# Managed IT and low voltage questions, answered

What the terms mean, what to ask before you sign anything, and how we work. If your question is not here, call (833) 569-5690 and ask it.

## The basics

### What is managed IT?

Managed IT means paying a company a monthly fee to run your technology, instead of calling someone when it breaks. The provider monitors your computers, network, and accounts, patches them, backs them up, and answers your staff's support calls. You get a predictable bill and a team that already knows your setup. See [Managed IT & Cybersecurity](https://lnxinc.com/services/managed-it/).

### What is an MSP?

MSP stands for managed service provider: the company that delivers managed IT. A typical MSP agreement covers helpdesk, monitoring, security tools, backup, and Microsoft 365 administration for a monthly price. LNX Inc. is an MSP in Troy, Michigan.

### What is an MSSP, and how is it different from an MSP?

An MSSP is a managed security service provider. An MSP keeps systems running; an MSSP watches them for attacks and responds. Many small businesses buy the two from different vendors. LNX covers both in one agreement: helpdesk and maintenance, plus security monitoring and response around the clock.

### What is a NOC, and what is a SOC?

A NOC (network operations center) watches whether systems are up: a switch offline, a disk filling, a backup that failed. A SOC (security operations center) watches for attacks: a suspicious sign-in, malware on a laptop, a mailbox rule nobody set. LNX runs NOC monitoring 24/7.

### What is co-managed IT?

Co-managed IT is for organizations that already have an IT person or team. The MSP supplies the tools, the after-hours coverage, or the extra hands, and your staff keep ownership of the environment. It suits an IT director who needs a bench, not a replacement.

### What is break-fix IT?

Break-fix means you call a technician when something fails and pay by the hour. It costs nothing while nothing breaks, but nobody is patching, monitoring, or testing backups in between, so staff find problems before any tool does. Managed IT replaces that with a flat monthly fee and preventive work.

### What is RMM?

RMM stands for remote monitoring and management: the agent an MSP installs on every computer and server. It reports health, disk space, failed updates, and offline devices to the NOC, runs patches and maintenance scripts, and lets a technician connect remotely to fix a problem. It is how a provider knows a machine is failing before the person using it calls.

### What is a ticket, and why does every request become one?

A ticket is the record of one request in the MSP's service management system: who asked, what was done, how long it took, and when it closed. Providers insist on tickets because a request that lives in a text message or a hallway conversation cannot be prioritized, handed off, or proved later. Ticket history is also what shows at renewal whether the agreement was worth it.

### What is an SLA?

A service level agreement is the part of an MSP contract that sets response and resolution targets by priority: how fast someone acknowledges a ticket, how fast work starts, and what counts as an emergency. Ask to see it before signing. If response times are not written in the SLA, they are not commitments.

### What is patch management?

Patch management is applying security and bug-fix updates to operating systems, applications, and device firmware on a schedule, testing them first where it matters, and reporting on what is still missing. Most ransomware uses a flaw that already had a patch available. An MSP does this through the RMM tool and shows the results in the monthly report.

### What is a security baseline?

A security baseline is the written set of controls a provider applies to every client by default: MFA everywhere, EDR on every device, email filtering, encrypted laptops, tested backups, admin accounts separated from daily accounts, and so on. It is what a cyber insurance application or a customer questionnaire is really asking about. LNX's baseline is aligned to CIS Controls v8.1 Implementation Group 1.

### What are the CIS Controls and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework?

Both are free, widely used lists of security practices. The CIS Controls are a prioritized set of specific safeguards, grouped into implementation groups by organization size; Implementation Group 1 is the floor for a small business. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a broader structure for organizing a security program. Insurers and auditors recognize both. Being aligned to a framework is a defensible claim; being "compliant" with one means an outside assessor said so.

### What does low voltage mean?

Low-voltage work is the wiring that carries data and signals rather than power: network cable, fiber, Wi-Fi access points, security cameras, door access control, and phone systems. It is installed by a low-voltage contractor rather than an electrician. See [Low Voltage](https://lnxinc.com/services/low-voltage/).

### What is structured cabling?

Structured cabling is a building's network wiring done to a standard: each wall jack runs back to a central rack, both ends are labeled, and every run is tested. The point is that anyone can find, trace, and replace a cable later. The alternative, cables added one at a time with no labels, is what most small offices have.

### What is an MDF or an IDF?

The MDF (main distribution frame) is the room or rack where outside lines enter the building and the core network equipment sits. IDFs (intermediate distribution frames) are smaller closets on other floors or wings that connect back to it. When people say "the server closet," they usually mean one of these.

