Frequently Asked Questions

Gator IT proudly serves businesses throughout the Tampa Bay area, including Safety Harbor, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and surrounding communities. View all service areas.

We offer 24/7 system monitoring and quick response for critical issues. Our helpdesk is available during business hours (Mon-Fri 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM), with emergency support available after hours.

We pride ourselves on fast response times. For most issues, our team can begin troubleshooting promptly, minimizing your downtime.

Absolutely. We support tax professionals and CPAs alongside other small businesses. We can help with IRS Publication 4557, SOC 2, and GLBA compliance requirements, secure tax software environments, and busy-season support. Contact us for details.

We specialize in small businesses (1-20 employees). We offer personalized, proactive IT support with a focus on true business partnership. We don't just fix problems; we prevent them, ensuring your technology aligns with your business goals.

Simply contact us for a free IT assessment. We'll evaluate your current setup, identify areas for improvement, and provide recommendations tailored to your business needs.

We offer flexible service agreements tailored to your business needs. While we prefer longer-term partnerships for better service continuity, we can do month-to-month pricing as well. Contact us to discuss what works best for your situation.

Our pricing is customized based on your specific needs, including the number of users, devices, and services required. We offer transparent, predictable pricing with no hidden fees. Schedule a free consultation to get a personalized quote for your business.

Our managed IT services typically include 24/7 system monitoring, proactive maintenance, helpdesk support, security updates, backup management, and strategic IT consulting. Services are customized to your needs, so you only pay for what you use. Learn more about our services.

For small businesses (1-20 employees), we provide enterprise-level expertise at a fraction of the cost of a full-time IT department. You get access to a team of specialists, 24/7 monitoring, and the latest security tools without the overhead of salaries, benefits, and training. This is especially valuable for small teams that need broad coverage without the cost of a dedicated IT staff.

We can help with both! We provide support for your existing equipment and can also assist with hardware procurement, setup, and configuration. We'll help you choose the right equipment for your needs and ensure it's properly configured and maintained.

During your free assessment, we'll review your current IT infrastructure, identify security risks, evaluate your backup systems, and assess your network performance. We'll then provide a detailed report with recommendations tailored to your business needs—no obligation required.

Onboarding typically takes 1-2 weeks, depending on your business size and complexity. We'll work with you to minimize disruption while we set up monitoring, configure security, implement backups, and document your systems. We'll keep you informed throughout the process.

Our onboarding process includes: (1) Initial assessment of your current IT environment, (2) Security audit and risk assessment, (3) Implementation of monitoring and backup systems, (4) Configuration of security tools, (5) Documentation of your systems, and (6) Training for your team. We'll work at your pace to ensure a smooth transition.

We configure automated backups based on your business needs—typically daily for most businesses, with more frequent backups available for critical systems. We'll work with you to determine the right backup frequency to protect your data without impacting performance.

Backup retention varies based on your needs and compliance requirements. We typically recommend retaining daily backups for 30 days, weekly backups for 12 weeks, and monthly backups for 12 months. We can customize retention policies to meet your specific requirements.

Our recovery time objectives depend on your specific needs and the type of incident. For critical systems, we aim for rapid restoration, typically within hours. We'll work with you to establish recovery objectives that align with your business requirements during your initial assessment.

Absolutely! We specialize in cloud migrations including Office 365, Google Workspace, and custom cloud environments. We handle the entire migration process—planning, data migration, user training, and ongoing management—ensuring minimal disruption to your business operations.

We support a wide range of cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and various industry-specific cloud services. We'll help you choose the right platform for your needs and ensure proper configuration, security, and integration with your existing systems.

We focus on small businesses with 1-20 employees—that's our sweet spot. We provide enterprise-level IT support scaled for small businesses across a range of industries. Our services are designed for companies that need professional IT support without the overhead of a large IT department.

We make switching easy! We'll handle the transition smoothly, including transferring documentation, setting up our monitoring systems, and ensuring continuity of service. We'll work with your current provider to ensure a seamless handoff with no gaps in your IT support.

Yes! We provide training to help your team get the most out of your technology. Whether it's new software, security best practices, or general IT training, we'll ensure your staff is comfortable and productive with your systems.

Gator IT proudly serves businesses throughout the Tampa Bay area, including Safety Harbor, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and surrounding communities. View all service areas.

Pricing is based on your service needs, not specific locations within our coverage area. Get a free quote by calling (727) 325-6126 or using our consultation form.

For most Tampa Bay locations, we can begin remote troubleshooting promptly and dispatch on-site support within 1-2 hours for critical issues.

Our primary focus is Tampa Bay, but we can provide remote IT support anywhere. Contact us for specific requirements outside our core coverage area.

