--- title: "Co-managed IT for 50 to 200 seats | DataRoad IT" description: "Three in-house technicians cost over €90,000 a year and fall short during holidays. Co-managed IT pairs an internal lead with an MSP. No obligation." language: en url: https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/co-managed-it-in-house-lead-msp/ source: https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/co-managed-it-in-house-lead-msp/ publisher: DataRoad IT (DataRoad - IT Services and Consulting), Portugal --- > Three in-house technicians cost over €90,000 a year and fall short during holidays. Co-managed IT pairs an internal lead with an MSP. No obligation. # Co-managed IT for 50 to 200 seats: in-house team or MSP? At a glance For decision-makers short on time. - 01 A minimal in-house team of three engineers exceeds €90,000 a year, before tools. - 02 Between 50 and 200 workstations, the model that works is co-managed: an internal lead plus an MSP. - 03 The lead decides and coordinates; the MSP runs service desk, network, servers, security and backups. - 04 Velv by OnRising handed DataRoad around 200 workstations on IT Unlimited Premium 365. ### In this article Building a complete IT department for 100 workstations costs, on the assumptions in our example, more than €90,000 a year in salaries. And it remains vulnerable to sick leave or a holiday. Handing everything outside, with nobody inside, cuts the link to the business. Between 50 and 200 workstations, the answer that delivers is **co-managed IT**: an in-house lead who decides, and a premium MSP that executes, monitors and protects. Have 20 to 30 workstations and thinking of hiring an engineer? The comparison for that scale is in [in-house engineer or managed services for an SME](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/in-house-it-technician-vs-managed-services/). ## What does an in-house-only team really cost? Serving a hundred users well requires four distinct skill sets: - **User support** The day-to-day service desk. - **Infrastructure** Network, servers, cloud. - **Protection** Firewall, endpoints, identities, incident response. - **Management** Planning, suppliers, reporting to the board. One person carrying all of that is a single point of failure. Two leave half the team alone whenever someone is on holiday. In our scenario, each engineer costs the company between €30,300 and €40,700 a year; three exceed €90,000. Then add the tools (monitoring, security, backups, ticketing) and the nights and weekends, which a small team cannot cover without shifts. ## Why is one engineer no longer enough beyond 50 workstations? Below 30 or 40 workstations, an engineer or a retainer will do. Above that, complexity piles up: more addresses or remote working, more business software, audits, clients demanding guarantees, tougher security rules. In several sectors, [NIS2](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/nis2-smes-managed-cybersecurity-guide/) makes management itself accountable for cybersecurity. At the same time, choices arise that only someone on the inside makes well: which ERP to adopt, how to absorb an acquisition, where to put the budget. **MSP, in one sentence:** a Managed Service Provider manages your technology continuously, under contract and for a monthly fee, instead of turning up only when something breaks. ## How is the work split in the co-managed model? The company hires a single profile, the IT lead, and hands technical execution to the partner. That lead does not fight fires. They know the business, set priorities and hold the MSP to account. This is how DataRoad structures the [external IT department](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/managed-it-department-portugal/) for companies of this size. | Topic | At the company | At DataRoad | | --- | --- | --- | | Annual plan and budget | Approves with the board | Presents proposals based on the inventory | | Business software (ERP, CRM, sector-specific) | Relationship with the vendor and key users | The infrastructure that supports those applications | | Joiners and leavers | Authorises | Prepares accounts, machines and permissions | | User requests | In-person contact when useful | Remote, on-site and telephone service desk | | Network, Wi-Fi, firewall | Gives the go-ahead for changes | Operates, updates, monitors | | Servers, cloud, Microsoft 365 | Sets the rules | Administers day to day | | Backups | Validates the plan and attends the tests | Runs, tests, reports | | Security incidents | Informs management | Prevents, detects, responds | | Infrastructure oversight | Reads the reports | Continuous; 24/7 on Premium 365 only | | Absences | No action needed | Nothing grinds to a halt | ## Which of the three models suits your company? - **All in-house** Hundreds of workstations, highly bespoke systems or on-site engineers across several shifts, with the budget for a full team. - **Co-managed** 50 to 200 workstations, substantial business software and the need for a technical voice with the board, without carrying a whole team. - **All with the MSP** No complex internal applications, a preference for a single external contact and a fixed cost. It also works above 50 workstations, with regular meetings with the board. ## What separates a co-managed model that works from one that fails? It fails when nobody knows who owns each task. It works with five rules: - **A matrix