FAQ · NerdSquad Managed IT Services
Managed IT Services FAQ
The questions we hear on discovery calls, answered before you have to ask.
NerdSquad Managed IT Services is a Managed Service Provider (MSP) based in Naples, Florida. We run IT for small and midsize businesses across Southwest Florida: the help desk and onsite visits, cybersecurity, backups, compliance support, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, business phones and AI implementation. Each answer below is short, and each one links to the page that covers the topic in depth.
Last reviewed October 2026
About NerdSquad
Who we are, who we work with and what we do differently.
What is NerdSquad Managed IT Services?
NerdSquad Managed IT Services is a Naples-based Managed Service Provider (MSP) that runs day-to-day technology for small and midsize businesses in Southwest Florida. That covers the help desk and onsite support, cybersecurity, backup and recovery, compliance support, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, phones and AI implementation, delivered on a monthly plan by one local team. See every service we offer.
Is NerdSquad the same as Geek Squad?
No. Geek Squad is Best Buy's consumer tech service. NerdSquad Managed IT Services is an independent, Naples-based Managed Service Provider that works mainly with businesses, plus a separate residential technology team for homeowners.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Mostly small and midsize offices: financial advisers, medical and dental practices, law firms, real estate teams, contractors, manufacturers, logistics companies and retailers. Many have compliance rules to follow, such as HIPAA or GLBA. We talk with businesses of every size. Browse the industries we serve.
What makes NerdSquad different from other IT companies?
Four things clients notice. You can call or text a real tech, and with two tiers of support instead of three, the tech who answers can usually fix the problem. A Naples team that comes onsite when it takes hands. Written plan inclusions, so you know what's covered before work starts. And documentation that belongs to you. Our ownership brings decades of experience running IT for fast-growing, compliance-heavy companies, and we guarantee to add value.
Do you work with homeowners too?
Yes, through a separate residential team. We design and support smart home automation, Control4 systems, home theater and audio, security cameras, Ring alarms and whole-home Wi-Fi in Naples and nearby. Business clients remain our main focus. See residential services.
Managed IT services and plans
What a plan includes, what it costs and what switching looks like.
What are managed IT services?
Managed IT services means handing your day-to-day technology to an outside team on a monthly plan. Instead of calling someone after something breaks, a Managed Service Provider monitors, patches, secures and supports your computers, network and cloud accounts every day, and answers when your staff needs help. How our managed IT services work.
What's included in a NerdSquad managed IT plan?
Every plan includes the help desk and onsite support, monitoring and patching, endpoint detection and response (EDR), Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace management, and quarterly business reviews. Endpoint Pro adds workstation backup with rapid restore and support for BYOD and hybrid work. Endpoint 360 adds 24/7 security operations center (SOC) monitoring and managed detection and response (MDR). Compare the three plans.
What's the difference between Endpoint Starter, Pro and 360?
The coverage window and the depth of security. Endpoint Starter covers Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Endpoint Pro covers 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, and adds workstation backup. Endpoint 360 covers 24/7, including weekends and holidays, and adds 24/7 SOC monitoring and MDR. Every plan is backed by an industry-leading SLA.
How much do managed IT services cost?
It depends on how many people and devices you have and which plan fits. We don't publish prices because most offices need a quick look first. After a discovery call and a short assessment, we send a written quote that spells out exactly what's included, so there are no surprise invoices for work you assumed was covered.
Do you require a long-term contract?
No. A long-term contract isn't required. Your written proposal spells out what's included and the terms before you sign, so you know exactly what you're agreeing to. We'd rather keep your business by being useful than by locking you in.
Do you offer co-managed IT if we already have an IT person?
Yes. With co-managed IT, your in-house person keeps handling day-to-day requests while we cover security, after-hours coverage, projects and backup for when they're out. It also protects the business if that person ever leaves. More on co-managed help desk support.
Our IT person just left. Can you take over?
