The questions we get asked most, answered the way we’d answer them on the phone.
Working with us
How do you charge?
Flat monthly for managed services, month to month, with thirty days notice to cancel. Project work — cabling, installs, buildouts — is quoted per project. There’s no hourly billing on anything covered by your plan, so you’re never deciding whether a problem is worth calling about.
Do I have to sign a long contract?
No. Month to month. We’d rather earn the renewal than rely on a term you regret. If we’re not doing a good job you should be able to leave, and you’d take your documentation and credentials with you.
What does an engagement start with?
Groundwork — a fixed-fee audit that documents what you actually have and produces a prioritized fix list with costs. You keep the report whether or not you hire us, and the fee comes off your first invoice if you start a managed plan.
Can you just fix one thing?
Yes. Not everything needs a contract. If you have a specific problem, call and we’ll quote the fix.
Coverage and response
How can you support my location if you’re in New Jersey?
Monitoring, patching, helpdesk, and security are remote regardless of where you are — geography is irrelevant to most of what we do. When a job needs hands on equipment, we dispatch a vetted technician to your site and manage the work ourselves. You deal with us throughout, not with whoever showed up.
Who answers when I call?
Someone who already knows your setup. We’re small enough that you’re not explaining your environment from scratch every time, and that’s deliberate.
What about evenings and weekends?
Coverage depends on your plan, and we’ll be specific about it in writing rather than vague. If you run a restaurant or retail shop, evening and weekend support isn’t optional — we’ll scope it accordingly.
How fast do you respond?
Response targets are written into your agreement rather than posted as marketing. Ask us during the call and we’ll tell you what we’ll commit to for your situation.
Security and compliance
Is the security software actually monitored?
Yes. That’s the distinction we care about. Endpoint protection that nobody watches is a checkbox, not a control. Alerts get reviewed and acted on.
We take card payments. Can you help with PCI?
We handle the network side — segmentation, firewall configuration, keeping systems patched and documented. That’s usually where small merchants fail their self-assessment. We’re not a Qualified Security Assessor and we won’t certify you, but we’ll get the infrastructure into a state where the questionnaire is answerable honestly.
Can you help with our cyber insurance application?
Yes. Those questionnaires ask specific technical questions — MFA enforcement, EDR, isolated and tested backups, patch windows. We can tell you truthfully where you stand and close the gaps you want closed.
Who owns our documentation and passwords?
You do. Always. You can request a copy at any time, and if you leave you take it with you. Holding a client’s credentials hostage is a practice we’d rather compete against than adopt.
Scope — what we don’t do
Do you install point-of-sale systems?
No. We build and manage the network your POS runs on — cabling, switching, segmentation, connectivity. Your POS vendor installs and supports the terminals and the software. We coordinate with them directly through install and go-live so the handoff isn’t your problem.
Do you build websites or write software?
No. We’re an infrastructure and managed services company. If you need either, we’ll point you at someone who does it properly.
What if we ask for something outside your lane?
We’ll say so. Every provider has a boundary, and knowing where ours is should make the rest of what we say more believable.
Getting started
We already have an IT person. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Plenty of our clients have someone internal. We often work alongside them — taking the monitoring, security, and after-hours load so they can focus on the things only they can do.
What happens on the first call?
Fifteen minutes. How many locations, what you’re running, what keeps going wrong. If we’re not the right fit we’ll say so and suggest someone better.
What if we’re mid-contract with another provider?
Worth talking anyway. Groundwork gives you a documented picture of your own environment, which is useful whoever manages it — including for holding your current provider to account.