If your software isn't getting used, the instinct is to hire someone to own it. Sometimes that's the right move. Often it's expensive overkill. Here's the honest version.
| Conrad Prism | An in-house IT hire | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $2,500 assessment, then project- or retainer-based work | $90K–$120K+ salary plus benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, and PTO |
| Expertise | 30 years in construction operations — knows how a jobsite actually runs | Usually generalist IT (networks, hardware, helpdesk); rarely construction-specific |
| Scope | Project-shaped: assessment, implementation, training, then done | Open-ended; tends to grow into infrastructure, devices, and support tickets |
| Vendor bias | Vendor-agnostic; recommends dropping tools that aren't earning their keep | Whatever stack they already know; switching costs discourage change |
| Ramp time | Productive in week one — has run this play across multiple organizations | Months to learn your operation, your tools, and the construction context |
| Best at | Getting adoption unstuck and workflows built from the field up | Day-to-day support, device management, network and security ops |
Book a free 30-minute discovery call and I'll tell you straight — even if the answer is “you don't need me.”