Questions we hear every week, answered

Three is usually enough. Ask each one the same questions about contracts, billing, help desk hours and on-site coverage, and write down the answers. Comparing three written answers side by side shows the real differences quickly, and it keeps every sales conversation focused on your office instead of their pitch. More on Managed IT providers in Tampa Bay, compared

Neither is automatically better. Most problems are fixed remotely, so a national provider can handle day-to-day help well. A local team matters when something physical fails, like a firewall, a switch or a server, and you need a technician in the office the same day. Decide how often that happens for you. More on Managed IT providers in Tampa Bay, compared

It should state the term length, the notice period, any early termination fee, exactly what the monthly fee covers, and how you get your passwords and documentation back when you leave. If a provider works without a contract, ask for those same answers in writing on the proposal instead. More on Managed IT providers in Tampa Bay, compared

Radiant Technology Solutions in Tarpon Springs charges $49.99 to $99.99 per device per month. Most small businesses pay $100 to $400 per user per month for managed IT, according to Corsica Technologies' 2026 pricing guide, and per-device plans run about $50 to $100 per workstation per month, per VC3's 2026 guide. Security level, compliance needs and support hours decide where you land within those ranges. More on What managed IT costs in Tampa Bay

Quotes differ mostly because of what is included. One may cover EDR, email security and on-site visits, while another leaves them as extras. Line up both quotes against the same list of services, and the gap usually shrinks to one or two items you can ask about directly. More on What managed IT costs in Tampa Bay

Radiant Technology Solutions prices per device, at $49.99 to $99.99 per device per month. Which model costs less depends on how your office works. If each person uses one computer, the two models often land close together. If people share front-desk computers or work part time, per device usually costs less. If each person carries a laptop, a desktop and a tablet, per user can come out ahead. More on What managed IT costs in Tampa Bay

Radiant Technology Solutions in Tarpon Springs puts the controls insurers commonly ask for across its Advanced ($69.99) and Elite ($99.99) per-device plans. Each insurer sets its own application, so requirements vary by carrier, but the usual seven are MFA, EDR, backups ransomware cannot reach, email security, prompt patching, staff security training and tight admin control. Florida law adds a 30-day breach notice deadline under section 501.171. More on Cyber insurance requirements for Florida businesses

For most carriers, yes. MFA is one of the controls insurers ask about most, especially on email, remote access and admin accounts. Marsh McLennan's 2023 research counted it among the five controls most closely tied to fewer successful attacks. Without it, expect higher premiums, narrower coverage, or a declined application. More on Cyber insurance requirements for Florida businesses

Usually not. Many applications now ask specifically about EDR, software that spots an attack on a computer and stops it, rather than traditional antivirus. Some also ask whether the alerts are watched around the clock. Check your application wording, then confirm with your IT provider which tool you actually run. More on Cyber insurance requirements for Florida businesses

The managed services agreement is the whole contract: scope, price, term and exit. The service level agreement, or SLA, is the section or attached document that sets service targets, such as how quickly each priority of ticket gets a response. A strong SLA also says what happens when targets are missed, like a credit or a right to leave. More on Managed services agreements: the clauses to read before you sign

Usually, yes, especially the term, auto-renewal, notice period, termination fee and price increase cap. centrexIT's guide suggests a one-year initial term with annual renewals, and calls an annual increase tied to CPI or capped at 3 to 5 percent reasonable. Ask for changes in writing, and have your attorney read the final version. More on Managed services agreements: the clauses to read before you sign

An auto-renewal clause extends the agreement for another term unless you cancel inside a notice window, which centrexIT puts at 30 to 90 days as typical. Miss the window and you may be committed for another full term at whatever the price is then. Put the deadline in your calendar on the day you sign. More on Managed services agreements: the clauses to read before you sign

No. Microsoft says Windows 10 PCs keep working after October 14, 2025. They stop receiving security fixes, feature updates and technical support unless they are enrolled in Extended Security Updates. The risk grows every month, because newly found weaknesses stay open on machines that are not enrolled. More on Still on Windows 10? What a Tampa Bay office should do now (October 2026)

