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Answers

Frequently asked questions

Everything we get asked, in one place. Grouped by service, industry, and city. Jump to a section:

Managed IT

Managed IT — questions we get

How quickly do you actually respond?
A human tech on our team picks up or replies within 15 minutes during business hours (7am–7pm local). Off-hours P1 incidents route to an on-call engineer.
Is backup and cybersecurity included, or extra?
Included on every plan. EDR, MDR, managed backup, and phishing awareness training are baseline — not upsold at incident time.
Can we keep our current apps?
Yes. We support whatever's in your environment — line-of-business apps, industry software, custom in-house tools. We'll flag things that are risky to keep, but the choice is yours.
Do you replace our IT vendor or work alongside them?
Both models work. If you already have internal IT, see the Co-managed IT service, which is designed to plug into an existing team.
What is the minimum contract length?
12-month initial term, then month-to-month with 30 days' notice to cancel. No auto-renewal locks.
How do you handle on-site work?
Included in-city for Tucson and Minneapolis clients — we have local techs in both metros. Regional on-sites are billed at cost.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity — questions we get

What is the difference between EDR and MDR?
EDR is the tool that watches an endpoint for suspicious behavior. MDR is the humans — SOC analysts — watching the EDR alerts 24/7 and responding. Tool without humans is a dashboard nobody's reading.
Are you HIPAA-compliant?
We operate a HIPAA-aligned environment and sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with covered entities. Formal compliance is your organization's posture; we make it achievable.
What happens if we get hit?
Documented incident response runbook. Containment goal within 4 hours, forensic partner on retainer, cyber insurance carrier notification support, breach-counsel intro if needed.
Do you handle SOC 2 audits?
We prepare and evidence controls, and coordinate with the audit firm. Formal opinion is issued by an independent CPA firm — we're not that firm.
How is this different from just buying a firewall?
Firewalls block traffic at the perimeter. Modern attacks arrive via phishing, credential stuffing, and supply chain — none of which a firewall stops. This is defense in depth: identity, endpoint, user behavior, monitoring, response.
Do you sell cyber liability insurance?
No — we're not brokers. We can introduce you to insurance partners we trust in AZ and MN who understand IT-heavy risks.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 — questions we get

How long does a Google Workspace → M365 migration take?
Typically 2–4 weeks end-to-end for under 50 users, from kickoff to cutover. The cutover itself happens over a weekend so weekday productivity is unaffected.
Will users lose emails or calendar events?
No. We use coexistence during the transition, then run delta syncs at cutover so any last-minute email arrives cleanly. We've done dozens without a lost message.
Do you handle Microsoft licensing?
Yes. We can sell licensing via Microsoft CSP, or manage your own tenant if you prefer. We recommend the mix that costs least for your actual usage — often that means downgrading someone from E3 to Business Standard.
What about Intune device management?
Included in setups where MDM is needed. Baseline policies for Windows and macOS, BYOD-friendly configuration, iOS/Android for corporate email.
Is backup really needed for M365?
Yes. Microsoft retains deleted items 30–90 days depending on the item type, then they're gone forever. Third-party backup (Veeam, Datto, or similar) retains years.
Do you support SharePoint and Teams governance?
Yes. Information architecture, permission models, external sharing policies, and Teams sprawl controls — the boring stuff that keeps M365 usable at 100+ users.

Co-managed IT

Co-managed IT — questions we get

Will you make our internal IT person obsolete?
No. Co-managed exists to make them more effective, not to replace them. Their tickets, their roadmap, their org chart — we just bring the bench.
How do escalations work?
Documented criteria — hardware failure, security incident, migration project, etc. Your team ships us the ticket via a shared queue; we own resolution and report back with root cause.
Can we use your security tools without full managed IT?
Yes, that's the most common co-managed configuration. You keep the help desk in-house; we run EDR, MDR, backup, and awareness training on your endpoints.
What happens if our IT person quits?
We can bridge coverage while you hire, then hand back to the new person with full documentation. Some clients convert to fully Managed IT during the gap and stay there.
Do you cover after-hours P1 only, or all after-hours?
Configurable. Most clients do P1-only after 6pm; some do full evening coverage for retail hours; a few do 24/7. You pick the SLA that matches your business.
Who owns the roadmap?
Your IT leader. We provide input from our other clients and vendor conversations, but you make the calls.