Yes, and it's one of the most common reasons businesses call us. We find every account, password, license and device, take over admin access, close any doors the departure left open, and write everything down so the business never depends on one person's memory again. Call 239-465-0079 and we'll start with the urgent pieces.
What happens when we switch to NerdSquad from another provider?
We run a 30-day onboarding. Week one is an audit of every computer, account, license and network device. Week two fixes the urgent gaps, like missing backups or MFA. Weeks three and four are documentation and introducing your team to the help desk. We work with your current provider on the handoff, and day 90 brings your first review. How onboarding works.
Will you replace our existing software and vendors?
Not if they work. We support the computers, network and accounts your business software runs on, and we deal with the software vendors directly when something breaks, so you don't sit on hold. We only recommend replacing a tool when it's a security risk, unsupported or costing you more than it should.
What's included in the free IT assessment?
A security check of your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace settings, a dark web scan for leaked company passwords, a backup check, a snapshot of your devices and network, and a plain-English report ranked by risk with the first five fixes we'd make. The report is yours to keep, whether or not you hire us. Request a free IT assessment.
Support, response times and onsite help
How to reach us, how fast we move and when we show up in person.
How do I contact the NerdSquad help desk?
Call or text 239-465-0079, email the support address you receive at onboarding, use the chat on our website or support portal, or open a ticket in the portal. Texting works well for quick questions and photos of an error message. For a critical issue, submit the support portal form and set it to Critical, or email support with CRITICAL as the first word of the subject line, then call if you can. A text can't be marked Critical. How to submit a ticket.
How fast does NerdSquad respond?
Every managed plan is backed by an industry-leading SLA (service level agreement). Response targets for each priority level are written into your service agreement, and critical issues, like a server outage that stops the office, go to the front of the queue. Monitoring often spots a problem and opens a ticket before anyone in your office notices. What the ticket priorities mean.
What hours is support available?
It depends on your plan. Endpoint Starter covers Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Endpoint Pro covers 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Endpoint 360 covers 24/7, including weekends and holidays. Automated monitoring runs 24/7 on every plan. Coverage hours by plan.
Do you provide onsite IT support?
Yes. Our team is based in Naples, and onsite visits are included on managed plans. Most issues are fixed remotely, often while you're still on the phone. We come onsite when the problem needs hands: hardware, network gear, a new office setup or anything that's easier to fix in person.
What does two-tier support mean?
Most IT companies run three support tiers, so your issue gets written down by one person and passed up the line. We run two. The person who takes your call is a technician who works the problem, and if it needs a specialist it goes straight to one, so you don't explain it a third time.
Can we get help desk support without a managed plan?
Our help desk is built around managed plans, because knowing your systems ahead of time is what makes fixes fast. If you need something different, like project work or a second set of hands for your in-house IT person, tell us what's going on and we'll recommend the right fit.
Cybersecurity
Most breaches don't kick the door in. They log in.
How does NerdSquad protect a business from cyberattacks?
With layers, because no single tool stops everything. We lock down sign-ins with multi-factor authentication (MFA), filter email for phishing, run endpoint detection and response on every computer, filter malicious websites, keep software patched, monitor the dark web for leaked passwords, back up data where attackers can't reach it and train staff to spot scams. How our managed cybersecurity works.
What's the difference between antivirus, EDR and MDR?
Antivirus blocks known malware. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) watches how programs behave, so it can catch new threats and isolate an infected computer. Managed detection and response (MDR) adds people: a security operations center that reviews alerts, investigates and responds around the clock. Every NerdSquad plan includes EDR; Endpoint 360 adds MDR. Managed EDR and MDR.
What does Zero Trust mean for a small business?
Zero Trust means no user, device or app gets access just because it's on your network. Every sign-in is checked: who you are (MFA), whether the device is healthy and whether you actually need that system. For a small business it usually starts with MFA everywhere, removing extra admin rights and blocking sign-ins from unmanaged devices.
What should we do if we think we've been hacked?
