Compare your options before you commit budget
Every SMB that needs cloud, DevOps, and security operations picks from the same four options: hire a team, hire a contractor, sign with a large MSP, or work with us. Here is what each one actually costs and what it actually gets you — including where we are the wrong answer.
Managed DevOps vs an In-House Team
One DevOps engineer costs $142–194K a year in salary and benefits at BLS medians, before recruiting or tooling — and still leaves nights, weekends, and PTO uncovered.
$142–194K per engineer vs $42–180K/yrRead the comparisonPlatOps vs Freelance DevOps
Contractors bill $150–250/hr and work business hours. When the one person who knows your infrastructure takes a holiday, so does your recovery plan.
$150–250/hr, no on-callRead the comparisonPlatOps vs Enterprise MSPs
Rackspace, Accenture, and the large MSPs are built around Fortune 500 accounts. SMBs get 12-month contracts, shared pooled teams, and ticket queues.
12-month lock-in, shared teamRead the comparisonMore comparisons
- PlatOps vs Generic MSPsSpecialized cloud and security operations vs general IT support for printers, desktops and email.
- PlatOps vs Big 4 Consulting FirmsSenior engineers who build and then run your systems vs Big 4 engagements from firms like Deloitte and Accenture.
- Mission Cloud vs CloudZero vs PlatOpsAn AWS MSP, a cost-visibility tool and a security-first managed cloud partner: how they differ and who each is for.
All four options at a glance
Figures are typical ranges for a 10–200 employee company running production workloads in the cloud. Your numbers will vary with headcount, compliance scope, and how much infrastructure you already have.
| Dimension | In-house team | Freelance DevOps | Enterprise MSP | PlatOps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical annual cost | $425–583K (3 FTEs, salary + benefits) | $90–250K (variable) | $120–400K + onboarding | $42–180K |
| Coverage | Business hours, on-call costs extra | Business hours, best effort | 24/7 via shared pool | 24/7 monitoring; a person on critical incidents within 1 hour, 24/7 |
| Time to productive | 3–6 months (hire + ramp) | 2–6 weeks | 6–12 weeks onboarding | About 4 weeks (30-day onboarding) |
| Breadth of expertise | 2–3 generalists | One specialism | Broad, but rationed | Cloud, DevOps and security engineers |
| Contract commitment | Employment overhead | Per engagement | 12–36 months typical | Monthly, or fixed-scope sprint |
| Key risk | Attrition wipes out knowledge | Bus factor of one | You are a small account | Less on-site context than an FTE |
When PlatOps is the wrong choice
A comparison page that only argues one way is a sales page. These are the situations where we would tell you to do something else.
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