### What are as-builts?

As-builts are drawings that show where cables, cameras, and devices were actually installed, as opposed to where the plan said they would go. With the test results, they make up the closeout package a contractor hands the owner at the end of a project.

### What is access control?

Access control is the system that decides who can open which door, and when: card or phone readers, door controllers, the lock hardware, and software to add and remove people. When an employee leaves, you turn off their badge instead of changing the locks.

### What is an IP camera system?

An IP camera system records video over the network instead of over coax cable to a DVR. Each camera is powered and connected by one network cable, and video is stored on a recorder or in the cloud. Retention, meaning how many days of video you keep, is often set by your insurer, your industry, or a state survey.

### What is a wireless survey?

A wireless survey measures where Wi-Fi signal reaches in a building before access points are installed or moved. Concrete, metal, and long corridors block signal in ways a floor plan does not show. A predictive survey models it; an on-site survey measures it. A DAS (distributed antenna system) does the same job for cell signal inside large buildings.

### What is EDR, or managed detection and response?

EDR (endpoint detection and response) is security software on each computer that watches behavior, not just known viruses, and can isolate a machine that looks compromised. Managed detection and response (MDR) adds people who review those alerts and act on them at any hour. Many cyber insurance applications now ask whether you have it.

### What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)?

MFA means signing in with something besides a password: a prompt or code on your phone, or a hardware key. Stolen passwords are a common way into a small business's email, and MFA blocks most attempts that rely on a password alone.

### What is business email compromise?

Business email compromise (BEC) is fraud where an attacker gets into, or imitates, a real mailbox and asks for a payment or a change of bank details. It needs no malware, so antivirus does not catch it. The defenses are MFA, email filtering that flags impersonation, and a rule that any change to payment details is confirmed by phone.

### What is the difference between backup and disaster recovery?

Backup is a copy of your data. Disaster recovery is the plan and tooling to get the business running again from that copy, and how long that takes. A backup that has never been restored is a guess. LNX tests restores on a schedule and agrees a recovery time in writing.

### What is an immutable backup?

An immutable backup is a copy that cannot be changed or deleted for a set period, even by an administrator. Ransomware crews look for the backups first and delete them before encrypting the rest, so a copy that nobody can delete is what makes a recovery possible. Insurers increasingly ask for one.

### What is security awareness training?

Short, regular training that teaches staff to recognize phishing, fake invoices, and impersonation, paired with simulated phishing emails that measure who clicks. Email filtering catches most attacks; training covers what gets through. Many insurers and the FTC Safeguards Rule expect it.

### What is a Microsoft 365 tenant?

Your tenant is your organization's private space in Microsoft 365: its users, mailboxes, files, licenses, and security settings. Tenant hygiene means closing accounts for people who left, fixing who can see which files, and turning on security settings that are not on by default.

### What is VoIP?

VoIP (voice over IP) is a phone system that runs over your internet connection instead of copper phone lines. With a cloud phone service, desk phones and apps connect to a provider, and the auto-attendant, hunt groups, and voicemail are managed in a web portal. Your existing numbers can move with you. See [Professional Business Services](https://lnxinc.com/services/professional-services/).

### What is an IT assessment?

An IT assessment is a review of what you run today: devices, network, accounts, security, backups, and what is near end of life. The useful output is a ranked list of what to fix in what order, with costs. LNX sells assessments on their own, and the report is yours to shop. See [Consulting Services](https://lnxinc.com/services/consulting/).

### What is a vCIO?

A virtual chief information officer is the person at an MSP who owns a client's technology direction rather than its daily tickets: the budget, the replacement schedule, the security posture, and the plan for the next three years. For an organization too small for a full-time IT executive, the vCIO is who the owner or board talks to about what to spend and why.

### What is a QBR?

A quarterly business review is a scheduled meeting between a client and their MSP that goes over ticket trends, security posture, backup results, upcoming hardware replacements, and the roadmap. It is where IT spend gets planned instead of discovered. Smaller agreements review less often; the point is that it is on the calendar.

## Choosing a provider

### Do we need an MSP, or is one IT person enough?

One person cannot be on call around the clock, cover their own vacation, and keep up with security tooling. With no IT staff, an MSP covers all of it for a monthly fee. With one or two IT staff, co-managed IT gives them monitoring, security tools, and backup without replacing them.

### How is managed IT priced?

Most MSPs charge per user or per device each month, in tiers by how much security is included. Projects such as cabling, migrations, and new hardware are quoted separately. LNX charges a flat monthly price per seat, tiered by helpdesk only or full security monitoring, and quotes are firm after a short discovery call.

