A reasonable starting point is $120 - $250 per user/month for fully managed IT in the Atlanta market. For 25 employees, that is a planning range, not a complete portfolio budget. Compare proposals by support scope, security responsibilities, and what systems they cover. Set property-specific building systems and project work apart from routine employee support.
What does the managed IT range mean for a 25-person firm?
For 25 employees, the monthly cost depends on the number of supported users, service scope, and included security and backup responsibilities. Confirm these details in writing when comparing proposals; this is a comparison point, not a quote or a guaranteed total for your company.
Ask providers to define what "fully managed" includes. Confirm whether the service covers help desk support, endpoint management, patching, Microsoft 365 administration, security monitoring, backup oversight, and coordination with other vendors.
Clarify how the provider counts people and devices. Employees, shared accounts, leasing staff, seasonal workers, and property-management users may affect the supported-user count. Ask how shared workstations, conference-room equipment, and devices used at multiple properties are handled.
For 25 users, the monthly cost depends on service scope and included responsibilities. Confirm the details when comparing proposals.
Use that calculation to compare equivalent scopes. A lower monthly quote may exclude security work, backup review, onsite coordination, or support for systems outside the corporate environment.
The monthly figure is a baseline for employee IT, not a complete portfolio operating budget. Treat its inclusions and exclusions as part of the price.
Which property systems belong in the operating budget?
Start with the systems your firm owns or administers: employee computers, identity and email, business applications, network equipment, cybersecurity controls, backup and recovery planning, and the support channel employees use.
For each system, name the accountable party. That may be your firm, a managed technology provider, the landlord, a property manager, or a specialist vendor. A clear boundary prevents a support request from stalling while everyone works out who is responsible.
Build a separate record for each property. Note the internet circuit and carrier, the demarcation point, network closets, Wi-Fi, cameras, access control, and any connection to building management systems. Record whether the firm, landlord, or tenant owns and administers each item.
In Atlanta, older office buildings and newer developments can have very different infrastructure and access arrangements. Confirm how carrier access, cabling, credentials, and work windows are coordinated before a tenant turn-up or leasing deadline. Do not assume the firm controls a building system just because it affects employees or tenants.
GDS Technology's commercial real estate technology services describe work in this sector. For building infrastructure, its riser management services are a distinct scope from routine employee IT support.
A useful property record identifies the system, site, owner, renewal date, support contact, and evidence that a handoff is complete. Inventory first; set the support boundary before pricing it.
How should the firm budget for cybersecurity and continuity?
Treat cybersecurity as an ongoing operating responsibility, not a one-time firewall purchase. Identify the information your firm handles, where it is stored, who can access it, and which systems depend on it. That inventory helps determine which protections and support responsibilities belong in the recurring scope.
Ask who manages account security, endpoint protection, patching, backup monitoring, security alerts, and incident escalation. Confirm which work is included in the monthly service and which requires a separate assessment, response engagement, or project.
Georgia's data-breach notification law may affect response obligations when covered personal information is involved. The applicable requirements depend on the facts and law. Work with qualified legal counsel to determine the firm's obligations; technology planning should support a response process, not stand in for legal advice.
If the firm handles payment card data, map where it is collected or processed and confirm relevant responsibilities with the payment provider and qualified assessor. A property access platform, corporate email environment, and payment workflow can have different owners and requirements.
Continuity planning should identify the systems that need to return first, such as leasing operations, property communications, access administration, and financial processes. Record backup ownership, recovery dependencies, emergency contacts, and who can authorize restoration work.
GDS Technology offers cybersecurity services and disaster recovery planning. Ask how these services relate to recurring support and what requires a separately scoped engagement.
Assign owners for security and recovery before an incident. A budget is more useful when it funds defined responsibilities and a workable response path.
Why should building projects have a separate allowance?
Monthly employee support does not automatically cover construction or infrastructure work. A tenant improvement, leasing-suite buildout, camera replacement, carrier change, or network-closet remediation may require site discovery, access coordination, equipment, testing, and closeout documentation.
Commercial IT and network technician labor in the Atlanta market is $125 - $300 per hour for commercial professional-services labor. This is a labor range, not an estimate for a complete project. The project total depends on its scope and any equipment, construction, access, or other costs.
Keep a project register for each property. Record the requested change, its business reason, site, dependencies, owner, approval status, and the documentation or testing needed at handoff.
- Separate recurring employee support from project work.
- Identify the property, business reason, dependencies, and accountable owner.
- Track approval status and required testing or closeout documentation.
This separates planned improvements from recurring support and makes approvals easier to trace.
Before approving an estimate, ask whether it includes discovery, onsite work, testing, documentation, equipment, carrier charges, construction coordination, and after-hours access. Have the provider state exclusions and ongoing management responsibilities in writing.
Separate project allowances make the operating budget easier to understand. They also help leadership weigh proposed work against leasing needs, tenant experience, and asset priorities.
How can leadership compare support across several properties?
Use the same baseline for every site, then document justified exceptions. A baseline can include the technology inventory, system ownership, administrator access, backup status, vendor contacts, support route, lifecycle concerns, and location of current records.
Track recurring commitments separately from variable work. Recurring costs may include managed IT, software, internet circuits, and maintenance agreements; project work may include upgrades, remediation, or a tenant buildout. Confirm the actual scope and owner for each item rather than assuming every property follows the same arrangement.
Review each site's record after an acquisition, tenant improvement, material network change, or vendor transition. Update carrier details, credentials ownership, support contacts, and system boundaries so an old handoff does not become an operational blind spot.
Commercial real estate client Edward described the support experience this way: "GDS tech support gets on top of my problems right away. It is always a pleasure working with them." This is a testimonial about responsiveness, not a contractual response-time commitment. Put the response expectations your firm needs in the agreement.
Compare proposals on how leadership receives status, how exceptions are approved, and what records are returned when work is complete. Consistent reporting gives owners a clearer view of risk and spending across the portfolio.
Standardize ownership and evidence across sites while allowing documented technical differences. That makes the budget easier to manage without pretending every building is the same.
More on this from Riser Management: Riser Management & Infrastructure Governance in Atlanta, GA | GDS.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Atlanta managed IT price range for a 25-person real estate firm?
In the Atlanta, GA market, fully managed IT is $120 - $250 per user/month for comprehensive plans. The total for 25 users depends on supported users, security responsibilities, backup oversight, and exclusions. Confirm these details in writing before comparing proposals.
Should tenant Wi-Fi and building access systems be part of the monthly IT contract?
Only if the contract explicitly assigns those systems to the provider. Tenant Wi-Fi, access control, cameras, and building networks may be owned or managed by a landlord, tenant, or specialist vendor. Document each system's owner, support boundary, credentials responsibility, and escalation route for every property.
How should an Atlanta CRE firm budget for onsite network work?
Commercial IT and network technician labor in the Atlanta market is $125 - $300 per hour. This is a labor range, not a complete project estimate. Request a written scope covering onsite tasks, discovery, testing, documentation, access requirements, and exclusions before approving the work.
Does a cybersecurity budget make a real estate company compliant?
No. Technology services can support security controls and documented processes, but they do not by themselves establish regulatory compliance. Identify the data and systems the firm handles, confirm applicable obligations with qualified legal or compliance advisers, and assign owners for the technical and operational controls.
What should a portfolio technology baseline include?
Record each site's technology inventory, system owner, administrator access, carrier and vendor contacts, backup status, lifecycle concerns, support route, and documentation location. Add an exception reason and approval owner when a property differs from the baseline. Review the record after acquisitions, tenant improvements, and material system changes.
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