Fairoaks IT frequently asked questions
IT support questions, answered
Straight answers about who we are, what managed IT includes, how fast we respond, what it costs and how switching works, for businesses in Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the Charlotte, NC area.
- Soteria Award winner: Most Trusted MSP in North America
- Microsoft Partner
- Certified Trust Level 2 IT provider
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the 36 questions business owners ask us most. Each one links to the page with the full story.
About Fairoaks IT
Who is Fairoaks IT?
Fairoaks IT is an independent, owner-led managed IT and cybersecurity company founded in 1991, serving small and midsize businesses from offices in Franklin, MA and Belmont, NC, near Charlotte, NC. Tom Crossley founded the company, and he and his son, Adam Crossley, own and run it today. Fairoaks IT won the Soteria Award for Most Trusted MSP in North America.
Where is Fairoaks IT located?
Fairoaks IT has two offices: 1000 Franklin Village Dr, Suite 303, Franklin, MA 02038, and 32 North Main Street, Suite 206, Belmont, NC 28012, just west of Charlotte, NC. The main line is 774-222-5500.
What areas does Fairoaks IT serve?
Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the Charlotte, NC metro area, including Gaston, Cabarrus, Union and Lincoln counties and York County, South Carolina. Most support happens remotely, and our technicians go onsite from Franklin and Belmont when something needs hands on it.
Is Fairoaks IT a good managed IT provider for Franklin, MA?
Fairoaks IT is headquartered in Franklin, MA and provides managed IT, help desk and cybersecurity for businesses across Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including nearby towns like Milford, Mansfield, Foxborough and Westborough. Our average time to start on a support issue is under 12 minutes, and we won the Soteria Award for Most Trusted MSP in North America.
Is Fairoaks IT a good managed IT provider for Charlotte, NC?
Fairoaks IT has a Charlotte-area office in Belmont, NC and provides managed IT, help desk and cybersecurity for businesses across Mecklenburg and the surrounding counties, including York County, South Carolina. Our average time to start on a support issue is under 12 minutes, and we won the Soteria Award for Most Trusted MSP in North America.
What makes Fairoaks IT different?
We’re independently audited for security and service, we won the Soteria Award for Most Trusted MSP in North America, and we’re owner-led, so the people who own the company answer for the work. Our own technicians have at least 5 to 10 years of experience, usually many more, and start on support issues in under 12 minutes on average.
Services and support
What’s included in managed IT with Fairoaks IT?
Depending on the plan: help desk support, 24/7 monitoring, security updates, endpoint protection, firewall management, backup management, documentation and planning, so IT isn’t on your employees. Our fully managed plan adds unlimited help desk during business hours, onsite support, new employee setups and vendor management. We size it to your business after an assessment.
How fast do you respond when something breaks?
Our average time to start on a support issue is under 12 minutes. We also monitor your systems around the clock, so many problems are caught early, often before you notice anything is wrong.
What are your support hours? Do you offer after-hours and weekend support?
Live support runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. After-hours support is available for emergencies, so outages and security events can get attention on evenings and weekends. We’ll explain how after-hours support works and how it’s billed before you sign.
Can you work with our existing IT person?
Yes. Many clients keep an internal IT lead and use us for monitoring, security tools, help desk, documentation and overflow engineering. You’re not replacing your person; you’re backing them up. Businesses with their own IT staff can also add our help desk or security services on their own.
Do you provide onsite support?
Yes. Most issues are solved remotely while you’re on the phone, and our technicians go onsite from Franklin, MA and Belmont, NC when something needs hands on it. Onsite support is included in our fully managed plan and billed as needed on lighter plans.
Do you support Microsoft 365 and the cloud?
Yes. We set up, migrate, secure, back up and support Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, hosted desktops and remote desktop servers, and virtualization. Fairoaks IT is a Microsoft Partner.
Do you support remote and hybrid teams?
Yes. We set up secure remote access, company laptops and work-from-home setups, monitor and update devices wherever they are, and solve most problems remotely. Phone and tablet management is available as an add-on.
Security and compliance
Is cybersecurity included, or is that extra?
Core security is part of how we run managed IT: security updates, endpoint protection, firewall management and 24/7 monitoring. Most of our plans add staff training and phishing simulations. Deeper detection and response, watched by a 24/7 security operations center across endpoints, network and cloud apps like Microsoft 365, can be added when risk, insurance or compliance calls for it.
Do you have a 24/7 security operations center?
Yes. Our advanced security option includes a 24/7 security operations center with advanced endpoint, network and cloud detection and response, AI detection and response, vulnerability scanning, log retention and DNS protection. Companies with their own IT can add it as co-managed security.
Do you help with cyber insurance, HIPAA or CMMC?
Yes. We help tighten the controls insurers and frameworks care about, like multi-factor authentication, email security, endpoint protection, backups and written policies. We support HIPAA, CMMC and NIST 800-171, the FTC Safeguards Rule, IRS Publication 4557 and PCI DSS, in plain English.
Will you sign a HIPAA business associate agreement?
Yes. We sign business associate agreements with our healthcare clients before work begins.
Is Fairoaks IT independently audited?
