Hiring a SharePoint Consultant vs. Doing It In‑House: Which Is Best?

Any IT or operations leader must decide between hiring a SharePoint consultant or relying on their internal team. While many enterprises assume in-house management is more cost-effective, the full picture often reveals hidden risks and delays. Let’s break down both options and help you make the right choice based on budget, complexity, and long-term goals.

Why Hiring a SharePoint Consultant Might Be the Smarter Move

When businesses need to deploy or upgrade SharePoint, speed and precision matter. Hiring a SharePoint consultant can deliver immediate value, especially when projects are time-sensitive, compliance-driven, or resource-limited.

Access to Specialized SharePoint Expertise

A SharePoint consultant brings hands-on experience across a wide variety of environments and configurations. Unlike internal teams, which may juggle other responsibilities, consultants live and breathe SharePoint and stay current on best practices, architecture updates, and Microsoft roadmap changes.

Faster Project Delivery

Experienced consultants like those at i3solutions have done this many times before. Their refined methodologies, templates, and playbooks allow them to deploy solutions faster than in-house teams starting from scratch.

Lower Risk of Misconfiguration

SharePoint can be deceptively complex. Incorrect setup of permissions, metadata, or site collections can create long-term usability and security issues. A SharePoint consultant helps avoid these pitfalls with tried-and-true implementation practices.

Cost-Efficient for Project-Based Work

If your business needs SharePoint for a specific initiative or migration, hiring full-time staff may not be necessary. A consultant delivers value without the long-term overhead of benefits, training, or idle time.

The Drawbacks of Hiring a SharePoint Consultant

While the benefits of hiring a SharePoint consultant are strong, there are some factors to consider before outsourcing your next project.

Short-Term Expense

Consultants often charge premium rates for their expertise. For organizations operating under tight budgets, this can feel like a higher upfront cost, although the long-term savings in efficiency and risk avoidance may outweigh it.

Knowledge Transfer Gaps

If not planned carefully, knowledge can leave with the consultant once the engagement ends. That’s why it’s crucial to partner with firms like i3solutions that include documentation and user training as part of the project scope.

Limited Availability for Ongoing Support

Some consultants focus exclusively on project implementation and don’t offer long-term support contracts. However, firms like i3solutions provide extended support, maintenance, and optimization plans to ensure your SharePoint environment evolves with your needs.

Decision Factors to Consider: In-House Teams vs. SharePoint Consultants

Choosing the right delivery model means understanding what matters most for your project and organization.

Cost

At first glance, using your internal IT team might seem like the most cost-effective option. However, hidden costs from delays, rework, or lack of SharePoint expertise can quickly add up. SharePoint consultants like i3solutions bring immediate value with fewer missteps, ensuring you avoid costly errors and reduce time spent troubleshooting, ultimately improving your total return on investment across the project lifecycle.

Speed-to-Deployment

SharePoint consultants come ready with proven frameworks, best practices, and deployment experience, accelerating your go-live timeline. If you’re facing tight deadlines due to audits, compliance requirements, or operational initiatives, working with a consultant ensures your system is up and running fast. Internal teams may need weeks of ramp-up time, while partners like i3solutions can execute rapidly with fewer roadblocks.

Depth of Expertise

Your internal IT team may be strong overall, but SharePoint requires specialized skills in architecture, governance, and user experience. A SharePoint consultant offers deep, targeted knowledge gained from working across industries and complex environments. By leveraging that expertise, businesses can avoid common pitfalls, deploy scalable systems, and optimize for usability from the start, delivering a more effective SharePoint implementation.

Scalability and Flexibility

When project needs evolve, consultants offer scalable support without disrupting internal operations. Whether your scope expands midstream or you need to pivot to new features, a SharePoint consultant can adjust staffing and resources quickly. i3solutions, for example, can scale teams up or down as needed, helping your business remain agile while avoiding the fixed overhead of full-time hires.

