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Q. What is the standard ratio of PC Support personnel to employees for companies employing 150 or less people?
A. Determining the "right" amount of PC support staff is a question that plagues large and small firms alike. Here are some of the factors that will affect the answer and a rule of thumb that you might find helpful.
The Factors
- Complexity of your environment
(e.g., extent to which applications, platforms, and hardware are standardized)
- Expertise of your user base (e.g.,
technically-oriented or computer novices)
- Importance of IT to your organization (e.g., supports mission critical functions)
Rule of Thumb
The following is based upon the composite experiences of a few organizations with 100 to 200 users. This is a listing of typical PC support activities and the average number of days per month required for minimum support.
| Activity | # Days per Month (minimum support) |
| Telephone and in-person support | 14 Work Days |
| Equipment maintenance | 5 Work Days |
| Research and information gathering | 15 Work Days |
| Information preparation and dissemination | 4 Work Days |
| Hardware / software evaluation | 5 Work Days |
| Management activities | 6 Work Days |
| Contract negotiation | 6 Work Days |
| Technical events | 1 Work Day |
| Meetings | 4 Work Days |
| Seminars/Training | 6 Work Days |
| Total Work Days: |
61 |
Based on an average of 20 work days per month, an organization with 150 PCs would require 3 full-time support personnel (i.e., 61/20) or 1 person per 50 PCs. This is a fairly general rule; organizations that are highly reliant upon IT often need more PC support.
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