1. 2-step verification, enforced tenant-wide
Required for every account in the firm's Google Workspace, with text-message codes turned off.
How a 5-person remote firm on Google Workspace got managed IT in about two weeks
A five-person professional-services firm, fully remote, running Google Workspace on Macs, with team members in the US and India, was fully onboarded onto our Secure Growth plan in about two weeks. At published prices, Secure Growth ($175 per user) comes to $875 a month for five people. Below: the situation, what was at risk, what we did and in what order, the outcome, and what a team this size pays.
The situation
The firm is small and fully remote, built on Google Workspace and Macs, with part of the team in the US and part in India. It had compliance requirements to meet and went looking for a managed IT provider.
They found us by describing those compliance requirements to an AI search tool and adding "MSP." Ghosxt came up. What decided it: they could talk directly to the owner.
What was at risk
A remote firm on Google Workspace has no office to lock. The accounts and the laptops are the office, so that's where the exposure sits:
- Accounts. The firm's work lives in Gmail and Drive, behind a login. One phished password, from anywhere in the world, can open all of it.
- Sign-ins from two countries. With staff in the US and India, "unusual location" can't simply mean "foreign." Without monitoring, a stolen login from a third country looks like one more sign-in.
- Text-message codes. 2-step verification by SMS can be hijacked through a SIM swap and is unreliable across borders.
- Laptops. Macs in staff homes need a central way to be encrypted, patched, locked, and erased.
- Data. Google's retention isn't a backup. A deleted account or a bad sync can take files with it.
What we did, in order
Onboarding took about two weeks. We worked identity first, because that's where a remote firm's risk concentrates, then devices, then people.
2. Identity monitoring on Workspace
Every account's sign-ins watched, with alerts on activity that doesn't fit the team's normal pattern across the US and India.
3. Gmail and Drive backup
A separate, restorable copy of the firm's mail and files, independent of Google's own retention.
4. Apple Business Manager and device management
The firm's Macs enrolled in device management through Apple Business Manager, so they can be encrypted, patched, locked, or erased from anywhere.
5. A laptop shipped pre-configured
One company-owned laptop was shipped to a remote contractor already configured.
6. Security awareness training
The team enrolled in security awareness training on spotting and reporting phishing email.
The outcome
About two weeks after kickoff, the firm had:
- 2-step verification required on every account, with no text-message codes
- Identity monitoring on every Google Workspace account
- Gmail and Drive backed up to a separate, restorable copy, independent of Google's own retention
- Macs enrolled through Apple Business Manager and under device management
- A remote contractor working on a company-owned laptop that arrived configured
- Security awareness training in place for the team
- One person to call: the owner
We aren't going to put numbers on this that we can't show. What changed is that the firm's protections are enforced, monitored, and recoverable, with one accountable person behind them.
What it costs for a team this size
These figures are our published prices applied to a five-person team. They aren't this client's invoice.
5-person remote team on Google Workspace and Macs
- Secure Growth ($175 per user)
- 5 × $175 = $875 per month
- Device management
- $15 per Mac per month; with 5 Macs, 5 × $15 = $75
- Monthly total with 5 Macs
- $875 + $75 = $950 per month
- Onboarding
- Scoped and quoted, because Google Workspace and Apple fleet onboarding is priced separately from the $1,500 Microsoft 365 default fee for 5 to 15 users
- Terms
- 12-month agreement standard; month-to-month at +15%
Every rate above is on our pricing page. For other team sizes, see what managed IT costs in Monterey County.
If your team looks like this
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Zero-touch enrollment, what device management can and can't see, and sign-ins watched across countries.
Managed IT for remote Mac teamsNonprofits on Google Workspace
Workspace administration and backup, and contractors covered per identity without device management.
IT for nonprofits on Google WorkspaceWhat managed IT costs
Published tiers, how MSPs price, and three worked examples with the arithmetic shown.
Managed IT cost in Monterey CountyWant the same setup for your team?
Book a free 30-minute call with the owner. We'll look at your Google Workspace, your Macs, and the requirements you're working against, and tell you plainly what onboarding would involve and what it would cost. We're based in Salinas, California, and work with remote teams across the US and abroad.
Book your free assessment See full pricing