Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about working with FIRN Services, from what we do and who we serve to how our support works and what to expect. Don’t see your question? We’re just a click or a phone call away.
What is FIRN Services and what do they do?
FIRN Services is a locally owned IT company based in Fort Worth, Texas. We provide managed IT services, helpdesk services, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, VoIP phone systems, and structured cabling for small and mid-sized businesses.
Most of our clients are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but we also support businesses with remote teams and multiple locations nationwide. We specialize in working with businesses in regulated and compliance-driven industries including healthcare, legal, and financial services.
Who owns FIRN Services and how long have they been in business?
FIRN Services was founded in April 2023 in Fort Worth, Texas by Bobby Boykin and George Castaneda. Bobby has 18 years of experience in IT and George has 16 years. The two have worked together at various tech companies since 2015.
FIRN was born out of relationships they built with clients at previous companies. When those clients needed new IT support, they reached out to Bobby. He and George launched FIRN together, starting with the same clients that had trusted them for years.
To date, FIRN has maintained a 100% client retention rate, meaning every business that signed on is still a FIRN client today. FIRN is locally owned and operated in Fort Worth, not a franchise or part of a national chain.
What areas does FIRN Services serve?
FIRN Services is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas and serves businesses throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including Arlington, Plano, McKinney, Irving, Frisco, Lewisville, Carrollton, Richardson, Denton, Garland, and surrounding communities like Keller, Southlake, Grapevine, and Grand Prairie. Because the majority of IT support and management is handled remotely, FIRN also works with companies across the United States. On-site support is available for clients in DFW and nationwide when needed.
What size businesses does FIRN Services work with?
FIRN Services primarily works with small and mid-sized businesses, typically companies with 10 to 250 employees. FIRN provides proactive IT support and security to businesses that need professional technology management but don’t have the budget or need for a full-time in-house IT department. Every engagement is built around the company’s actual environment and goals, not a one-size-fits-all package. FIRN also offers co-managed IT for businesses that already have internal IT staff and need additional support or specialized expertise.
What industries does FIRN Services work with?
FIRN Services works with small and mid-sized businesses across several industries, with particular expertise in regulated and compliance-driven sectors.Industries served include:
We also work with manufacturing, restaurants, and other industries. If your business runs on technology, we can help. Learn more about the industries we support.
What IT services does FIRN Services offer?
FIRN Services offers a full range of IT services for small and mid-sized businesses. Every service is built around proactive support, security, and minimizing downtime. Core services include:
What is managed IT services?
Managed IT services means you pay a flat monthly fee and your provider handles your network, security, backups, updates, and support. Instead of calling someone after something breaks, your provider is watching for problems before they turn into outages.
But the part most definitions leave out is what that actually looks like day to day. At FIRN, a managed IT plan includes 24/7 monitoring, helpdesk support for your team’s day-to-day tech issues, weekly system updates for all computers and servers, firmware upgrades for network switches and firewalls, cloud backups, unlimited remote support for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and vendor coordination so your team has one number to call for everything.
Beyond the day-to-day, FIRN also provides monthly ticket reports that track trends by issue type and by user, and Quarterly Business Reviews where we sit down and talk through your goals and IT roadmap, not just what’s broken today. Learn more about what’s included in a FIRN Managed IT Services plan.
What is the difference between managed IT and break-fix IT support?
Break-fix IT support is reactive. Something breaks, you call someone, they fix it, and you get a bill. There’s no ongoing monitoring, no security management, and no one planning ahead for your business. Managed IT is the opposite. You pay a predictable monthly fee, and your provider handles 24/7 monitoring, maintenance, security, helpdesk support, backups, and long-term technology planning before problems happen.
Break-fix can work for very small businesses with minimal technology needs. But for most small and mid-sized businesses, the cost of repeated emergency repairs, unplanned downtime, and security gaps adds up to more than a managed plan would have cost. FIRN Services has worked in both models, so we know firsthand why most growing businesses eventually move to managed IT.
We wrote a full breakdown of how the two models compare, what each one really costs, and how to figure out which one fits your business: Break-Fix vs Managed IT: Which Model Fits Your Business?
