IT support for construction companies, at the office and on every job site

Look for a provider that already understands construction: job site trailers, remote superintendents, large plan files and software like Procore, Sage and Bluebeam. Then check four things: how fast a real person starts on your issue, whether security and backup are built into the plan, whether costs are predictable, and whether someone owns each problem until it’s solved. Ask for references from other contractors, and ask to see the onboarding plan before you sign.

See the questions to ask in our guide

A managed IT provider acts as your outsourced IT department for a predictable monthly fee. For a contractor, that typically covers support for office staff and field teams, monitoring and maintenance of computers, servers and networks, cybersecurity, backup, Microsoft 365, job site connectivity, and coordination with your software vendors. It also covers planning, so refresh cycles, projects and budgets are mapped out ahead of time instead of showing up as surprises.

Managed IT services

For most contractors with 10 to 100 computer users, outsourcing gives you more coverage with less risk. One internal person can’t be an expert in networking, security, cloud and construction software at once, and when they’re on vacation or leave, what they know leaves with them. A managed IT provider gives you a full team and documented systems. If you already have an IT person you like, co-managed IT lets us back them up instead of replacing them.

Co-managed IT for in-house teams

If you have around 10 or more people working on computers every day, plus job sites, critical software, or security requirements from insurers or clients, managed IT usually makes sense. Construction headcount can be misleading. A company with 150 people on payroll may have only 30 at a keyboard, but those 30 run the estimates, schedules and billing the whole company depends on. A short discovery call is the fastest way to know.

Schedule a discovery call

Fairoaks IT provides managed IT and cybersecurity for construction companies throughout Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the Charlotte, NC metro area, from offices in Franklin, MA and Belmont, NC. We’ve been independent and owner-led since 1991, we won the Soteria Award for Most Trusted MSP in North America, and founder and president Tom Crossley leads our construction work. We support general contractors, construction managers, specialty contractors, restoration firms and building-services companies.

Construction IT in Massachusetts and Rhode IslandConstruction IT in the Charlotte, NC area

Ask questions that show how they’ll actually perform, not just what they sell. How fast does a real person start on an issue? Who owns a problem that sits between you and a software vendor? Have you set up a job site trailer? When did you last test-restore a client’s backup? What isn’t included in the monthly fee? What does onboarding look like, step by step? Can I talk to one of your construction clients?

Get the full list, with what good answers sound like

Plan it at mobilization and build in a backup. A reliable trailer setup uses business-grade equipment, a primary internet connection plus a second connection from a different source, secure Wi-Fi with its own password, and remote monitoring so problems get fixed before anyone calls. Fairoaks IT uses a proprietary trailer setup, so every site is configured the same way and can be supported remotely.

Remote IT services

Within days. Fairoaks IT’s proprietary trailer setup arrives configured and ready, so a new site can be connected and secured within days rather than weeks. The biggest variable is usually the internet carrier, which is why we start coordinating as soon as a new site is on the schedule.

Tell us about your next mobilization

Stop dragging huge files across a VPN connection. Large drawings work best in tools built for sharing them, like Bluebeam Studio, Procore or Autodesk Construction Cloud, or in a properly configured SharePoint setup where each site syncs only the projects it needs. Pair that with a trailer connection sized for the files your team actually opens and laptops with enough power to render them.

Cloud computing for contractors

Use mobile device management, or MDM. It lets your IT provider set up company phones and tablets the same way every time, push the apps your crews need, enforce passcodes, keep company data separate from personal data, and lock or wipe a device that goes missing on site. It also makes offboarding fast: when someone leaves, company access leaves with them. Fairoaks IT offers phone and tablet management as an add-on to our managed IT plans.

Managed security services

Yes, and it should. When one provider handles the office network, the trailers, the field devices and the software that connects them, there’s no finger-pointing when something breaks in between. Fairoaks IT supports construction companies at headquarters and in the field, with remote support for job sites and technicians onsite when a problem can’t be solved remotely.

Managed IT services

They call or email, and a real person starts on it. Fairoaks IT’s average time to start on a support issue is under 12 minutes, with live support during business hours and after-hours support available. Most field issues can be fixed remotely, and when they can’t, we get someone onsite. Your supers talk to a team that already knows your setup, so they never have to explain their job site from scratch.

How our support works

Yes. Fairoaks IT supports the software construction companies actually run on, including Procore, Sage 300 CRE (Timberline), Sage 100 Contractor, Bluebeam, AutoCAD, Autodesk Construction Cloud, PlanGrid, On-Screen Takeoff, Trimble, Foundation, ProContractor, ConEst (IntelliBid), Bid2Win, Chief Architect, Xactimate and Master Builder. We keep the computers, servers, networks and integrations behind them working, and we deal directly with your software vendors when an issue crosses into their side.

See the full software list

Usually it’s the hardware or where the files live. Bluebeam, AutoCAD and estimating software need more memory, a capable graphics card and faster storage than a typical office PC, and they slow to a crawl when opening large files over a weak network or VPN. The fix is matching computers to each role, since estimators and PMs need more than front office staff, and storing files where they open quickly.

Ask about a hardware review

Your IT provider should. Software vendors support their application, not your network, server or computers, so problems in between tend to bounce back and forth while your team waits. Fairoaks IT takes ownership of those problems. We open the case with the vendor, give them the technical details they ask for, and stay on it until it’s resolved. One point of contact for every technology issue is part of our Client Bill of Rights.