No. Microsoft's consumer ESU page says the program can't be used in commercial scenarios, and it excludes PCs joined to a domain or Microsoft Entra or enrolled in device management. Businesses buy ESU through Microsoft volume licensing at $61 per device for year one, as of October 2026. More on Still on Windows 10? What a Tampa Bay office should do now (October 2026)

Up to three years after Windows 10 end of support, which runs into October 2028. Microsoft sells it one full year at a time, the price doubles each year, and it is cumulative, so a business that joins in year two pays for year one as well. Prices are as of October 2026. More on Still on Windows 10? What a Tampa Bay office should do now (October 2026)

Yes, if it is a true backup stored outside your building and kept separate from the files people work in every day. A synced folder like OneDrive is not the same thing, because changes and deletions spread to every copy. Look for point-in-time versions you can restore and logins that are separate from your everyday accounts. More on The 3-2-1 backup rule, explained for a Tampa Bay office (and hurricane season)

At least two, plus the original, under the 3-2-1 rule in the US-CERT Data Backup Options paper. One of those backups should be offsite, and at least one should be offline or locked against changes so ransomware cannot reach it, as CISA's #StopRansomware Guide recommends. More on The 3-2-1 backup rule, explained for a Tampa Bay office (and hurricane season)

RPO, the recovery point objective, is how much recent work you can afford to lose, and it sets how often backups run. RTO, the recovery time objective, is how long you can be down before it really hurts, and it sets how fast a restore has to be. Ready.gov says recovery time should match the RTO. More on The 3-2-1 backup rule, explained for a Tampa Bay office (and hurricane season)

For most small offices, it can be, if you handle your share. Microsoft's shared responsibility guidance lists the gaps common in on-site setups: delayed patching, weak physical security, outdated hardware, and backups that are infrequent, untested or stored on site. In the cloud, the provider takes over the buildings, servers and much of the patching. Your data, accounts and settings stay your job. More on Cloud security for a small business: the 7 factors that matter

It is the split of security jobs between you and your cloud provider. For a service like Microsoft 365, Microsoft secures the datacenters, hardware, network and operating systems. You stay responsible for your data, your settings, your user accounts and the devices that connect. The more you rent as a finished service, the more the provider handles, but your share never drops to zero. More on Cloud security for a small business: the 7 factors that matter

It is far better than a password alone, and it is a fine place to start. CISA's guidance puts it this way: any MFA is better than none, but some kinds are much stronger at keeping attackers out, like phishing-resistant MFA. For admin accounts and anyone who handles money or client records, move to an authenticator app or a security key. More on Cloud security for a small business: the 7 factors that matter

The IRS says yes in spirit and the FTC rule says yes in practice. Publication 4557 calls data security a necessity for every tax professional, whether a partner in a large firm or a sole practitioner, and the FTC lists tax preparation firms as financial institutions under the Safeguards Rule. A one-person plan can be short, but it should exist in writing. This is educational, not legal advice. More on The WISP your accounting firm needs before tax season (IRS Publication 4557)

Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data, is the IRS guide to the security steps themselves: passwords, encryption, backups, spotting data theft and following the FTC Safeguards Rule. Publication 5708, Creating a Written Information Security Plan for Your Tax & Accounting Practice, is the template for writing those steps down as your firm's plan. Read 4557 first, then fill in 5708. More on The WISP your accounting firm needs before tax season (IRS Publication 4557)

Whenever the firm changes, and at least once a year. The IRS recommends regularly reviewing the plan and adjusting it as the size, scope and complexity of the business change. The FTC requires keeping the program current and having the Qualified Individual report in writing at least annually. A new hire, new tax software or an office move are all good reasons to reopen it. More on The WISP your accounting firm needs before tax season (IRS Publication 4557)

