This is the co-managed IT question, and the answer is almost always: your internal IT person is great at keeping the lights on and doesn't have time, tools, or training to run a security program. Co-managed IT fills the gaps — security monitoring, compliance documentation, backup management, advanced threat response — while your internal person handles what they're best at: knowing your business and your users.

Internal IT hires also create coverage risk. What happens when they take vacation, get sick, or leave? A managed IT partner provides continuity that a single hire can't.