Server Management

Server Management — questions we get

Do you support Windows Server and Linux?
Yes to both. Windows Server 2016 through 2025, and RHEL/CentOS/Rocky/Ubuntu/Debian on the Linux side. We'll flag what's at end-of-life.
What about VMware vs Hyper-V?
Both. We also support Proxmox and bare-metal hypervisors on request. Post-Broadcom VMware licensing changes are pushing many clients to Hyper-V or Proxmox — we help evaluate.
Do you cover cloud instances (Azure, AWS, GCP)?
Yes — IaaS server management across all three major clouds. IAM, patching, backup, monitoring, cost review.
What's your patching approach?
Test/prod separation, monthly cadence, always with a rollback plan. Emergency patches (critical CVEs) go same-week after test.
How often do you test backups?
Monthly restore tests. If the backup doesn't restore cleanly, we treat it as no backup and file a ticket to fix.
Do you replace failed hardware?
We coordinate replacement (warranty claim or purchase), handle the rebuild, and validate the restore. On-site hands are included for Tucson and Minneapolis.

Healthcare IT

Healthcare IT — questions we get

Do you sign BAAs?
Yes. We sign Business Associate Agreements with every clinic client and maintain BAAs with our own downstream vendors (Microsoft, Google, backup providers). We'll walk your auditor through the chain.
Can you support our EMR?
Yes — we work alongside the EMR vendor on the IT layer (network, endpoint, identity, backup, escalations). We won't reconfigure clinical workflows in the EMR itself; that stays with your EMR vendor and your compliance officer.
What happens if we have a breach?
Our documented IR runbook covers containment within 4 hours, forensic partner engagement, breach counsel intro, and the 60-day HIPAA notification timeline. We help you meet the deadline, not blow past it.
Are you HITRUST-certified?
We are not. HITRUST certification is an organization-level attestation; we operate a HIPAA-aligned environment and can produce evidence for your own compliance framework, but the formal certification stays with your organization.

Dental IT

Dental IT — questions we get

Do you know Dentrix / Eaglesoft?
Yes. We handle the server, database, backup, and workstation side. Chairside workflow questions still go to your practice management vendor, but we coordinate the escalation.
Can you patch during the day?
No — practices lose money when systems restart mid-appointment. Patches run after 6 PM local, with rollback ready, so open-of-business the next morning is normal.
What about imaging hardware?
We support the workstation, drivers, and network side of digital imaging. Sensor hardware issues escalate to the imaging vendor, but we coordinate and stay involved until it's working.
Do you handle multi-office practices?
Yes. Standardized environments across offices, centralized identity, and shared reporting so leadership sees one view instead of one per site.

Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ — questions we get

How fast do you respond to Tucson clients?
A technician on our team picks up the phone within 15 minutes during business hours (Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm MST). Emergency issues route to on-call staff 24/7.
What businesses in Tucson do you serve?
We work best with small and mid-size businesses (10–200 employees) across Pima County — professional services, healthcare, dental practices, and light manufacturing especially.
Do you visit client sites in Tucson?
Yes. Every plan includes on-site visits for hardware installs, office moves, and issues that need hands-on work. Remote-first for speed, on-site when it matters.
Are you HIPAA-ready for Tucson medical practices?
Yes. We build HIPAA-aligned environments for dental practices, small clinics, and specialty providers, and can walk auditors through the controls.

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis, MN — questions we get

How fast do you respond to Twin Cities clients?
A technician on our team picks up the phone within 15 minutes during business hours (Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm CST). Emergency issues route to on-call staff 24/7.
What businesses in Minneapolis do you serve?
Small and mid-size businesses (10–200 employees) across the Twin Cities — professional services, dental, small clinics, and manufacturing.
Do you visit client sites in Minneapolis and Saint Paul?
Yes. Every plan includes on-site visits across Hennepin and Ramsey counties for installs, office moves, and hands-on work.
Do you handle after-hours support for Minnesota businesses?
Yes. 24/7 emergency support is included on every plan — you get a real technician, not a queue.

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