IRS Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data, outlines federal requirements for tax professionals. All professional tax preparers must create and maintain a Written Information Security Plan (WISP). Non-compliance risks penalties, data breaches, and loss of client trust.

Yes! WISP development is absolutely something we can help with. We create comprehensive security plans tailored to your practice size, covering employee management, information systems, and incident response—all required by IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule.

The IRS Security Summit recommends six essential security measures: anti-virus software, firewalls, two-factor authentication, backup services, drive encryption, and secure VPNs. We help implement all six as part of your comprehensive security plan.

We support all major tax preparation software including Drake, Lacerte, ProSeries, CCH, UltraTax, and QuickBooks. Our team knows these platforms inside and out.

We offer priority response for tax professionals, especially during peak season. Critical issues are typically addressed within 15-30 minutes.

We provide ongoing WISP maintenance, regular security reviews, employee training updates, and continuous monitoring to ensure you stay compliant as regulations evolve and your practice grows. Compliance is an ongoing process, not a one-time task.

Yes. Federal law requires all professional tax preparers to create and maintain a Written Information Security Plan under IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule. This requirement applies regardless of practice size.

Non-compliance can result in IRS penalties, FTC fines, loss of client trust, and increased liability in the event of a data breach. The IRS actively audits tax professionals for WISP compliance.

While templates exist, IRS Publication 4557 requires your WISP to be tailored to your specific practice. Generic templates often fail audits because they don't address your unique systems, processes, and risks.

Typically 2-4 weeks, depending on your practice size and complexity. We'll assess your current security, develop the plan, and help you implement the required measures.

Yes. The IRS Security Summit recommends all six because they address different attack vectors. Anti-virus protects against malware, firewalls block network attacks, 2FA prevents unauthorized access, backups protect against data loss, encryption protects stolen devices, and VPNs secure remote access. Each is essential.

While some measures can be self-implemented, proper configuration is critical. Misconfigured security can create false confidence while leaving vulnerabilities. We ensure all six measures are properly implemented, configured, and maintained.

Most practices can implement all six measures within 2-4 weeks. We prioritize based on risk, implementing the most critical measures first while ensuring nothing is overlooked.

Great! We'll assess what you have, ensure it's properly configured, and implement any missing measures. We'll also verify that existing security measures meet IRS requirements and best practices.

All professional tax preparers must comply, regardless of practice size. This includes CPAs, enrolled agents, tax preparers, and anyone who prepares tax returns for compensation. The requirement applies to one-person shops and large firms alike.

Non-compliance can result in IRS penalties, loss of your Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN), FTC fines, loss of client trust, and increased liability in the event of a data breach. The IRS actively audits tax professionals for compliance.

While templates can be helpful starting points, IRS Publication 4557 requires your WISP to be tailored to your specific practice. Generic templates often fail audits because they don't address your unique systems, processes, and risks. Learn more about our WISP development services by contacting us.

You'll need your WISP document, evidence of implemented security measures, employee training records, incident response procedures, backup and recovery documentation, and records of regular reviews and updates.

First, secure your systems by disconnecting from the internet and changing all passwords. Then contact your IRS Stakeholder Liaison immediately, notify affected clients, and engage cybersecurity experts. Time is critical—the faster you respond, the less damage occurs.

Yes. Even the best security can be breached. A recovery plan ensures you know exactly what to do when an incident occurs, reducing response time and minimizing damage. The IRS requires tax professionals to have incident response procedures.

Not necessarily, but it depends on your response. If you have a recovery plan, respond quickly, and work with the IRS to protect clients, you're more likely to maintain your EFIN. Poor response can result in revocation.

Absolutely. We help implement the Security Six, develop WISPs, and provide ongoing security monitoring. Prevention is always better than recovery, but we're here for both.

We configure automated backups based on your business needs—typically daily for most businesses, with more frequent backups available for critical systems. We'll work with you to determine the right backup frequency to protect your data without impacting performance.

Backup retention varies based on your needs and compliance requirements. We typically recommend retaining daily backups for 30 days, weekly backups for 12 weeks, and monthly backups for 12 months. We can customize retention policies to meet your specific requirements.

Our recovery time objectives depend on your specific needs and the type of incident. For critical systems, we aim for rapid restoration, typically within hours. We'll work with you to establish recovery objectives that align with your business requirements during your initial assessment.

We'll work quickly to restore your data from backups. Our backup systems are designed to minimize data loss, and we'll help you recover as much as possible. The exact recovery depends on your backup configuration and when the last backup occurred.

Yes, we use secure offsite backup storage to protect your data even if something happens to your physical location. This ensures your data is safe from local disasters like fires, floods, or theft.