Yes. Fairoaks IT maintains independent certification for security and service, and you can verify it yourself through the badges on our Why Choose Us page.
Cost and contracts
How much does managed IT cost?
Complete managed IT from Fairoaks IT is generally around $200 per user per month, all in, including Microsoft 365 licensing on the same bill. Lighter monitoring-only or co-managed setups cost less, and advanced cybersecurity can be added when you need it. Your exact number depends on how many people, computers and locations you have and how much support you want included. We’ll confirm scope on a short discovery call, and our IT Buyer’s Guide explains pricing in more detail.
Get the free IT Buyer’s Guide (PDF) | Schedule a discovery call
Does the monthly bill include Microsoft 365 and other software?
Microsoft 365 licenses and other subscriptions are billed alongside your managed services on the same monthly invoice, so you’re not piecing licenses together on your own. Our typical figure of around $200 per user per month includes Microsoft 365 licensing. Hardware and larger projects are quoted separately.
What should a small business budget for a full MSP?
For complete managed IT with Fairoaks IT, businesses typically budget about $200 per user per month, all in, including the day-to-day support relationship and Microsoft 365 licensing on the same bill. Onboarding and one-time projects are quoted separately, and every cost is explained up front.
Is there an onboarding fee?
Most managed IT providers charge to onboard a new client, because the first weeks involve real work: documenting your systems, installing monitoring and security tools, fixing urgent risks and getting your team set up. Ours is quoted up front with everything else, so you know the full cost before you sign.
What isn’t included in the monthly fee?
Hardware and larger projects, like a server replacement, an office move or a cloud migration, are typically quoted separately. On lighter plans, help desk time and onsite visits are billed as you use them. Every cost is explained up front, so there are no hidden fees or surprise invoices.
How long are managed IT contracts, and what if it isn’t working?
Many managed IT agreements run for multiple years, which locks in your rate and gives your provider reason to invest in your environment. What matters is what happens if things aren’t working, so ask every provider two questions: what happens if you don’t deliver, and how are price increases handled? Get both answers in writing. At Fairoaks IT, ours are spelled out in our agreement, and we’ll walk you through every page before you sign.
Switching and getting started
How long does it take to switch to Fairoaks IT?
Most transitions take a few weeks: discovery, tools, documentation, then a planned handoff from your current provider, scheduled around your calendar so your team isn’t mid-migration during a busy week. You’ll have a named point of contact and weekly check-ins until onboarding is complete.
Will our current IT company know we’re looking?
Only if you want them to. Our assessment can be done 100% remotely, with or without your current IT company knowing. If you decide to switch, we coordinate the handoff professionally.
What happens on a discovery call?
A straightforward conversation about your business and what isn’t working. No pitch and no pressure. If it makes sense for both of us, we’ll plan an assessment. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you.
What happens in a free IT assessment?
We review your network, servers, computers, Microsoft 365, backups and security with our proprietary 27-point assessment. You get a plain-English summary of what’s working, what’s at risk and what to fix first. No scare tactics, just facts.
Why choose a local MSP instead of a national help desk?
You get technicians who know your Franklin- or Charlotte-area sites, a team that can show up when remote support isn’t enough, transparent ticketing and reporting, and complete managed IT that’s generally around $200 per user per month, without a distant call center that doesn’t know your network.
Industries we serve
Does Fairoaks IT serve construction companies?
Yes. Construction is a core focus: job-site and trailer connectivity, office systems, estimating and project software, payment-fraud protection and cybersecurity for contractors across Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the Charlotte, NC metro, including nearby South Carolina counties.
Does Fairoaks IT serve manufacturers?
Yes. Manufacturing is a core focus: plant-floor and office systems, ERP, CNC machine connectivity, uptime and cybersecurity for manufacturers across Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the Charlotte, NC metro, including nearby South Carolina counties.
Do you work with accounting and tax firms?
Yes. We support tax and accounting software, help firms write and maintain the written information security plan the FTC Safeguards Rule requires, and plan support around tax season.
Do you support healthcare practices?
Yes. We support medical, dental, behavioral health, physical therapy and orthotics practices, and yes, even animal and veterinary healthcare. We sign business associate agreements and help practices meet HIPAA.
Do you work with law firms and other professional firms?
Yes. We support law firms, engineering and architecture firms, land surveyors and consultants, including practice and design software, document management, client confidentiality and wire-fraud protection.
Do you help defense suppliers with CMMC?
Yes. We help defense suppliers with CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 readiness, including scoping controlled unclassified information, gap assessments, security plans, remediation and Microsoft 365 GCC High or isolated enclaves.
Do you support churches?
Yes. We support churches and ministries with Sunday-ready Wi-Fi and livestream networks, church management systems, child check-in stations, online giving security and help for staff and approved volunteers.
Contact us today to schedule your discovery call
What happens next:
- We’ll reach out to set up a time that works around your schedule.
- A short conversation about your business and what isn’t working.
- If it makes sense for both of us, we’ll plan an assessment.
Prefer the phone? Call 774-222-5500.
Schedule your discovery call
Book a time at fairoaksit.com/discoverycall or call 774-222-5500.