Radiant Technology Solutions in Tarpon Springs builds and runs the technical side of the Security Rule for Tampa Bay practices, and the rule groups its requirements into administrative, physical and technical safeguards (45 CFR 164.308, 164.310 and 164.312). They start with a documented risk analysis, then cover unique logins, encryption, backups, audit logs, business associate agreements and staff training. Your practice stays responsible for compliance. More on HIPAA IT requirements for a small medical or dental office

Under today's Security Rule, encryption is an addressable safeguard (45 CFR 164.312(a)(2)(iv) and (e)(2)(ii)). That means you must assess it and either encrypt or document a reasonable alternative. For laptops and anything that leaves the building, encrypting is the simple answer. The 2025 proposed update would make encryption of patient data at rest and in transit mandatory if it is finalized. More on HIPAA IT requirements for a small medical or dental office

The current rule requires a risk analysis and ongoing risk management, and it expects you to keep them current as your office changes. The 2025 proposal would require one at least once a year, according to the HIPAA Journal. A yearly review, plus a fresh look after a new system, a move or a big staffing change, is a sensible habit either way. More on HIPAA IT requirements for a small medical or dental office

It depends on the size of the office, how many locations you have and how easy it is to get logins for your equipment. A 20 to 50 person office with good records moves faster than one where nobody knows the firewall password. Ask the provider for an estimate once they know your device count, and have your vendor list and admin logins ready to speed things up. More on What a network assessment covers: the checklist we use

A careful assessment is mostly reading and listening, not changing. Scans of the network and checks of settings run in the background, and conversations with staff take a few minutes each. Nothing should be reconfigured, updated or restarted without your approval. If a provider wants to make changes during the assessment, ask them to list the changes first. More on What a network assessment covers: the checklist we use

No. A network assessment reviews your devices, settings, backups and accounts to find gaps. A penetration test is a controlled attack that tries to break in, and the CIS Controls list it as its own control, number 18. Many small offices start with an assessment, fix what it finds, and consider a penetration test later if an insurer or regulator asks for one. More on What a network assessment covers: the checklist we use

Plan on about 30 days from reading your agreement to closing out the old provider, with the busiest work in the middle two weeks. The real limit is usually your notice period, not the technical work. If your agreement asks for 60 or 90 days of notice, start the clock first and use the extra time to collect logins, documentation and backup details before anything changes. More on How to switch IT providers without downtime (a 30-day plan)

Your agreement governs what they must hand over and when, so read it before you give notice. In practice, ask in writing for every admin login, and make sure someone at your company already holds a working administrator account for Microsoft 365, your domain and your firewall. Owning your own admin access before you announce the switch removes most of the risk. This is general information, not legal advice. More on How to switch IT providers without downtime (a 30-day plan)

You should not, because a provider change does not move your email or files. They stay in your Microsoft 365 tenant, your server or your cloud storage. What changes is who holds the admin keys and which monitoring and backup tools run. Overlap the old and new tools, test a restore under the new provider, and only then switch off the old services. More on How to switch IT providers without downtime (a 30-day plan)

The HIPAA Security Rule calls for periodic security reminders, and NIST's SP 800-50 Rev. 1 treats learning as an ongoing program rather than a one-time event. In practice, we suggest a short lesson and a simulated phish each month, plus training for every new hire in their first week. More on Security awareness training for a 20-person office: what it covers and what it costs

Free material is a fine start. CISA publishes plain-language guidance on recognizing and reporting phishing at no cost. What free material usually lacks is the program around it: simulated phishing, tracking who reports, follow-up coaching, and records you can show an auditor or an insurer. More on Security awareness training for a 20-person office: what it covers and what it costs

Yes. Owners and managers can approve payments, which makes them prime targets, and HIPAA's training standard names management explicitly. When the boss skips training, staff notice, and the program loses credibility quickly. A few minutes a month is a small price for the person who signs the checks. More on Security awareness training for a 20-person office: what it covers and what it costs

For a very small office with no sensitive data, it may be. For a 20 to 50 person office handling client, patient or financial records, antivirus alone leaves gaps, because it relies on recognizing threats that are already known. EDR watches behavior to catch new attacks, and MDR puts trained people behind the alerts. More on EDR, MDR and antivirus: what a small office actually needs

