Questions about outsourcing IT

The clearest signs are when the owner or office manager has become the default help desk, when nobody is sure the backups actually work, when security depends on luck, and when IT costs arrive as surprises. If several of those sound familiar, it’s time to look at outsourcing. Our 10-sign checklist is a quick way to gauge where you stand.

Often, yes. Small businesses tend to benefit the most, because they can’t justify a full IT department but still face the same security threats and software headaches as larger companies. That said, a very small office with simple needs may be fine on its own for a while. A free assessment will give you an honest answer either way.

With fully managed IT, ShowTech acts as your entire IT department. With co-managed IT, you keep your internal IT person or team, and we fill the gaps: after-hours help desk, security monitoring, patching, Microsoft 365 administration, projects and vacation coverage. You decide the split.

Not with co-managed IT. The goal is to give your IT person backup and specialists, not to push them out. They keep ownership of your internal priorities and relationships while we handle the round-the-clock and specialist work one person can’t realistically cover.

ShowTech One is a flat monthly rate with no hidden fees. The rate depends on your business size and needs, so we start with a free IT assessment and then give you a clear quote. There’s no obligation to move forward.

We coordinate the handoff respectfully. That usually means collecting passwords and documentation, understanding what they set up and why, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. If you’d like them to stay involved in some way, we can talk about that too.

It depends on the size and complexity of your setup, so we don’t guess before we’ve looked. After the assessment, you’ll get a realistic onboarding timeline you can plan around.

We plan onboarding to keep disruption to a minimum, scheduling hands-on work around your business hours and telling your team what to expect ahead of time. Most of the setup happens quietly in the background.

Both. Many issues are fastest to fix remotely, but we provide onsite support throughout Tampa Bay, including Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, whenever a problem calls for someone in the room.

A real person typically answers the phone in under four minutes, and our help desk is live 24/7/365, including nights, weekends and holidays.

We provide compliance guidance and audit prep support, and specific help preparing for CMMC Level 1. We don’t promise compliance outcomes, though. Final decisions should be reviewed by your compliance owner or legal advisor, and we’re happy to work alongside them.

Protecting your data is the first priority of onboarding. We secure administrative passwords, confirm backups are working, and put monitoring and security tools in place as early as possible in the process.

The 24/7 live help desk, onsite support and a help desk portal; security layers including endpoint detection and response, DNS filtering and phishing training; real-time monitoring, automated patching and Microsoft 365 backup; and quarterly vCIO meetings with an IT roadmap and budget. See the full list on our services page.

Small and mid-sized businesses across Tampa Bay, especially nonprofits, schools and education organizations, law firms, CPAs and financial offices, real estate firms, and manufacturers.