in the contract**: the split above, signed by both parties. - **A shared request queue**: company and MSP on the same system, nothing lost in email. - **Documentation held by the client**: inventory, network map, credentials and backup policy kept up to date. - **Regular review with numbers**: requests, response times, incidents, projects and alerts from the [NOC and monitoring](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/noc-it-monitoring-portugal/). - **Decision-making power**: the in-house lead decides and speaks directly to the board. ## What does IT Unlimited include in this model? With [IT Unlimited](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/managed-it-services/), managed cybersecurity comes built in: firewalls, sensors, device protection, 2FA/MFA and alerting. For those who cannot stop out of hours, [Premium 365](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/premium-365-24-7-managed-it/), from €1,200/month + VAT, adds nights, weekends and bank holidays; it is the only plan with 24/7 support and monitoring. The contract is annual, renews automatically and no tie-in. ## How did a 200-workstation company fare? Velv by OnRising develops nearshore software from Porto, Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro. It extended its IT Unlimited contract with DataRoad to close to 200 workstations. What moved out of the building: service desk, firewalls and network security, wireless network, servers, cloud, printing and internet, preventive and corrective maintenance, and 24/7 oversight with alerts and reports on Premium 365. Read the [Velv by OnRising story](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/velv-onrising-managed-it-200-workstations/). ## Questions from decision-makers ### At how many workstations is an IT department justified? There is no exact threshold. Between 50 and 200 workstations, an in-house lead combined with an MSP almost always pays off; an all-internal team needs scale for several specialisms and holiday cover. ### What does the in-house lead do? They prioritise with the board, control the budget and software vendors, approve changes and supervise the MSP. Support, network, servers, security and backups stay with the partner. ### Is moving from an in-house department to co-managed safe? Yes, with planning: survey, documentation, credential handover and a period running in parallel. Knowledge stops living in one person's head and moves into documents. ### Is there support outside business hours? Yes, only on IT Unlimited Premium 365, which covers nights, weekends and bank holidays with 24/7 support and monitoring. ## Next step: your IT model designed in 10 working days We assess infrastructure and team and return the responsibility matrix, with a fixed IT Unlimited proposal. No commitment. **More than 10 workstations · support contract · remote, on-site and telephone support.** Call +351 211 459 950 * or write to sales@dataroad.pt. **Call to a Portuguese landline.* ## Sources - [PwC, Tax Guide 2026, employer social security contribution of 23.75%](https://www.pwc.pt/pt/pwcinforfisco/guia-fiscal/2026/seguranca-social.html) - [Portuguese Labour Code, Law 7/2009, holidays and training](https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2009-34546475) Chosen by respected and international companies ★★★★★ 5,0 · 52 Google reviews ★★★★★ 5,0 · 52 Google reviews DataRoad ## Related articles [IT UnlimitedHow to measure the quality of your IT provider’s supportAlmost every IT provider says it responds quickly. Few show how they measure it. 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Surplus concurrent channels, missing maintenance and a network …15 August 2026 · 4 min read](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/ip-phone-system-cost-comparison/) Numbers you can verify **11** years in business **232** clients **< 10 min** average response time **15+** IT vendor certifications **10+** Countries with clients supported **5.0 ★** 52 Google reviews Transparency ## What many providers hide, we publish. [See plans and prices →](https://www.dataroad-it.com/it-unlimited/) - **Prices upfront** Essential from €395/month + VAT, Premium from €750 and Premium 365 from €1,200. - **No lock-in** Annual contract, no lock-in and no joining fees. - **Everything in writing** What is included, the scope and the price, before you sign. - **Support without counted hours** Remote and phone in every plan; on-site support from Premium. Partners and certifications DataRoad · Managed IT for business ## One StepAhead of IT. Technology that works quietly, so your team works without interruptions. Engineering precision in every request. - **11** years in business, since 2015 - **15+** IT vendor certifications - **1** contract and one owner for everything We do **IT** right. DataRoad IT Unlimited ## Operational continuity is not luck. It is method and contract. IT Unlimited reduces risk and shows in writing what changed. [Request a proposal, no commitment →](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/#contact)+351 211 459 950 **Call to a Portuguese landline · More than 10 workstations · support contract · remote, on-site and phone support[Not sure what you need? Talk to the assistant →](https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/#assistente) --- Versão HTML desta página: https://www.dataroad-it.com/en/co-managed-it-in-house-lead-msp/