Question 1

How much does IT support cost for a small business?

Accepted Answer

Our monthly plans are $200 a month for up to 3 computers with 2 hours of help included, or $75 per computer a month for 4 to 15 computers with 30 minutes of help per computer. Bigger offices are quoted. Without a plan, help is $75 an hour remote or at our bench.

Question 2

Do we need a monthly plan, or can we pay as we go?

Accepted Answer

Paying by the hour suits a business with a computer or two and few problems. A plan suits a business that depends on its computers every day: updates, backups and warnings are watched before they become a bad day.

Question 3

What should an IT support plan include?

Accepted Answer

Help when you need it with an honest response time, backups watched and test-restored, updates kept current, security basics like two-step sign-in and a password manager, and accounts handled when people join or leave.

Question 4

Who should own our accounts and passwords?

Accepted Answer

Your business, always. Accounts, licences, domains and passwords should be in your business's name and your password manager, never your IT company's, so nothing is stuck if you ever change providers.

Question 5

How should a small business back up?

Accepted Answer

Automatic backups of every computer and shared file, with at least one copy kept off-site or in the cloud, and a regular test that files really come back. A backup that has never been tested is a guess.

Question 6

Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?

Accepted Answer

Both are good. Microsoft 365 fits businesses that live in Word, Excel and Outlook; Google Workspace fits businesses that work in the browser and share a lot. Pick the one your team already knows.

Question 7

Should we have e-mail at our own domain?

Accepted Answer

Yes: name@yourbusiness.com looks more trustworthy than a free address, keeps working if staff change, and stays yours.

Question 8

How do we protect the business from ransomware?

Accepted Answer

Updates installed, two-step sign-in on every account, staff who know what a scam e-mail looks like, and backups kept where ransomware can't reach them. The backup is what gets you running again.

Question 9

What do we do when someone starts or leaves?

Accepted Answer

A new employee gets a computer, accounts and the files they need on day one. When someone leaves, their access comes off the same day and their files are kept for the business.

Question 10

Where do we start with security?

Accepted Answer

Two-step sign-in on e-mail and banking, a password manager for the team, updates on, and a tested backup. Those four cover most of the risk for a small business.

Small business IT questions, answered