Calculator
IT Staffing Calculator
Should you hire another IT person? See recommended staffing and what it costs to hire vs. cover the gap with managed services.
[LANStatus estimate] ≈ $6,500/mo per FTE-equivalent (≈ $78k/yr) — blended MSP labor cost across multiple clients. Roughly one FTE-equivalent covers ~50–75 users at $89–$125/user/mo on LANStatus published pricing. Calibrate to your environment.
Staffing ratio assumptions
Common range 1:50–1:100 depending on automation/complexity.
Common range 1:10–1:20 depending on virtualization/tooling.
Abstraction for shift coverage — not a scheduling model.
Compliance adds 0.5–1 FTE for regulated orgs; some run higher.
Recommended vs. current staffing
3 FTE recommended · 1 current
You appear understaffed by ~2 FTE.
Cost to close the gap — hire vs. managed
Beyond cost, one new hire still can't cover nights, weekends, PTO, or every specialty — managed/fractional coverage fills the gap with a team.
How this is calculated
[LANStatus estimate] Staffing ratios are industry guidelines, not absolutes — tune them to your environment. Help desk = users ÷ users/tech × 24×7 multiplier. Sysadmin = servers ÷ servers/admin + extra locations × location factor. Security adds 0.5–1 FTE based on size and compliance. Hire cost includes salary × benefits, recruiting (~20% salary ÷ 3 years), and $3k training per FTE. The managed comparison uses the FTE-equivalent cost shown above.
Combine results across tools in the Business Impact Center.
Staffing ratios are guidelines — we'll give you a real number for fractional or managed coverage.
Explore fractional IT leadershipThe question "do we need another IT person?" usually comes when tickets pile up, projects stall, or someone is covering nights and weekends on top of a day job. Headcount feels like the answer — but one FTE rarely covers every specialty, every shift, and every vacation week.
This calculator applies industry staffing ratios for help desk, systems administration, and security — adjusted for 24×7 coverage, multiple locations, and compliance requirements — then compares your current team to a recommended level.
If you appear understaffed, it estimates the annual cost of hiring versus managed or fractional coverage for the same gap. Ratios are guidelines, not absolutes — tune them in the assumptions panel, then pair the output with our In-House vs. Managed Cost Calculator for a fuller picture.