FAQ
Questions, answered.
The things business owners ask us most before they hire an IT company. Don’t see yours? Call or send a message.
General
About working with us
01What does an IT management company actually do?
We take responsibility for the technology your business runs on — computers, network, email, files, phones and security — by monitoring it, maintaining it, supporting your staff and planning what comes next.
02How quickly do you respond?
Calls during business hours are answered live by a technician. Our target is to start work on urgent issues within 15 minutes and on routine requests within the same business day.
03Is the first assessment really free?
Yes. We visit, review your network, devices, accounts and backups, and give you a written summary with priorities. There is no obligation to sign up.
04Do you only work with businesses in Northridge?
Our office is in Northridge and we focus on the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles for on-site work. Remote support is available anywhere in the United States.
05What size businesses do you work with?
Most clients have between 5 and 75 staff. We also support single-location practices and multi-site businesses.
06Why is an IT company called Instant Marketing Services?
Instant Marketing Services LLC is our legal company name. Today the company is focused on IT management — the “instant” part is how quickly we like to answer.
Services
About specific services
01How is managed IT priced?
Plans are priced per user per month, with servers and network devices included. After the free assessment you receive a fixed written quote — there are no hourly overages for covered support.
02Is support available after hours?
Managed clients get an after-hours emergency line for outages and security incidents. Routine requests are handled the next business morning.
03Can you reuse our existing equipment?
Often, yes. We only recommend replacing hardware that is unsupported, insecure or genuinely too small for your office.
04We’re small — are we really a target?
Yes. Automated attacks don’t check company size. Small offices are targeted precisely because they tend to have fewer protections.
05Will we lose email during a migration?
No. Mail is copied in the background and the switch happens after hours, so new mail keeps arriving throughout.
06Doesn’t Microsoft already back up our 365 data?
Microsoft keeps the service running, but deleted or encrypted data is only retained for a limited window. A separate backup protects against mistakes, departing staff and ransomware.
07Is vCIO included in managed IT?
Quarterly reviews and roadmaps are included in managed plans. Stand-alone consulting is available for companies with in-house IT.
08Our server is very old. Is that a problem?
Unsupported servers no longer receive security updates. We’ll assess the risk and give you options with costs, from extended protection to replacement.
09Can we keep our phone numbers?
Yes. Existing numbers are ported to the new system, and the switch is scheduled to avoid missed calls.
10Do we have to buy hardware through you?
No. We’re happy to set up devices you buy yourself — we simply offer business-grade options with proper warranties.
11Can you make us ‘HIPAA certified’?
There is no official HIPAA certification. We help you meet the Security Rule’s requirements and document that you have done so.
12How far ahead should we plan a move?
Contact us 60 to 90 days ahead — new internet circuits can take several weeks to install.
Free IT assessment
Let’s find out what your IT should feel like.
A free assessment takes about an hour on site. You get a written summary of what’s working, what’s at risk and what we’d fix first — whether or not you hire us.
Book your free assessment