The short answer: for budgeting purposes, construction companies in Orange County should expect fully managed IT to fall roughly in the $145 to $200 per user, per month range for Office Users. Field Users who work from a phone or tablet are typically priced lower, and Microsoft 365 licenses are billed separately.
That range covers help desk support for the office and the field, device management, security, Microsoft 365 backup and Microsoft 365 administration. Microsoft 365 licenses, hardware, jobsite technology, onboarding and one-time projects are usually billed separately.
This guide is written for owners, controllers, operations managers and project executives at contractors in Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Fullerton, Brea, Placentia, Orange and the rest of Orange County. It explains where your number is likely to land, what drives it up or down, and what to ask any provider before you sign.
Estimated monthly managed IT cost by company size
These are planning estimates, not quotes. The table assumes every technology user is billed at the full Office User rate of $145 to $200 per month. Your actual cost may be lower when some of your users are Field Users, and the table does not include Microsoft 365 licenses or jobsite costs.
| Technology users (all billed as Office Users) | Low estimate (per month) | High estimate (per month) | Annual range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $2,900 | $4,000 | $34,800 to $48,000 |
| 35 | $5,075 | $7,000 | $60,900 to $84,000 |
| 50 | $7,250 | $10,000 | $87,000 to $120,000 |
| 75 | $10,875 | $15,000 | $130,500 to $180,000 |
| 100 | $14,500 | $20,000 | $174,000 to $240,000 |
Office Users vs. Field Users
Most contractors have two kinds of technology users, and M-Squared Networks prices them differently:
- Office Users are defined by having a managed Windows computer, not by where they work. A project manager who works from a jobsite trailer on a managed Windows laptop is still an Office User. Office Users are billed at the full per-user rate.
- Field Users are supported employees who work from managed mobile devices, such as a phone or tablet, and don’t regularly use a managed Windows computer. Their devices still need to be managed, secured and supported, but there is no managed Windows computer to monitor, secure and maintain. At M-Squared Networks, Field Users are generally priced at 40% to 65% of the Office User rate.
Crew members who don’t sign in to company systems or receive covered services don’t need to be counted as managed users.
What’s included in the monthly managed IT price
Office Users and Field Users are both supported and secured. The main difference is that an Office User has a managed Windows computer and a Field User does not.
| Service | Office User | Field User |
|---|---|---|
| Help desk support, including calls from a jobsite | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile device management for phones and tablets | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft 365 email and Teams | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft 365 account administration | Yes | Yes |
| Security: device protection, email filtering and multifactor sign-in | Yes | Yes |
| Backup of Microsoft 365 email and files | Yes | Yes |
| Managed Windows computer, including monitoring, updates and patching | Yes | No. A Field User with a managed Windows laptop becomes an Office User |
| Basic technical support for project, estimating and accounting software | Yes | Yes |
| Shared files and Microsoft 365 collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Printing and plotting support | Yes | As applicable |
| Remote access to company systems | Yes | As applicable |
Pricing assumes Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Teams. This pricing model assumes Office Users and Field Users are licensed with Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Teams. The Microsoft 365 license itself is billed separately from the managed IT fee. If your company uses a different Microsoft 365 licensing structure, we’ll review the requirements and pricing with you.
Support for construction software is basic, first-level technical support for the devices, Windows, connectivity, sign-in, permissions and infrastructure those applications depend on. It is not application consulting, workflow design or advanced application-specific troubleshooting.
What’s usually billed separately
- Microsoft 365 licenses: Business Premium with Teams runs about $22 to $26.40 per user per month, depending on the billing term.
- Hardware: laptops, tablets, firewalls, switches and wireless equipment
- Onboarding: the one-time work of moving your company to a new IT provider. That can include documenting your environment, deploying management and security tools, setting up administrative access, and establishing the provider’s management baseline. The cost depends on the size and condition of your current environment.
- Significant upgrades or remediation: usually quoted separately rather than included in the onboarding fee
- Projects: an office move, a new jobsite trailer build-out, or a server migration
- Internet service and jobsite technology: internet service and network equipment at the office and at active jobsites
- Project software subscriptions such as Procore, Bluebeam or your accounting system
When you compare proposals, line them up against these two lists. A lower monthly number can mean something from the first list has moved to the second.
Why construction IT can cost more than a typical office
A 40-person accounting firm and a 40-person general contractor can have very different IT needs. Five factors account for much of the difference.
1. More devices per person. An office employee may have a laptop and a phone, while a superintendent or foreman may work from a phone and a tablet. Each managed device adds security, configuration and support requirements.
2. Jobsites. Active projects can add costs for internet service, network equipment, printing or plotting, and support for the jobsite environment. The cost varies depending on what each project needs and is often separate from the per-user managed IT price.
3. People who work away from the office. Superintendents and project managers need the same access from a jobsite trailer as they have at their desk. Supporting that well takes more planning than supporting a team that sits in one building.
4. Project software and large files. Contractors depend on applications such as Procore, Bluebeam, estimating software and accounting systems, often while moving large drawings and project files between the office and the field. IT has to keep the devices, connectivity, access and underlying systems those applications depend on working reliably.
5. Insurance and client requirements. Cyber insurance carriers and some general contractors now send detailed questionnaires asking about multifactor sign-in, backups and device security. Meeting those requirements can require additional tools, controls and documentation.
