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January 5, 2026
The right questions reveal whether your IT provider can truly protect your Franklin business from today's cyber threats.
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When your server crashes or ransomware locks your files, every minute costs money. Some Franklin IT companies promise “fast response” but take hours to even return your call. Others guarantee specific timeframes but only during business hours.
Ask for their guaranteed response time in writing. A reliable managed IT services provider should respond to critical issues within one hour, not “as soon as possible.” They should also explain what happens after hours—because cyber attacks don’t wait for Monday morning.
The best providers monitor your systems 24/7 and often fix problems before you even know they exist. That’s the difference between reactive IT support and proactive management.
Your Franklin business doesn’t stop at 5 PM, and neither should your IT support. Ransomware groups specifically target weekends and holidays when they know businesses have limited support available. If your current provider only offers “emergency” support through an answering service that pages someone who might call you back, you’re vulnerable.
Real 24/7 support means live technicians who can access your systems remotely and start fixing problems immediately. They should have your network documentation, know your setup, and be able to resolve most issues without waiting for the “regular” tech to come in Monday morning.
Ask specifically: “If my server goes down at 2 AM on Saturday, who answers and what can they actually do?” The answer tells you everything about their real capabilities. Some Franklin IT services providers have true round-the-clock support with certified technicians. Others just have an answering service that creates a ticket for Monday.
During the recent surge in cyber attacks hitting Johnson County businesses, companies with real 24/7 support recovered in hours while others waited days. When ransomware can cost small businesses an average of $165,000 in recovery costs, that weekend response time isn’t just convenient—it’s critical to your survival.
Generic answers like “we handle all your security needs” aren’t good enough when 68% of ransomware attacks target businesses with fewer than 500 employees. You need specifics about endpoint protection, email security, network monitoring, and backup procedures.
A qualified cybersecurity provider should explain their multi-layered approach in terms you understand. They should discuss firewall management, employee training programs, vulnerability assessments, and how they stay current with emerging threats. If they can’t explain what they do to prevent the most common attack vectors—compromised credentials and known security gaps—they’re not prepared for today’s threat landscape.
Ask about their penetration testing capabilities and how often they assess your vulnerabilities. The best Franklin IT services providers don’t just install security software; they actively hunt for weaknesses before attackers find them. They should also have incident response procedures ready if prevention fails.
Recent data shows that businesses with proactive security monitoring are 73% less likely to experience successful ransomware infections. Your IT provider should be able to explain exactly how they achieve these results for their Franklin clients, not just promise that “security is included.”
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When disaster strikes, how quickly can you get back to business? This question reveals whether your IT provider thinks strategically or just reactively. Average recovery time after a cyber attack is 279 days for businesses without proper planning—but it doesn’t have to be.
Professional managed IT services include comprehensive backup strategies, tested recovery procedures, and business continuity planning. Your provider should know your critical systems, understand your recovery priorities, and have documented procedures for getting you operational again.
They should also test these procedures regularly, not just assume backups work when you need them most.
Backups are worthless if they don’t work when you need them. Many Franklin businesses discovered this the hard way when ransomware hit and their “backups” were corrupted, incomplete, or inaccessible. A professional it services franklin provider tests backup integrity regularly and documents the results.
Ask how often they perform test restores and whether they verify data integrity. They should also explain their backup strategy—local and cloud copies, retention periods, and how quickly they can restore different types of data. The best providers use automated monitoring to ensure backups complete successfully every night.
Your provider should also have offline backup copies that ransomware can’t encrypt. This “air-gapped” approach has saved numerous Johnson County businesses from paying ransoms or losing years of data. If your current provider can’t explain their offline backup strategy, you’re more vulnerable than you realize.
Recovery testing should happen quarterly at minimum, with full documentation of what worked and what didn’t. During these tests, they should verify that critical applications start properly, data is intact, and your team can actually work with the restored systems. Many IT providers skip this step, leaving businesses with backup files that look complete but don’t actually function.
If your Franklin business handles protected health information, credit card data, or other regulated information, compliance isn’t optional. The wrong IT provider can expose you to massive fines and legal liability. Healthcare organizations face average breach costs of $3.65 million, making compliance expertise essential.
A qualified provider should understand specific requirements for your industry and implement appropriate technical safeguards. They should help with risk assessments, policy development, and staff training. Most importantly, they should document everything to prove compliance during audits.
Ask about their experience with businesses similar to yours and request references from clients in regulated industries. Generic IT support isn’t enough when compliance violations can shut down your business. You need a provider who understands that security and compliance go hand in hand.
Many Johnson County healthcare practices and financial services firms have learned this lesson expensively. The right IT services provider makes compliance manageable instead of overwhelming, with clear procedures and regular updates as regulations change.
The questions you ask today determine whether your Franklin business thrives or becomes another ransomware statistic. With cyber attacks hitting two-thirds of small businesses and recovery costs averaging $165,000, choosing the right managed IT services provider isn’t just about convenience—it’s about survival.
Look for providers who give specific answers, not vague promises. They should demonstrate deep cybersecurity expertise, offer true 24/7 support, and understand your industry’s unique challenges. Most importantly, they should be local enough to understand Johnson County businesses but experienced enough to handle enterprise-level threats.
When you’re ready to have these critical conversations with a provider who’s been protecting Franklin businesses for over 30 years, we at CTS Computers offer the expertise and local presence your business needs to stay secure and productive.
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