What is co-managed IT and how is it different from fully managed IT?
Co-managed IT is for businesses that already have someone involved in handling technology internally but need more support than one person or a small team can provide. Maybe your IT person is great at day-to-day support but doesn’t have the bandwidth for cybersecurity, compliance, or long-term planning. Or maybe they’re stretched thin and need a team they can hand things off to when the workload spikes.
With co-managed IT, FIRN works alongside your existing staff instead of replacing them. We fill the gaps, handle overflow, and bring specialized expertise in areas like security, cloud infrastructure, and vendor management. Your internal team stays focused on what they do best, and they have a partner to lean on for everything else.
Fully managed IT is for businesses that don’t have internal IT at all and want FIRN to handle everything. Co-managed is for businesses that have some internal capability but need it to go further.
What does a virtual CIO (vCIO) do for a small business?
A virtual CIO gives your business executive-level technology guidance without the cost of hiring a full-time Chief Information Officer. For most small and mid-sized businesses, bringing on a CIO at $150,000 to $250,000 a year doesn’t make financial sense. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need someone thinking strategically about your technology.
At FIRN, vCIO services include technology roadmapping, IT budgeting, vendor evaluation, infrastructure planning, and making sure your tech investments align with where your business is headed. Instead of reacting to whatever breaks next, you have someone helping you plan ahead so your technology supports your growth instead of slowing it down.
How much does managed IT services cost?
Managed IT services pricing depends on the number of users, devices, and the complexity of your environment. At FIRN, managed IT plans start at $99 per user per month. Plans include 24/7 monitoring, helpdesk support, cybersecurity, patch management, backup management, and strategic technology planning. Every business is different, so we provide transparent pricing after a free IT assessment so you know exactly what you’re paying for and what’s included.
Learn more about our Managed IT Services or call us today: (817) 309-7058
Is managed IT cheaper than hiring a full-time IT person?
In most cases, yes. A full-time, Sys Admin (Systems Administrator) employee in the Dallas-Fort Worth area typically costs $75,000 to $115,000 in salary alone, plus benefits, training, tools, and time off. And one person can’t realistically provide 24/7 coverage or deep expertise in every area from cybersecurity to cloud to networking.
With managed IT, you get an entire team of specialists for a fraction of that cost, with coverage that doesn’t take vacation days or call in sick. For businesses that need more than one person can provide but aren’t ready to build a full IT department, managed IT closes that gap.
Does FIRN Services require long-term contracts?
FIRN Services signs one-year agreements with new clients, and after that first year, the contract moves to month-to-month. We don’t believe in locking businesses into long-term contracts. The first year gives both sides time to fully implement our system, stabilize the environment, and see real results. After that, we earn your business every month. If we’re not delivering, you’re free to move on. We want clients who are committed to the process, not clients who stay because they’re stuck in a contract.
Does FIRN charge extra for on-site support?
Most IT issues are resolved remotely, and FIRN’s managed IT plans are built around that model to keep costs predictable. When an issue does require an on-site visit, we bill at an hourly rate with a maximum number of hours agreed on before anyone shows up. You’ll always know the scope and cost upfront. There are no surprise invoices after the fact. On-site support is available for clients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and nationwide when needed.
How fast does FIRN Services respond to support requests?
FIRN Services uses a tiered response system based on the severity of the issue. Critical issues that are preventing your team from working receive a response within one hour.
All response times are defined in your service level agreement so expectations are clear from day one. FIRN also provides an automated confirmation the moment a ticket is created, so you always know your request was received.
How do I contact FIRN Services for support?
FIRN Services clients have multiple ways to reach the support team. You can submit a ticket directly from a tool that lives in your system tray, call the support phone number, email the support team, or use a custom portal designed specifically for your business.
For critical issues, calling is always the fastest way to get a technician engaged. All support channels are available during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Emergency support for critical issues is available outside of business hours. Visit our customer support page for more details.
Does FIRN Services provide after-hours support?
Yes. FIRN’s managed IT clients have access to emergency after-hours support for critical issues that are impacting business operations. This includes situations like system outages, security incidents, or anything that is preventing your team from working. Routine requests like printer issues or non-urgent software questions are handled the next business day. After-hours emergency support is included in your managed IT plan at no additional cost.
