Managed IT support for facilities maintenance contractors starts from £30 per user per month for core helpdesk, monitoring and infrastructure management. Adding comprehensive cybersecurity — including managed firewall, Cyber Essentials certification support, email security and incident response — starts from £40 per user per month. The final cost depends on your user count, number of sites, field device requirements and existing infrastructure. Book a free 15-minute IT review and we’ll put together an itemised proposal based on your specific requirements with no obligation to proceed.

FM contractors face a combination of IT pressures that generic providers don’t account for: dispersed field engineering teams who need reliable mobile access to job management and scheduling systems, multiple client sites with inconsistent connectivity, compliance and certification requirements from public sector and NHS framework clients, and the challenge of managing system access for a workforce with high volumes of subcontractors and temporary staff. DMS structures IT support around these specific pressures rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

Yes — this is one of the core things DMS handles for construction clients. Whether your team is operating from a head office, a rented site cabin, a satellite office or from home, DMS provides secure remote access, cloud-based tools and a helpdesk that responds regardless of where the user is. Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, properly configured, give site-based and office-based teams the same access to the tools and files they need.

DMS manages the devices, connectivity and cloud infrastructure your field teams depend on, with field operations as a primary consideration — not an afterthought. This includes mobile device management (MDM) for engineer tablets and smartphones, Microsoft 365 configured with offline access so engineers can access job records and documents in low-connectivity environments, SIM-only mobile contracts managed and consolidated under a single account, and cloud-based telephony that works from any location. Remote wipe capability ensures that lost or stolen devices don’t become a security incident affecting multiple client sites.

Cyber Essentials is increasingly a requirement rather than a differentiator for FM contractors. Public sector framework contracts, NHS supply chain appointments and large private sector clients with formal procurement processes routinely require Cyber Essentials as a minimum condition. Cyber Essentials Plus — which involves an independent technical audit — is required for higher-value contracts and some government frameworks. Cyber Essentials is administered in the UK through IASME, the NCSC-appointed scheme owners. DMS can support FM contractors through both levels of certification and help maintain compliance on an ongoing basis, so certification remains current at renewal and tendering position is protected.

Managing access for a workforce with high volumes of subcontractors, temporary engineers and site-specific staff is one of the most common pain points DMS addresses for FM contractors. We put structured onboarding and offboarding processes in place: accounts and device access are provisioned promptly when staff join and deactivated the same day when they leave. Mobile device management allows remote wipe of company data from personal or company devices when employment ends. This is also a core requirement of Cyber Essentials, which mandates controlled access management across all users and devices.

If your FM business suffers a ransomware attack or cyber incident, the immediate priorities are: isolate affected devices from the network, contact your IT provider to contain the threat, and assess whether client site data or personal information has been compromised. Under GDPR, a reportable breach must be notified to the ICO within 72 hours of discovery. FM contractors holding client site access credentials or building management system data may also have contractual obligations to notify affected clients. DMS provides incident response support as part of its managed cyber security service — containing the threat, restoring systems from clean backups and producing the documentation your insurer or client will require.

Switching IT provider typically takes four to six weeks from agreement to full handover, and with a structured transition plan, disruption to field and office operations is minimal. DMS manages the transition end to end: auditing existing infrastructure, migrating data and configurations, onboarding users and ensuring continuity of support throughout. For FM contractors concerned about disruption to scheduling or operational workflows, transitions are planned carefully to avoid operational peaks. Most businesses find the transition significantly less disruptive than the IT problems they were experiencing before making the change.

Consistent connectivity across multiple client sites is one of the most common operational challenges FM contractors face. DMS addresses this through a combination of managed SIM-only mobile contracts providing reliable 4G/5G data for field devices, Microsoft 365 configured with offline access so engineers can work without depending on client Wi-Fi, and mobile device management ensuring devices are consistently configured and secure regardless of location. Where office or depot connectivity is a concern, DMS can also assess and recommend appropriate broadband and failover solutions — ensuring core systems remain available even when a primary connection fails.

The most reliable approach for FM contractors sharing risk assessments, method statements and compliance documents is a centralised, access-controlled document platform rather than email attachments or consumer file-sharing tools. Microsoft SharePoint — part of Microsoft 365 — allows RAMS and compliance documents to be stored in a structured library, shared securely with specific individuals or teams via controlled links, and version-controlled so engineers and site managers are always working from the current document. External sharing with clients, subcontractors or principal contractors can be configured with expiry dates and access restrictions, removing the security and audit trail gaps created by email-based document sharing. DMS configures SharePoint as part of Microsoft 365 deployment to meet the document management requirements FM contractors typically face on regulated and public sector contracts.

Facilities maintenance contractors routinely hold personal data and sensitive client information — building access credentials, occupant records, site surveys, maintenance histories and client facility data. Under GDPR, this data must be handled lawfully, stored securely, access-controlled and retained only as long as necessary. In practice this means: encrypted storage for data at rest and in transit, access controls ensuring staff only see data relevant to their role, documented data retention policies, and a clear process for responding to data subject requests or breaches. DMS implements the technical controls required to support GDPR compliance — secure cloud storage, multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection and audit logging — and can produce the documentation your clients or a regulator may require as evidence of compliant data handling.

The right device for FM field engineers depends on the working environment and the applications they need to access. For engineers working in controlled indoor environments, a standard business-grade tablet or smartphone — such as a Samsung Galaxy Tab or iPad — is typically sufficient and cost-effective. For engineers working in harsher environments — plant rooms, external sites, construction-adjacent locations — rugged devices such as the Panasonic Toughbook or Samsung Galaxy XCover range offer greater durability and resistance to dust, moisture and drops. Regardless of device type, mobile device management (MDM) is essential to ensure devices are consistently configured, security policies are enforced and company data can be remotely wiped if a device is lost or stolen. DMS procures, configures and manages field devices as part of its hardware and MDM service, advising on the most appropriate device for your specific operational requirements and budget.