### What should we ask an MSP before signing?

Who answers when we call, and is response time written into the agreement? What is included, and what is billed by the hour? How often are backups restored as a test? Who holds our admin passwords and documentation if we leave? Which security tools run on every device, and who watches the alerts at night? What happens in the first 30 days?

### What is the difference between an MSP and an IT consultant?

An MSP runs your environment every day under a monthly agreement. A consultant reviews it, designs changes, or plans a budget, then hands over the findings. LNX does both but sells consulting separately, so you do not have to become a managed client to get an assessment.

### Can one company handle our IT and our cabling, cameras, and door access?

Yes, if it has crews for both. Most offices buy them from separate vendors, which leaves two parties to blame when a camera drops off the network. LNX runs separate crews for managed IT and low-voltage work under one contract and one project manager.

### What happens when we switch MSPs?

The new provider documents what you have, collects admin access from the outgoing one, replaces monitoring and security agents on every device, and takes over support on an agreed date. Service should not stop during the move. At LNX most clients move security and backup first, then helpdesk once the first month is quiet.

### What should we get back if we leave an MSP?

Administrator credentials for every system, ownership of your Microsoft 365 tenant and domain, your documentation (network diagrams, passwords, runbooks), your backup data, and the removal of the provider's agents on an agreed date. Ask about this before signing; a provider that cannot explain its offboarding is planning on you not leaving. LNX holds delegated access to your systems, not ownership.

### What should a monthly MSP report show?

Tickets opened and closed, with response times against the SLA. Patch status by device. Backup results, including the last tested restore. Security alerts and what was done about them. Devices and licenses added or removed. If a report only shows a count of tickets, it is not telling you whether the environment is getting safer.

### What does cyber insurance expect from our IT?

Applications commonly ask whether you enforce MFA, run EDR on every device, filter email, keep backups an attacker cannot delete, and train staff on phishing. A no can raise the premium or limit coverage. Our [Managed IT & Cybersecurity](https://lnxinc.com/services/managed-it/) baseline is built around those questions.

### Do we need IT help to use AI tools like Copilot or ChatGPT?

Not to sign up. You do to use them safely. An AI assistant can surface any file a user has access to, so oversharing in shared drives becomes visible overnight. Fix permissions and write an acceptable-use policy first. See [AI & Automation](https://lnxinc.com/services/ai-automation/).

### Should we hire a low-voltage contractor or let the electrician pull the data cable?

A low-voltage contractor tests and certifies every run, labels both ends, and hands over as-builts. That documentation is what lets the next technician find and fix a cable. Ask whoever bids the work for sample test reports and a sample closeout package.

## About LNX

### Where is LNX, and what area do you cover?

LNX Inc. is at 1395 Wheaton Dr Suite 500, Troy, MI 48083. We work on site across Metro Detroit and Southeast Michigan, and take on projects in Michigan's larger cities. See the [service area](https://lnxinc.com/service-area/) for the full list.

### When can we reach you?

Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. Monitoring runs 24/7. Call (833) 569-5690 or use the [contact form](https://lnxinc.com/contact/).

### Will we deal with the same people every time?

Yes. We are small on purpose: the engineer who designed your network is the one who answers when it misbehaves, and nobody has to be brought up to speed on your environment. See [About](https://lnxinc.com/about/).

### Which industries do you work with?

Mostly [nonprofit organizations](https://lnxinc.com/industries/nonprofit/), [senior living](https://lnxinc.com/industries/senior-living/), [financial services](https://lnxinc.com/industries/financial-services/), [retail](https://lnxinc.com/industries/retail/), [professional service providers](https://lnxinc.com/industries/professional-service-providers/), [healthcare practices](https://lnxinc.com/industries/healthcare/), [manufacturing](https://lnxinc.com/industries/manufacturing/), [warehousing & logistics](https://lnxinc.com/industries/warehousing-logistics/), and [auto dealerships](https://lnxinc.com/industries/auto-dealerships/). If yours is not on the list, the work still rhymes. Tell us what your building and your auditors need.

### What happens after we contact you?

We look at the space, the stack, or the drawing set before quoting. You get a fixed written scope: what is included, what is not, who does what, and when. One project manager owns the work and stays your contact after handoff.

### Do you sell hardware and licensing?

Yes. We buy direct from HP, HPE, Microsoft, Zebra, and Star Micronics, so you do not pay a middleman twice, and the crew that deploys the equipment also supports it.

### Do you build custom software?

Yes, when nothing off the shelf solves the problem. You own the source code. Tools we built for our own work are free on the [open-source page](https://lnxinc.com/open-source/). See [Research & Development](https://lnxinc.com/services/research-development/).

Contact: https://lnxinc.com/contact/ or 833-569-5690.