Call 239-465-0079 right away. Don't pay anyone, don't delete anything and don't wipe the computer, because evidence matters for insurance and any required notices. We help contain the threat, investigate what was touched, restore clean systems and document the incident. Depending on the data involved, laws like HIPAA or Florida's FIPA may require notifications.
Do you offer security awareness training and phishing tests?
Yes. We run phishing simulations and short training that teach staff to spot scams, with reports that insurers and auditors often ask for. Training helps most with the attacks filters miss, like a fake invoice from a vendor's real but hacked mailbox. Security awareness training.
Do you do penetration testing?
Yes, with our penetration-testing partner. We scope the test, coordinate it and handle the fixes afterward. A vulnerability assessment finds weaknesses; a penetration test shows how far an attacker could actually get. Many cyber insurers and compliance frameworks ask for one or both. Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing.
Can you help with cyber insurance requirements?
Yes. We put the controls insurers ask about in place, like MFA, EDR, tested backups and training, and help you answer the security questionnaire accurately. Cyber insurance policies themselves are available through a licensed insurance partner. Email security is one of the first things underwriters look at.
Backup, recovery and hurricane season
An undo button for the company, plus a plan for storm season.
How do your backups protect against ransomware?
We keep immutable copies offsite, which means they can't be changed or deleted, even by an attacker with admin rights. If ransomware encrypts your files, we restore clean versions from before the attack. We also test restores, because a backup nobody has ever restored is only a hope. Business backup and disaster recovery.
Can you restore a single file or email, or only the whole system?
Both. We can bring back one deleted file, one mailbox or a single folder from a point in time, or restore a whole computer or server. How far back you can go and how quickly depends on what's being backed up and your plan, which we set together during onboarding.
Do you back up Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace?
Yes, we offer cloud backup for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Microsoft and Google keep their services running, but they don't promise to bring back data your staff deletes or an attacker encrypts. A separate backup gives you your own copy of email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Google Drive.
How do you help Southwest Florida businesses prepare for hurricane season?
Before each season we check battery backups, confirm your backups actually restore, make sure your team can work from home if the office loses power or internet, and write down who to call and what to shut down. After a storm, we help get systems back online remotely and visit onsite once it's safe and roads are open.
Compliance: HIPAA, GLBA, SEC and more
We build the controls and the paper trail. We don't hand out certificates.
Can NerdSquad make us HIPAA, GLBA or SEC compliant?
No IT company can make you compliant on its own or guarantee an exam result, and you should be wary of one that says it can. What we do is put the technical controls in place, like MFA, encryption, logging, access reviews and tested backups, and keep the documentation and evidence auditors and examiners ask for. IT compliance services.
Which regulations and frameworks do you work with?
Most often HIPAA for medical and dental practices; GLBA and the FTC Safeguards Rule, SEC Regulation S-P and FINRA rules for financial firms; PCI DSS for businesses that take cards; and Florida's Information Protection Act (FIPA), which applies to most Florida businesses that hold personal information.
Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?
Yes. For medical, dental and other healthcare clients where we may come into contact with protected health information (PHI), we sign a Business Associate Agreement. Not every cloud product is covered by its vendor's BAA, so we also check that the tools you use are configured and licensed for PHI. IT for medical and dental practices.
What does Florida's FIPA require of a small business?
The Florida Information Protection Act requires businesses that hold Floridians' personal information to take reasonable measures to protect it. After a breach, affected individuals generally must be notified within 30 days, and the Florida Attorney General's office must also be notified if 500 or more Floridians are affected. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can you help us prepare for an audit or regulatory exam?
Yes. We map your controls to the framework, find the gaps, help fix them and organize the evidence: policies, access reviews, MFA reports, backup restore logs and incident records. You walk into the audit with proof, not promises.
Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, phones and AI
The tools your team uses all day, set up and looked after.
Do you support Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace?
Yes, both. We manage users and licenses, security settings, email, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Google Drive, and we handle migrations between them or from older email systems. Microsoft 365 managed services · Google Workspace support.
