Answers
Answers about technical support, security and upkeep
The upkeep nobody budgets for until it breaks: security, devices, accounts, email and the scams aimed at small businesses, in plain words.
20 answers, each standing on its own. The service behind them: Ongoing technical support. Other topics are on the Answers page; the glossary defines the terms.
What does it take to keep custom software running after launch?
Custom software needs updates, hosting renewals, tested backups, accounts in your name, alerts when it breaks, notes and a written change agreement.
What is managed IT support, and what should it include?
Managed IT support means a provider looks after your computers and accounts on an ongoing agreement. See what it usually covers and how to read the terms.
What is multi-factor authentication, and should every business account use it?
Multi-factor authentication asks for a second proof beyond your password. See CISA's types from strongest to weakest and which accounts to start with.
How should a small business back up its data?
What a small business should back up beyond its website, the 3-2-1 rule, testing restores, who checks that a backup ran and what to ask a vendor.
How do you remove an employee's access to accounts when they leave?
A same-day list for taking a departing employee off your email, website, ad, payment and phone accounts, and why one written account list makes it work.
How do you move your website to a new host without losing it?
How to move a website to a new host without losing it: what has to move, the order to follow, the email trap and why the old plan stays paid.
What are the basic cybersecurity steps for a small business?
CISA's four essentials for small business cybersecurity, plus the next steps it lists, as a plain checklist with pointers to related answers.
Does a small business need a password manager?
What a password manager does according to CISA, why a shared spreadsheet falls short, who should hold the master login, and what to ask a product.
Do you need an IT person for your small business?
When a small business owner can manage IT alone, the signs that help is needed, and the options from doing it yourself to a part-time or full-time hire.
What should a small business do after a data breach?
The FTC's order of response after a data breach, plus a plain summary of Florida's notice rule: who must be told, by when, and the exceptions.
How do you set up a new employee's accounts and devices?
How to set up a new employee's accounts and devices: a separate login for each person, only the access the job needs, a ready device and a record.
How do you keep business computers and phones updated, and when should you replace them?
How to keep business computers and phones updated: automatic updates, a device list, a monthly check, and when an old device is due for replacement.
What is ransomware, and how should a small business prepare for it?
What ransomware is, how it usually gets in, and how a small business can prepare with backups, updates, training and a written plan, based on CISA and FTC.
How do you spot a phishing email or text, and what should staff do with it?
How to spot a phishing email or text, how to check it safely, and what staff should do with it, using CISA and FTC guidance for small businesses.
What should you do about a tech support scam call or pop-up?
A call or pop-up says your computer has a problem. What the FTC says to do when one reaches you, and the steps to take if you already gave access or paid.
How do you set up Wi-Fi for a small business, including guest Wi-Fi?
The FTC's wireless basics for a small business: change the router's defaults, turn on encryption, and give guests a separate network from your own.
How do you get rid of old business computers and phones safely?
Deleting files is not enough. Back up, sign out of accounts, wipe the drive or reset the phone, handle what you cannot wipe, and keep a disposal record.
Can employees use their own phones and laptops for work, and what if one is lost?
Employees can use their own phones and laptops for work if you set a short written rule first and have a lost-device plan ready. Here is what to include.
Do you need antivirus software or a VPN for your small business?
What antivirus software and a VPN do and do not do, what the FTC and CISA say about them, and what usually matters more for a small business.
How do you switch IT support providers without losing access?
A clean order for switching IT support providers: list every account and device, confirm who owns each, overlap, test the backups, then end access.
Ongoing technical support
The site goes down, email stops arriving, a domain is about to lapse, nobody knows the password. Many owners do not have a technical person. We are that person, for everything we build and the things you already have.