If someone qualified reads your EDR alerts every hour of every day, maybe not. Most small offices do not have that person. Microsoft's MDR overview notes that managing complex EDR systems can be hard for internal teams, which is the gap MDR fills with around-the-clock monitoring and response. More on EDR, MDR and antivirus: what a small office actually needs

It depends on the provider and how it is bundled. At Radiant Technology Solutions, EDR and MDR are included from the Radiant Advanced plan at $69.99 per device per month, along with email security and cloud-to-cloud backup. Radiant Elite, at $99.99, adds security awareness training and dark web monitoring. More on EDR, MDR and antivirus: what a small office actually needs

Spoofing is the disguise: a sender name or address made to look like someone you trust. Phishing is the scam itself, the attempt to get you to click, share a password or send money. Phishing emails often lean on spoofing to look believable, and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center counts the two together as one crime type in its yearly report. More on How to spot a phishing email: 9 signs, with examples

No. CISA's phishing guidance says not to click any link in a suspicious message, and that includes unsubscribe links. An unsubscribe link in a phishing email can lead to the same fake page as any other link, or simply confirm that your address is live. Report the email and delete it instead. More on How to spot a phishing email: 9 signs, with examples

Inside your business, report it to your IT provider first so they can check whether anyone else received it. The FTC also recommends forwarding phishing emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org and reporting attempts at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If money was sent, call your bank right away and file a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov. More on How to spot a phishing email: 9 signs, with examples

Disconnect it from the network first: unplug the network cable and turn off Wi-Fi. CISA's guide says to power devices down only if you cannot disconnect them, and its checklist calls for capturing memory from affected machines, which a shutdown erases. Do not wipe, reinstall or run cleanup tools on your own. Leave the machine as it is and call your IT provider. More on Ransomware hit your business: the first 24 hours, hour by hour

It depends on your policy. Coverage, limits and the steps you must follow differ from one policy to the next. Read the notice section now, while things are calm: check whether it sets a deadline for reporting an incident or names response firms you have to use. Keep the claims number somewhere you can reach without your computers, and call the insurer early in the first day. More on Ransomware hit your business: the first 24 hours, hour by hour

It varies widely with how far the attack spread, how good the backups are and how many systems need rebuilding. The first 24 hours are about stopping the spread, preserving evidence and protecting your options, not finishing the recovery. Offices with tested, offline backups and a written plan start from a stronger position, but no one can promise a timeline in advance. More on Ransomware hit your business: the first 24 hours, hour by hour

Radiant Technology Solutions in Tarpon Springs works with businesses of 20 to 50 people, and at 20 employees the question is who covers updates, security, backups and support every day. If nobody on staff does this full time, a managed service provider (MSP) fills the gap. If you have one in-house tech, co-managed IT puts a team behind them. More on What IT support looks like for a 20 to 50 person business

Radiant Technology Solutions in Tarpon Springs bills managed IT as a flat monthly fee per device, from $49.99 to $99.99, while break/fix is an hourly bill after something breaks. VC3's 2026 guide puts that hourly support at $175 to $350. Managed IT pays someone to prevent problems, and break/fix pays someone to show up after one. More on What IT support looks like for a 20 to 50 person business

Managed IT services means hiring an outside company to run your technology for a set monthly fee instead of paying by the hour when something breaks. The provider watches and updates your computers, protects them, backs up your data and answers your staff's calls. For a 20 to 50 person office, it usually replaces both the part-time IT person and the emergency repair call. More on What IT support looks like for a 20 to 50 person business

A security operations center is a team, and the tools it uses, dedicated to watching for attacks and responding to them. CrowdStrike describes MSSPs as normally operating out of a SOC. Its counterpart on the IT side is the network operations center (NOC), which watches for things breaking, like a full disk or a failed backup, rather than for intruders. More on MSP vs MSSP: which one does a 30-person business need?

