The “own admin vs. outsourcing” debate usually comes down to salary versus monthly fee. That’s the wrong comparison: an employee comes with hidden costs, and outsourcing comes with hidden limitations. Let’s account for both.
The full cost of an in-house specialist
According to hh.uz, the average system administrator salary in Tashkent in 2026 is about 8.7M UZS; a strong specialist with server and networking experience asks for 12–15M. Now add what the job posting doesn’t show:
- social tax and other payroll contributions — around 12% on top of salary;
- a workstation, computer, phone and software — 300–500 thousand a month when amortized;
- 21 days of vacation plus sick leave — about 10% of working time when IT is left unattended;
- training and certification — without this investment, a specialist falls behind within two years;
- hiring and onboarding when they leave — 1–2 months of searching and another month to get up to speed.
The bottom line for an “average” administrator is 10.5–12M UZS per month; for a strong one, 15–18M. For that money you get one person with one set of skills and a 9-to-6 workday.
What one person can’t do
Even a small company’s infrastructure today includes Windows Server, a MikroTik network, IP telephony, 1C on SQL, cloud services, CCTV and security. A specialist with equally deep knowledge of all of this is rare — and priced accordingly. In practice, an in-house admin is strong in two or three areas and “googles the rest along the way.” That’s fine until an incident hits the fourth area.
The second problem is a single point of failure. They quit, get sick or go on vacation — and the company is left without support. Passwords live “in their head,” the network diagram is “I remember it,” and there’s no documentation. One in three audits we conduct begins with recovering access after a departed administrator.
What outsourcing can’t do
To be fair, outsourcing has its limits too.
- Physical presence. If you need someone in the office every day from 9 to 6, that’s either a plan with a dedicated engineer (more expensive than a staff hire) or an employee.
- Specialized systems. In-house software, industrial equipment, non-standard applications — an outside provider will be learning on your time.
- On-site speed. 80–90% of requests are resolved remotely, but replacing a drive or connecting a printer requires a visit — and that happens on schedule, not “right now.”
Comparison table
| In-house administrator | Outsourcing | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost, company with 20–30 seats | 10.5–15M UZS/mo | 6–13M UZS/mo |
| Expertise | 2–3 areas in depth | a team covering every area |
| Absences | vacation and sick leave — no support | cover within the team |
| Accountability | employment contract | contract with an SLA and penalties |
| 24/7 monitoring | no | usually yes |
| Documentation | hit or miss | a contractual obligation |
| On-site presence | daily | scheduled, or a dedicated engineer |
Which to choose when
You need an in-house specialist if you have 150+ workstations, in-house software development or production systems that require someone on hand every day. A combination often works best: an in-house specialist for users, and outsourcing for servers, network and security.
Outsourcing is the better fit for companies with 10 to 150 workstations and standard office infrastructure — in other words, most companies. The key condition: a contract with defined response times and a dedicated engineer who knows your company, not a call center.
If you’re unsure, order an independent IT audit: it will show the real state of your infrastructure and the scope of work, and the decision will become obvious.