How the common pricing models compare
| Model | How you pay | Works best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per user (flat monthly) | A monthly price per user, covering that user’s devices | Contractors with several devices per person | Ask how Field Users are counted and priced |
| Per device | A price for each laptop, tablet and server | Offices with one computer per person | Costs climb as tablets and phones are added |
| Break/fix (hourly) | An hourly rate when something breaks | Very small teams with simple needs | Ongoing security, backup and maintenance may not be included |
| In-house IT staff | Salary, benefits and tools for one or more employees | Larger contractors with complex systems | One person may not cover every skill, vacation or after-hours need |
For most contractors with 20 to 100 employees, per-user pricing is the easiest to budget because it doesn’t change when someone adds a tablet or a jobsite phone.
Example: what a 60-person general contractor might budget
This is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client. The $170 Office User and $70 Field User rates below are used only for illustration. They are not a quote and not necessarily M-Squared Networks’ current pricing.
Picture a general contractor with 60 employees: 30 Office Users, 15 Field Users with a company phone or tablet, and 15 crew members who don’t sign in to anything. That’s 45 managed technology users.
| Item | Calculation | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Managed IT, Office Users | 30 users x $170 | $5,100 |
| Managed IT, Field Users | 15 users x $70 | $1,050 |
| Estimated managed IT total | $6,150 |
Charging all 60 employees the full Office User rate would come to $10,200 a month, so pricing Field Users separately and leaving off the 15 crew members keeps the managed IT line about $4,050 a month lower.
This calculation covers managed IT only. Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses for the 45 users, internet service, jobsite-specific equipment, hardware, project software, onboarding and separately scoped projects are not included and may add to the total.
How to build your IT budget
- Count your users. List Office Users (anyone with a managed Windows computer) and Field Users (phone or tablet only) separately. Leave off crew members who don’t sign in to company systems or receive covered services.
- Apply the rates. Budget $145 to $200 per Office User and a lower rate for Field Users. Where a company falls in that range depends on the services included, the complexity of the environment, security requirements, number and types of devices, and the level of support required.
- Account for jobsites. Budget separately for internet service, network equipment and other technology required at active project sites.
- Add licenses. Budget Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Teams and project software separately.
- Set aside a hardware fund. A good planning target is to replace computers, servers and tablets on about a four-year lifecycle. Rather than waiting for equipment to fail, budget to replace roughly a quarter of your aging devices each year.
- Plan for onboarding. Expect a one-time fee in the first month based on the size and condition of your environment, with any significant remediation scoped separately.
Questions to ask any IT provider before you sign
- Which of our people and devices are included in the per-user price, and are Field Users priced differently?
- How do you support someone calling from a jobsite, and how fast do you respond?
- Have you set up internet and printing for jobsite trailers before?
- What level of support do you provide for construction software such as Procore, Bluebeam, Sage, Foundation or Viewpoint?
- Can you help us answer our cyber insurance questionnaire?
- What’s included after hours and on weekends?
- What does onboarding cost, and what happens in the first 30 days?
- How long is the agreement, and what happens to our data and passwords if we leave?
A provider who can answer these questions clearly, in construction terms, gives you a better basis for comparing proposals than price alone.
Frequently asked questions
How much does managed IT cost per user for a construction company in Orange County? For budgeting, plan on roughly $145 to $200 per Office User per month for fully managed IT. Field Users are typically priced lower. Microsoft 365 licenses, hardware, jobsite technology and projects are usually extra.
What does managed IT cost for a 50-person contractor? If all 50 are Office Users, roughly $7,250 to $10,000 per month for managed IT, plus Microsoft 365 licenses and jobsite costs. If some of those 50 are Field Users, the total comes down.
Do Field Users cost the same as Office Users? Not at M-Squared Networks. Field Users, who work from a managed phone or tablet rather than a managed Windows computer, are generally priced at 40% to 65% of the Office User rate. A Field User who gets a managed Windows laptop becomes an Office User. Not every provider prices this way, so it’s worth asking.
Does the monthly price include Microsoft 365? No. Microsoft 365 licenses are billed separately from the managed IT fee. Business Premium with Teams runs about $22 to $26.40 per user per month, depending on the billing term. Our pricing assumes every Office User and Field User is on Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Teams, so a different plan changes the price. Managing those accounts is included.
Is there a setup or onboarding fee? Yes. Onboarding is a separate one-time fee for the work of moving your company to us: documenting your environment, deploying management and security tools, setting up administrative access, and establishing our management baseline. The cost depends on the size and condition of your current environment. Significant upgrades or remediation, such as replacing aging equipment or setting up missing backups, are scoped as a separate project you can review and approve before work starts.
Is there a monthly minimum? Yes. M-Squared Networks has a $1,500 minimum monthly managed services agreement. For example, if a small company has 7 Office Users and the applicable rate is $150, the calculated amount is $1,050, but the monthly managed services charge is $1,500 because of the minimum. This is separate from onboarding.
Is break/fix IT cheaper than managed IT? It can be, especially during months when nothing goes wrong. The tradeoff is that break/fix focuses primarily on fixing problems after they occur rather than continuously managing security, backups, updates and the overall technology environment.
Why can construction IT cost more than IT for a regular office? Contractors often have more devices per person, people working from jobsites, large project files and stricter insurance requirements. All of that takes more support than a single office.
Which areas do you serve? M-Squared Networks is based in Yorba Linda and supports contractors across Orange County, including Anaheim, Fullerton, Brea, Placentia and Orange, as well as Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
How long are managed IT contracts? Our standard agreement is 12 months. Month-to-month is available at a higher monthly rate, and longer terms come with a discount.
Get a clearer picture of your technology
Every contractor’s environment is different. A Construction Technology Review looks at how your office and field teams use technology today, identifies gaps and risks, and helps establish what should be addressed first. From there, we can determine what an appropriate managed IT plan and budget would look like for your company.