MDR stands for managed detection and response. It pairs security software on your computers, usually EDR (endpoint detection and response), with people who watch the alerts around the clock and act on them. It is one of the most common ways a small business gets MSSP-style protection without hiring a separate security company. More on MSP vs MSSP: which one does a 30-person business need?

Yes, at a baseline level. CrowdStrike notes that MSPs typically offer baseline security such as system and email monitoring and application patching, while MSSPs go further with threat detection, threat hunting and incident response. Many MSPs offer more than the baseline in higher-tier plans, so ask for the security list by name. More on MSP vs MSSP: which one does a 30-person business need?

Only if it is still inside a retention window. Once an email is emptied from Deleted Items, Exchange Online keeps it recoverable for 14 days by default, and an admin can raise that to 30 days, per Microsoft Learn. After that it is gone unless your office has a retention policy, a hold, or a separate backup that captured it. More on Does Microsoft 365 back up your email and files? (Not the way you think)

Microsoft lets an admin restore a deleted user account, with its mailbox and data, within 30 days of deletion. After that window, the account cannot be restored that way. If you might need a former employee's email later, for a dispute or a handover, back up the mailbox or convert it before you delete the account. More on Does Microsoft 365 back up your email and files? (Not the way you think)

No. Syncing copies changes between your computer and the cloud, and that includes deletions and damaged files. OneDrive does offer a Restore feature that can roll your files back to any point in the last 30 days, per Microsoft Support. That helps, but a backup keeps separate copies for months or years and does not change when your files do. More on Does Microsoft 365 back up your email and files? (Not the way you think)

No. Once stolen data is posted or sold, no service can pull it back. In a 2019 Consumer Federation of America survey, 36% of consumers who had seen these ads wrongly believed the services could remove their information. What monitoring gives you is time: a warning that a password is out there, so you can change it before someone tries it. More on Dark web monitoring: what it is, what it catches, and what it cannot do

Usually through someone else's breach. Staff sign up for webinars, shopping sites and software trials with their work email, and some reuse their work password. When one of those sites loses its customer list, the email and password end up in a dump. Info-stealing malware on a home computer is the other common route. More on Dark web monitoring: what it is, what it catches, and what it cannot do

Yes, and it matters more. Monitoring only tells you a password leaked. Multi-factor authentication stops a leaked password from working on its own. Microsoft Research found MFA cut the risk of compromise by 98.56% in cases where credentials had already leaked. The two work as a pair: the alert tells you what to fix, and MFA holds the line meanwhile. More on Dark web monitoring: what it is, what it catches, and what it cannot do

Partly. As of October 2026, Microsoft's nonprofit offers page lists Microsoft 365 Business Basic free for up to 300 users at eligible organizations. Business Basic covers email, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and the web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Business Premium, which adds the desktop apps and stronger security, costs $5.50 per user per month at nonprofit pricing, paid yearly. More on Microsoft 365 for nonprofits: the grant, what is free, and what still costs money

Microsoft retired the free Business Premium grant for nonprofits, with the change applying at renewals on or after July 1, 2025. If your organization had the grant, those licenses rolled off at your first renewal after that date. Eligible nonprofits can still buy Business Premium at the nonprofit price, and Business Basic remains free for up to 300 users. More on Microsoft 365 for nonprofits: the grant, what is free, and what still costs money

Yes. Microsoft's plan documentation says you can combine Business, Enterprise and standalone plans in one account. Many nonprofits put paid staff who handle donor or client data on Business Premium and volunteers on free Business Basic. Keep in mind the Business family of plans is capped at 300 licenses in total across Basic, Standard and Premium. More on Microsoft 365 for nonprofits: the grant, what is free, and what still costs money

Yes. Every Microsoft 365 for business plan includes Microsoft Entra ID Free with a feature called security defaults, which turns on multi-factor authentication by default, according to Microsoft Learn. What Standard lacks is Conditional Access, the Premium feature that lets you set finer rules, such as allowing sign-ins only from company devices or blocking certain locations. More on Microsoft 365 Business Premium vs Business Standard for a small office