Post-Deployment Support

Launching SharePoint is just the beginning. Ongoing maintenance, user support, governance, and updates require consistent attention. Internal teams often lack the bandwidth to handle long-term upkeep. A trusted SharePoint consultant like i3solutions can provide managed services to ensure smooth performance, continuous improvement, and timely support, keeping your platform aligned with business goals well beyond the initial rollout.

When External SharePoint Consulting Delivers the Best ROI

Certain business scenarios benefit more from hiring a SharePoint consultant than using internal teams. These include:

Large-Scale Migrations

Moving from legacy systems or outdated SharePoint versions to modern cloud-based environments can overwhelm internal IT resources. SharePoint consultants bring the tools and experience to plan, execute, and validate enterprise-scale migrations without disrupting daily operations. With i3solutions, businesses gain a proven partner to navigate complex transitions and ensure clean, efficient data migration across departments.

Industries Needing Strong Audit Trails and Compliance Controls

Industries like healthcare, finance, and government face strict regulatory standards. A SharePoint consultant helps build environments that meet HIPAA, SOX, or GDPR compliance with built-in audit trails, version control, and access policies. i3solutions understands industry-specific compliance needs and tailors SharePoint solutions to ensure your organization meets legal obligations without slowing down operations.

Organizations With Limited IT Resources

Not every business has an in-house SharePoint expert, and stretched IT teams often lack the bandwidth for strategic planning and configuration. A SharePoint consultant can fill that gap, delivering deep expertise without the cost of a full-time hire. i3solutions scales to meet your needs, whether it’s a quick deployment or a long-term collaboration.

Enterprises Needing Custom Workflows and More

Building custom workflows or automating business processes with Power Automate requires specialized knowledge. SharePoint consultants like i3solutions are fluent in Microsoft 365 architecture and can integrate SharePoint seamlessly with Teams, Outlook, and other tools, unlocking greater efficiency and cross-platform harmony that internal teams may struggle to achieve alone.

Departments Needing Fast Turnarounds

Marketing, HR, or operations teams often need a SharePoint intranet or portal built quickly for communication, onboarding, or collaboration. External consultants accelerate these timelines with prebuilt templates, best practices, and agile delivery models. i3solutions delivers fast, functional portals tailored to business needs without overburdening internal developers or dragging out deadlines.

Companies Modernizing Document Management

Traditional file shares lack searchability, security, and mobile access. SharePoint modernizes document management by introducing version control, metadata tagging, and cloud-based accessibility. A SharePoint consultant ensures smooth transitions, proper file structuring, and governance policies, eliminating chaos and helping your team fully realize the benefits of modern document collaboration.

In these situations, expert-led SharePoint consulting services from i3solutions can save months of effort and prevent costly rework.

How to Make the Right Decision Based on Scope and Capabilities

Before you choose a delivery method, ask yourself the following questions.

How Complex Is the SharePoint Implementation?

Basic document storage might be feasible in-house. However, automated workflows, metadata architecture, and hybrid integrations may require advanced expertise.

Do You Have Skilled SharePoint Architects or Internal Admins?

If not, a consultant avoids trial-and-error learning curves that slow progress and create technical debt.

Is Speed a Priority?

Internal bandwidth is often limited. Consultants bring a dedicated team that gets the job done fast, without impacting other IT responsibilities.

Can Your Team Support the System Long-Term?

Even a well-built SharePoint platform can falter without a plan for governance, training, and upkeep. A firm like i3solutions can manage both implementation and ongoing support.

Hire a SharePoint Consultant from i3solutions Today

Whether you need help designing a new SharePoint environment, migrating from legacy systems, or optimizing your current platform, i3solutions is your trusted partner. Our team of expert SharePoint consultants brings the knowledge, speed, and scalability your enterprise needs, backed by years of successful implementations and enterprise-grade support.

Don’t gamble with business-critical systems. Reach out to i3solutions and ensure your SharePoint project is done right the first time.