Is Microsoft 365 secure on its own?
Microsoft 365 has strong security features, but many aren't turned on or tuned by default. Configuration is what protects you: MFA for everyone, blocking outdated sign-in methods, limiting admin accounts, alerting on suspicious forwarding rules and setting retention for the email and files you're required to keep.
Do you provide business phone systems?
Yes. We set up and support cloud VoIP phone systems with call routing, auto attendants, mobile apps, Microsoft 365 integration and failover so calls keep ringing when the office internet or power is down. Business VoIP phone systems.
Can you help our business use AI safely?
Yes. We help you pick the right tools, clean up data and permissions so AI only sees what it should, connect it to the systems you already use, set a written AI policy and train your team. Human review stays in every workflow that touches money, clients or regulated data. AI implementation services.
Industries
Same computers. Very different consequences.
Do you work with financial advisers and wealth management firms?
Yes. Investment advisers and other financial firms are a core focus. We help with the controls behind SEC Regulation S-P, GLBA and the FTC Safeguards Rule, FINRA requirements for broker-dealers, email archiving, wire-fraud prevention and exam preparation, and we work alongside your compliance team. IT for financial services firms.
Do you support medical and dental practices?
Yes, through Practice 360, our managed IT program for medical and dental practices. It covers the help desk, monitoring, patching, encryption, backup, EDR, HIPAA risk assessments and phishing training, and we work with the vendors behind your EHR, practice management and imaging software. Medical and dental IT support.
Do you work with law firms?
Yes. We protect client confidentiality with MFA, encryption, secure remote access and email security, schedule maintenance around court deadlines, and help firms meet their duty of technology competence and the confidentiality rules that apply to Florida lawyers. Managed IT services for law firms.
Do you support real estate teams and brokerages?
Yes. Real estate runs on email, e-signatures and mobile devices, which makes agents a favorite target for wire fraud. We lock down email, secure phones and laptops in the field and support the tools your transactions depend on. Managed IT services for realtors.
Do you work with construction, manufacturing, logistics and retail companies?
Yes. We support jobsite trailers and field crews for construction companies, plant-floor networks for manufacturers, warehouse and dispatch systems for logistics companies, and point-of-sale and payment security for retailers.
Do you work with very small businesses?
Yes. Many of our clients are offices that are too big for “my nephew handles it” and too small to hire a full IT department. We talk with businesses of every size and recommend what makes sense for yours. Managed service provider for small business.
Where we work
Naples-based. Onsite across Southwest Florida.
Where is NerdSquad located, and which areas do you serve?
We're based in Naples, Florida, and serve businesses across Southwest Florida, including Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, Bonita Springs, Lehigh Acres, Marco Island and the rest of Collier and Lee counties. Most requests are handled remotely, and we come onsite when something needs hands.
Do you provide IT support in Fort Myers?
Yes. Our team is based in Naples and serves Fort Myers businesses with the same managed IT plans, remote help desk and onsite visits as everywhere else in Southwest Florida. IT support in Fort Myers.
Can you support businesses outside Southwest Florida?
Yes, remotely. Help desk support, monitoring, security and cloud management work from anywhere in the U.S., so we can support a second office or remote staff in another state. Onsite visits are within Southwest Florida.
Getting started
No pressure, no jargon, no 40-slide pitch deck.
How do we get started with NerdSquad?
Call or text 239-465-0079 or send us a message. We start with a short discovery call about how your business runs, then a free IT assessment and a written plan and quote. If you say yes, the 30-day onboarding begins. You decide what happens at every step.
What should we have ready for the discovery call?
A rough count of people and computers, who handles IT today, the software you can't work without, any compliance rules you follow and what's annoying your staff most. Don't worry about technical details; finding those is our job.
I'm already a NerdSquad client. Where do I get help?
Open a ticket or search answers in the NerdSquad support portal, or call or text 239-465-0079. For anything urgent, call.