Microsoft's US list prices for the versions without Teams are $10.79 per user per month for Business Standard and $18.79 for Business Premium, effective July 1, 2026, per Microsoft's licensing announcement. Those versions suit offices that use a different meeting or chat tool. Check your reseller's quote, since actual pricing and billing terms can differ from list. More on Microsoft 365 Business Premium vs Business Standard for a small office

No software plan is HIPAA compliant on its own. Compliance comes from how your practice protects patient data, including a risk analysis, policies, training and signed agreements with vendors. Premium's sign-in rules, device management and endpoint security can support several Security Rule safeguards, but they have to be set up and documented. This is educational, not legal advice. More on Microsoft 365 Business Premium vs Business Standard for a small office

Yes. Federal rules define number portability as keeping your existing number when you switch carriers, without losing quality or convenience. Your new provider files a port request using the exact details on your current bill. Keep the old service running until the new provider confirms the numbers have moved, then cancel. Ask for the port date in writing so you can plan around it. More on VoIP vs landline for a small office: cost, reliability, and what happens in a storm

Desk phones stop when the office loses power or internet unless the network gear runs on a battery backup and the internet stays up. Federal rules make VoIP providers warn customers that 911 can be limited by a power loss. Most offices plan around it by forwarding calls to cell phones automatically and putting the modem, firewall and switches on a battery unit. More on VoIP vs landline for a small office: cost, reliability, and what happens in a storm

Nextiva's July 2026 guide puts most small businesses at $15 to $30 per user per month for cloud VoIP, and $30 to $50 or more for plans with advanced features. For a 25-person office, that is roughly $375 to $750 a month before taxes, desk phones and add-ons. Compare it against your current phone bill line by line, including fax and alarm lines. More on VoIP vs landline for a small office: cost, reliability, and what happens in a storm

Radiant Technology Solutions in Tarpon Springs charges a 25-person office with 28 computers about $56 to $112 per employee per month on its published per-device plans. National 2026 guides put managed IT at $100 to $400 per user per month (Corsica Technologies) and $150 to $400 per user (VC3). Licenses, hardware and projects sit on top of that support figure. More on How much should a 25-person business budget for IT?

You will see rules of thumb quoted as a share of revenue, but we could not trace a current small business figure to a primary source, so we do not recommend budgeting that way. Two firms with the same revenue can have very different IT needs. Counting devices, users, licenses and planned replacements gives you a number you can actually check against an invoice. More on How much should a 25-person business budget for IT?

It depends on what you need covered. One employee brings one person's hours, skills and vacation schedule, plus salary, benefits and the security tools they still need to do the job. A managed plan spreads the work across a team and includes a help desk. Put both options on paper with every cost included, and compare what each one actually covers. More on How much should a 25-person business budget for IT?

Radiant Technology Solutions in Tarpon Springs charges $49.99, $69.99 or $99.99 per device per month, with no long-term contract (as of October 2026). National 2026 guides put per-user plans at $100 to $400 per user per month (Corsica Technologies) and per-workstation plans at $50 to $100 (VC3). Per device suits offices where people share computers; per user suits staff who each carry several devices. More on How to choose an IT company in Tarpon Springs (with a comparison table)

Break/fix is an hourly bill after something breaks, which VC3's 2026 guide puts at $175 to $350 an hour for support outside a plan. Managed IT is a flat monthly fee for monitoring, maintenance, security and support before problems stop work. Radiant Technology Solutions bills managed IT per device, from $49.99 a month, so the cost does not arrive with the problem. More on How to choose an IT company in Tarpon Springs (with a comparison table)

Pick the provider whose contract, billing and after-hours setup you can check in writing. Radiant Technology Solutions is a Tarpon Springs managed IT company founded in 2018, with no long-term contract, per-device plans at $49.99 to $99.99 a month, phones answered Monday to Friday 7 am to 7 pm with an on-call technician after hours, liability and cyber insurance, and 5.0 stars on Google. More on How to choose an IT company in Tarpon Springs (with a comparison table)