What you can count on

Sometimes, but not by default. Cloud-hosted accounting and file storage can make remote access easier and reduce hardware costs, while some setups run better on a well-maintained local server, especially with large files and limited job site bandwidth. The right answer depends on your software versions, how many people work from the field, and your internet connections. We’ll lay out the options and costs side by side.

Cloud computing

More than front office staff, and it’s worth getting right. Estimators and PMs working in Bluebeam, AutoCAD or takeoff software generally need a current-generation processor, more memory than a standard office PC, a dedicated graphics card for heavy CAD work, fast solid-state storage and dual monitors. Instead of one spec for everyone, we match equipment to each role and plan replacements before old machines start costing you time.

Schedule a discovery call

Use a secure, organized sharing system instead of email attachments and personal file-sharing accounts. Project platforms like Procore and Bluebeam Studio, or SharePoint with controlled outside sharing, keep everyone on the current drawing set, track who accessed what, and let you cut off access when a project closes. That matters for version control and for security, because bid documents and drawings are valuable to the wrong people.

Managed security services

Because downtime is expensive and security is often thin. Construction firms run on deadlines, shared files and lots of outside partners, and many don’t have dedicated security staff. Attackers know a contractor facing a missed milestone is more likely to pay. Rapid7 ranked construction among the three most-attacked sectors for ransomware in 2025. The defense is layered: email security, multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, tested backups and trained staff.

Managed security services

Verify every payment change by phone, using a number you already have on file. Business email compromise often arrives from a real vendor’s hacked mailbox asking you to update wiring instructions, so the email itself looks legitimate. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report recorded about $3 billion in business email compromise losses, and 86% of that money moved by wire transfer or ACH. Add multi-factor authentication on every mailbox, filtering for lookalike domains and a written payment verification policy.

Get the payment verification template in our guide

Most carriers now ask about the same core controls: multi-factor authentication on email and remote access, endpoint detection and response on every computer, backups stored where ransomware can’t reach them and tested regularly, security awareness training and timely patching. What matters most is that your answers are true, so have your IT provider walk through the questionnaire with you and show proof before you sign. Your insurance agent has the final word on what your policy requires.

Our assessment includes an insurance requirements review

Only if you work on Department of Defense contracts that involve federal contract information or controlled unclassified information, or a prime contractor flows those requirements down to you. Most commercial contractors don’t need CMMC, but federal and defense-adjacent work increasingly comes with cybersecurity requirements, and it’s better to know early. Fairoaks IT helps companies understand what applies and build toward it in phases.

NIST and CMMC compliance

Not the way most people assume. Microsoft keeps Microsoft 365 running and offers limited recycle bins and version history, but that isn’t the same as a full backup you control. If files are deleted, overwritten or encrypted and nobody notices for a while, they may not be recoverable. Most companies need a separate Microsoft 365 backup, and construction firms especially, since closed-job records can matter years later for warranty claims and disputes.

Cloud computing and Microsoft 365

The same day, with a checklist. Disable their accounts and sign them out everywhere, remove company email from personal phones, change any shared passwords they knew, remove them from project apps, portals and plan rooms, collect devices, and give their manager access to their email and files. Construction’s seasonal and project-based staffing makes this a constant job, which is why we handle onboarding and offboarding for our clients.

Get the offboarding checklist in our guide

It can be, with the right tools and rules. Free and personal AI accounts may not protect what your team types in, so bids, contracts and client data shouldn’t go into them. A short AI use policy should name approved tools on company accounts, list what never goes in, and say who to ask before trying something new. If you’re on Microsoft 365, you may already have a business-grade option. We help clients vet AI tools before anyone uses them.

Get the AI policy starter in our guide

It depends on how many people and devices you support, how many offices and job sites you run, your security and compliance requirements, and how much is covered in the monthly fee versus billed separately. Most managed IT providers price per user or per device each month, with onboarding and projects quoted separately. When you compare quotes, compare what’s included, not just the total. Our IT Buyer’s Guide explains the pricing models and the contract terms to watch for.

Get the free IT Buyer’s Guide

A good plan lists both clearly. Monthly plans typically include support for your users, monitoring and maintenance, security tools, backup and Microsoft 365 management. Hardware, software licenses and larger projects like server replacements or a new office buildout are usually quoted separately. Ask every provider for their exclusions in writing. At Fairoaks IT, we explain all costs up front, so there are no hidden fees or surprise invoices.

What you can count on

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.

What you can count on

Less disruptive than most people expect, as long as it’s planned. A good transition starts by documenting every system, password, license and vendor, then a coordinated handoff from your current provider, scheduled around your bid dates and billing cycles. Urgent risks like backups and multi-factor authentication get fixed first, and bigger projects wait until things are stable. Fairoaks IT assigns a point of contact and holds weekly check-ins until onboarding is complete.

How working with us starts

We look at your technology the way a good inspector looks at a building: all of it, with a written report at the end. That includes your network and Wi-Fi, servers, Microsoft 365, backups, security tools, construction software, job site connectivity, and any insurance or compliance requirements. You get a plain-English summary of what’s working, what’s at risk and what to fix first. No scare tactics, just facts. It starts with a discovery call.

Schedule a discovery call

Yes. Co-managed IT gives your internal IT person a full team behind them: help with escalations, security tools and monitoring, vacation backup, big projects and after-hours support if you need it. They stay your front line, and they stop being a single point of failure. It’s a common fit for larger contractors with one or two IT staff.

Managed IT services