A reasonable starting point is $2,750 - $6,875 per month for fully managed IT for 25 employees, using the Indianapolis-area planning range of $110 - $275 per user/month. Treat that as an employee-service estimate, not a complete portfolio budget: internet, building systems, cabling, tenant improvements, and property-specific projects may cost extra.
What does a monthly managed IT budget cover?
Start by defining the employee environment the provider will support. That may include helpdesk support, endpoint management, patch management, security controls, cloud services, and backup and recovery planning. Ask for each included service to be named in the proposal rather than relying on a broad phrase such as "all IT."
For a 25-person firm, the Indianapolis-area fully managed planning range is $110 - $275 per user/month. At 25 users, that works out to $2,750 - $6,875 per month. This is a market planning range, not a GDS Technology quote, and providers may define the included work differently.
25 employees at the Indianapolis-area fully managed range: $2,750 - $6,875 per month.
Look beyond the monthly total. Confirm which employees count as users, whether support applies at every location, and which security, backup, and maintenance responsibilities are included. Also ask what triggers additional charges, such as project work, after-hours support, or work involving a third-party vendor.
If the firm has internal IT staff, co-managed support may be worth comparing. The provided national planning range is $60 - $160 per user/month. It is not a confirmed Carmel market rate. Compare the responsibilities retained by internal staff with the responsibilities assigned to the provider before drawing conclusions from the lower per-user figure.
A useful monthly budget buys defined ownership, not just a low per-user line item. Get the support boundaries in writing.
Why can two properties have different technology costs?
Properties in the same portfolio can have different infrastructure and operating needs. One building may have a straightforward network, while another has multiple tenant buildouts, older cabling, complex telecom rooms, or building-wide access-control systems. A per-user fee does not describe those site-level conditions.
Build a short record for each property. Note its internet carrier and circuit, network equipment, wireless coverage, telecom room and riser documentation, physical security systems, vendor responsibilities, and known lifecycle concerns. Identify which systems serve the firm's employees, tenants, or shared building operations.
That distinction matters when the firm compares costs across its Carmel properties. A difference in monthly service fees may reflect different employee counts or coverage. A difference in building costs may instead reflect the condition of a telecom room, an upcoming tenant improvement, or a system that needs separate project work.
Use a shared baseline to make those differences visible, not to force every property into identical equipment. Record exceptions, who owns them, and when they need a decision. Keep one-time remediation and buildout costs separate from recurring employee support, so a project does not disappear inside a monthly average.
Budget each property on its own facts, then review the portfolio together.
Which building expenses should be scoped separately?
Do not assume that a per-user managed IT fee includes the property's carrier bills or construction work. Internet service, new cabling, fiber, wireless design and installation, camera projects, access-control work, and tenant improvements may require separate estimates. Ask the provider to state explicitly what the recurring fee covers and what it excludes.
For a tenant improvement, define the work area, systems affected, access requirements, coordination with building operations, and documentation expected at handoff. Review the existing riser and telecom-room conditions as part of scoping. Proposals are difficult to compare if one includes coordination and handoff documentation while another leaves those tasks undefined.
Regulatory needs also depend on the firm's activities. Indiana's Consumer Data Protection Act may be relevant to an organization's assessment of personal-data handling and cybersecurity responsibilities, but applicability depends on the organization and its circumstances. HIPAA, PCI, and CMMC obligations likewise depend on activities and contractual requirements. Confirm applicable obligations with qualified professionals rather than budgeting from a broad label.
GDS Technology provides managed IT and building technology infrastructure services, including riser management and structured cabling. Review the riser management service and structured cabling and low-voltage service pages when defining property work.
Keep project work and carrier charges visible as separate budget lines unless a written proposal specifically includes them.
How can you make a multi-property IT budget more predictable?
Use the same review for each property while allowing for documented exceptions. Capture the systems in place, relevant contracts, support boundaries, known dependencies, lifecycle status, and the next decision date. Mark each item as verified, estimated, or unknown so assumptions do not quietly turn into commitments.
- Set a baseline for employee support, security, backup, and documentation.
- Record building systems and vendor responsibilities separately.
- Assign an owner and review date to every exception.
- Separate recurring fees, one-time remediation, and capital projects.
- Require a documented handoff after a buildout or replacement.
Recovery planning belongs in the operating discussion, too. Identify the business systems that matter most, what information must be recoverable, and who makes decisions during an outage. A recovery plan is more useful when responsibilities and evidence are clear than when a proposal merely lists a backup product. Consider disaster recovery planning as a distinct part of the technology operating model.
Edward, a real estate customer, described his experience this way: "GDS tech support gets on top of my problems right away. It is always a pleasure working with them." This is his testimonial, not a response-time commitment for every service agreement.
Make the baseline, exceptions, owners, and next actions visible for every property.
What should you ask before accepting an IT proposal?
Ask the provider to show the monthly per-user calculation, name the users and sites covered, and list exclusions. Clarify how building projects, after-hours needs, security incidents, backup responsibilities, and vendor coordination are handled and priced. Do not infer a response target or coverage promise from a general service description.
For senior infrastructure, cloud, or security engineering outside a recurring plan, the provided national planning range is $175 - $350 per hour. This is a national planning range, not a Carmel rate. The scope and required expertise affect the engagement, so ask whether an estimate is fixed, time-based, or subject to approval before work starts.
GDS Technology provides managed technology services for commercial real estate organizations. A baseline discussion can help separate recurring operating needs from property-specific work. See the commercial real estate technology services page when evaluating the needs of a property portfolio.
Approve the service boundaries and property exceptions before treating a monthly figure as the complete budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a reasonable monthly IT budget for 25 employees?
In the Indianapolis market, fully managed IT is listed at $110 - $275 per user/month. For 25 users, that produces a planning total of $2,750 - $6,875 monthly. The figure covers only the scope in a provider's proposal; property projects, carrier charges, and other excluded items need separate review.
Does the per-user budget include internet and building cabling?
Not automatically. Carrier charges, structured cabling, fiber, tenant-improvement work, and physical security projects may be separate from recurring employee support. Ask the provider to list what is included and excluded, and request separate estimates for property work so the monthly service fee is not mistaken for a complete building technology budget.
Should a commercial real estate firm use managed or co-managed IT?
Choose based on who will own day-to-day responsibilities, not on the label alone. Fully managed IT in the Indianapolis market is $110 - $275 per user/month. Co-managed planning ranges run $60 - $160 per user/month nationally when internal IT retains responsibilities. Compare actual duties and exclusions.
Do Indiana privacy rules determine the IT budget?
Indiana's Consumer Data Protection Act can inform how a business evaluates data privacy and cybersecurity needs, but applicability depends on the organization and its circumstances. HIPAA, PCI, and CMMC obligations also depend on activities and contracts. Have qualified professionals assess which requirements apply before setting compliance-related scope.
