Plain-English IT and cybersecurity tips for small businesses

The short answer: Before hiring an IT company, ask about guaranteed response times, who answers when you call, onsite support, exactly which security is included, how backups are tested, their ransomware plan, pricing, working with your in-house staff, their experience, and what happens if you part ways. Choosing an IT company is a lot like choosing a mechanic. Most people don't think about it until something breaks, and then they go with whoever answers the phone first. The

The short answer: Windows 10 stopped getting free security updates on October 14, 2025. Businesses still running it should upgrade computers that can run Windows 11, replace the ones that can't, and use Microsoft's paid Extended Security Updates only as a short-term bridge. Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. A year later, plenty of small businesses are still running it on at least a few machines. If that's you, you're not alone, but the clock is runni

What managed IT services include, how they're priced, how they compare to break-fix IT, and what to ask before choosing an IT provider in Knoxville.

Updated September 27, 2026 · By Shannon Jones, Roo Tech Services The short answer: Third-party risk is the chance that a vendor, software company or outside service you rely on gets hacked or fails, and takes your business down with it. A good IT provider helps by keeping an inventory of who can access your systems, limiting that access, watching for problems, and making sure you can keep working if a vendor goes down. What is third-party risk? Every small business depends on

Updated September 27, 2026 · By Shannon Jones, Roo Tech Services The short answer: "End of life" (EOL) or "end of support" means the manufacturer has stopped fixing a product, including security holes. The computer, software or firewall keeps working, but every new vulnerability stays open. For a business, that raises the risk of a breach, can cause problems with cyber insurance, and makes surprise failures more likely. The fix is to track what you have and replace or upgrade

Updated September 27, 2026 · By Shannon Jones, Roo Tech Services The short answer: Co-managed IT is a partnership between your in-house IT person or team and an outside IT provider. Your people keep handling day-to-day work and the things they know best, while the provider fills the gaps, usually security, 24/7 monitoring, backups, after-hours coverage and bigger projects. It's a good fit for businesses that have some IT help in-house but not enough to cover everything. How i