• A freelancer is a good choice for a small office with few systems and no need for 24/7 monitoring - as long as you accept that everything depends on one person.
• A large integrator is strong in big projects and rollouts, but day-to-day support for a company of 10-50 people is rarely its priority.
• An external IT department on subscription gives you a team, a process and monitoring for a predictable monthly amount - it fits when a stopped computer or server costs money.
• Often the best solution is a combination: an in-house person or an integrator for projects, and an external IT department for the day-to-day.

The three models at a glance

Freelancer: when it is a good choice

A freelance specialist makes sense when you have a few computers, email and a printer, and problems are rare. You pay only when there is work, you know the person and communication is easy.

The risks come with growth:

• One person = one point of failure. When they are on holiday, ill or busy with another client, you wait.
• The knowledge is in their head. Passwords, settings and "how it was done" are often not documented. If you stop working together, you start from scratch - see how to change IT providers without downtime.
• Reaction instead of monitoring. There is rarely a system watching the server, backups and disks around the clock. You find out about the problem when it has already stopped work.
• Narrow scope. One person can hardly cover computers, servers, network, Microsoft 365 and security equally well.

Large IT integrator: when it is a good choice

Large system integrators are strong where capacity is needed: building large infrastructure, rolling out systems across many sites, supplying hardware in large volumes, public procurement projects with strict requirements.

For the day-to-day support of a company with 10-50 employees, however, the model often does not fit:

• The focus is the project. A small client's routine requests compete with the big projects.
• Communication goes through more layers - account manager, dispatcher, different specialists.
• The minimum scope of work such companies take on is often above what a small company needs.

If you are planning a big project - a new office, a new wing, an ERP rollout - an integrator may be exactly the right partner for it. For the support afterwards, it is worth thinking separately.

External IT department on subscription: when it is a good choice

An external IT department takes over your whole environment for a monthly fee: users, computers, servers, network, Microsoft 365, backups and security. Instead of one person you have a team, and instead of "call us if something happens" you get system monitoring and a support plan.

It fits when:

• work stops if email, the server or the internet goes down;
• you have 10 or more employees and no in-house IT specialist, or your specialist needs support;
• you want a predictable monthly cost, not hourly bills after every problem;
• clients or regulations (for example NIS2) require demonstrable security measures.

What to check, because not every external IT department works the same way:

• Is there real 24/7 monitoring or just a phone line for requests.
• How quickly they respond under the plan and how they prove it.
• Do they document the environment and whose name the access is in.
• Who comes on site when needed, and how quickly.

You will find more criteria in how to choose an external IT partner, and the comparison with an in-house employee in external IT department or internal.

The questions that separate the three models

Combinations that work

The choice does not have to be either-or.

• In-house person + external IT department. Your employee knows the people and processes, while the external team takes over servers, security, monitoring and cover during holidays.
• Integrator for the project + external IT department for the day-to-day. The big project is done by whoever has the capacity for it, and after go-live, support moves to a team that looks after the environment every day.

How we work

Helpdesk Bulgaria has been an external IT department for businesses since 2005. We work mainly on a monthly subscription - from €20 per computer excl. VAT, with a plan based on the response time you need. See all plans and prices.

• We monitor systems 24/7 and often see the problem before you do.
• We resolve 95% of requests the same day, most of them remotely, and come on site when needed.
• You have one contact for computers, servers, network, Microsoft 365 and security.
• Before we take over your environment, we review it and propose a solution based on the real risks.

See what our managed computer and IT support includes and how much an external IT department costs.

Frequently asked questions

Freelancer or external IT department - which is cheaper?

When there is little work, a freelancer is often cheaper. Once you add a server, backups, security and the need for a fast response, a monthly subscription is usually more predictable, and the risk of downtime is lower.

Can we keep our IT person and add an external team?

Yes. This is one of the most common models: your employee stays the first line and knows the people, while the external team takes over servers, security, monitoring and cover.

Is an external IT department right for a company with 5 employees?

It can be, if the work depends heavily on computers and data - for example an accounting or law firm. If the systems are simple and problems rare, a freelancer may be enough.

Let's talk about your needs, and we will propose the best solution and price.