How to choose an IT company in Miami: twelve questions that separate the good ones

The short answer. Ask every IT company the same twelve questions, in writing, and compare the answers. The good ones answer with numbers, names of tools and documents; the weak ones answer with adjectives. This guide gives you the questions, the answer to look for, and the answer that should end the conversation.

1. What does it cost, per user, per month, and what is included?

Look for: a published price or a written quote with inclusions listed. End it if: "it depends" with no range, or the security add-ons appear later.

2. Who answers when I call?

Look for: an engineer, within a stated time, from a South Florida office, in English and Spanish if your team needs both. End it if: a call center in another time zone with a ticket number and no name.

3. What are your response times, and what happens when you miss them?

Look for: written targets by priority and a credit when they are missed. End it if: "we respond quickly" with nothing in writing.

4. Who owns our passwords, documentation and equipment?

Look for: you do, always, handed over at any time and at the end with no fee. End it if: the provider keeps the firewall, the domain, the licenses or the documentation in its own name.

5. What security is included, and what is extra?

Look for: managed endpoint security, backups, multi-factor authentication and patching inside the plan, with the tool names. End it if: antivirus is called security, or backups are "available".

6. Can we see your rates page and your terms before we talk?

Look for: yes, on the website. End it if: pricing only after a "free assessment".

7. How do you handle a breach at 2 am on a Saturday?

Look for: 24/7 P1 response on the plan you are buying, a named process, and evidence they have done it. End it if: "we will call you back Monday".

8. Do you understand our compliance requirements?

Look for: HIPAA with a BAA, cyber insurance questionnaires, the frameworks they follow themselves (SOC 2 practices, ISO 27001). End it if: "compliance is your responsibility".

9. How many engineers, and how experienced?

Look for: senior engineers with years of experience, and who exactly will know your environment. End it if: one owner and rotating contractors.

10. What happens if we leave?

Look for: no exit fee, a documented handover, data returned or deleted with confirmation. End it if: an early-termination fee that exceeds a few months, or silence.

11. Can we talk to three clients like us?

Look for: yes, and public reviews that mention business work. End it if: no references, or reviews that are all about home internet.

12. What will you tell us that we do not want to hear?

Look for: a candid list of your risks after a first look, with a price for each fix. End it if: everything is fine and they can start Monday.

The questions to ask yourself

Do they answer in writing? Do they explain without jargon? Would you call them at 2 am? Do the reviews describe your kind of company? Is the contract one you understand?

How we answer

Every price is on our rates page: On-Demand from $119 an hour with no contract, IT Shield from $10 per device, managed plans from $120 per seat with a 90-day money-back guarantee, a 12-month locked price, renewal capped at CPI plus 3%, no exit fee and credits when we miss a response target. Engineers with a decade each, English and Spanish, three offices, 5.0 on Google. The rest of the twelve are answered on this site; ask us the twelfth on the first call.

Questions