Does FIRN Services support remote employees?
Yes. Many of our clients have employees who work from home, travel, or split time between the office and remote locations. We manage their devices, security, and connectivity no matter where they’re working. This includes VPN setup, cloud-based collaboration tools, mobile device management, and security policies that protect your business data regardless of where your team logs in from.
Remote employees expand your security perimeter, and that’s something a lot of business owners don’t fully think through. A personal computer on a home network connecting to your business resources creates risk if it’s not set up properly. FIRN makes sure those connections are secure.
Can FIRN Services handle our software vendor relationships?
Yes. Vendor coordination is one of the most underrated parts of a managed IT plan. When your team has an issue with their practice management software, their ERP system, or any business-critical application, they can call FIRN instead of sitting on hold with the vendor for an hour. We handle the back and forth, coordinate fixes, and make sure the resolution actually sticks. Your team has one number to call for everything.
What is a free Tech Check-up?
FIRN’s free Tech Check-Up is a no-obligation review of your current technology setup. We look at your network, security posture, hardware, software, and overall IT strategy to identify vulnerabilities, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. At the end, you get a clear picture of where things stand, honest recommendations on what needs attention, and a walkthrough of how to address any issues we find. The free Tech Check-Up is designed for small and mid-sized businesses that rely on technology to operate day to day.
What happens during onboarding with FIRN Services?
Onboarding is designed to be smooth and non-disruptive. We start with a thorough documentation phase where we learn everything about your current environment: network layout, devices, software, user accounts, passwords, vendors, and any existing issues. Then we install our monitoring and management tools, set up security protocols, and configure backups. Throughout the process, your team continues working normally. Most businesses are fully transitioned within the first 30 days.
How long does it take to switch IT providers?
Most transitions take between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on the complexity of your environment and how cooperative your current provider is with the handoff. We handle the entire transition for you, including coordinating with your outgoing provider to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Our goal is zero downtime during the switch.
What should I expect in the first 90 days with FIRN Services?
In the first 30 days, we’re focused on documentation, onboarding, and getting our monitoring tools in place. During days 30 through 60, we start addressing any immediate issues we’ve identified and begin proactive maintenance. By day 60 through 90, you should notice fewer disruptions, faster support, and a clear technology roadmap for your business. We also schedule a 90-day review to walk through everything we’ve done and discuss next steps.
Can I switch to FIRN if I’m under contract with another IT provider?
Yes, but you’ll want to review the terms of your existing contract first. Some providers have early termination fees or specific notice requirements. We’re happy to help you review your current agreement and plan the transition so it’s as smooth as possible. In many cases, the cost of switching is offset by improved service, reduced downtime, and fewer surprise bills.
How does FIRN Services protect businesses from cyberattacks?
We take a multi-layered proactive approach to cybersecurity. This includes 24/7 threat monitoring, an advanced managed endpoint detection and response tool on every device, incoming and outgoing email filtering to block phishing attempts, regular vulnerability scanning, and employee security awareness training.
We also manage your firewall, keep your software patched and up to date, and maintain secure backups so your data can be recovered if something does get through. No single tool stops every threat. It’s the combination and diligence that keeps your business protected.
Does FIRN Services help with HIPAA compliance?
Yes. We work with healthcare providers and businesses that handle protected health information (PHI) to make sure their technology infrastructure meets HIPAA requirements. This includes encrypted email, secure file sharing, access controls, audit logging, employee training, and business associate agreements. If you’re in healthcare and not sure whether your IT setup is HIPAA compliant, that’s exactly what our free Tech Checkup is designed to uncover.
What happens if our business gets hit with ransomware?
If you’re a FIRN client, we already have protections in place to prevent ransomware from reaching your systems. But if something does get through, we have an incident response process that kicks in immediately: isolate the affected systems, assess the damage, restore your data from clean backups, and get your operations back up and running as quickly as possible. Because we maintain regular, tested backups and monitor your environment 24/7, recovery is significantly faster than businesses that don’t have proactive IT management.
Does FIRN Services provide employee cybersecurity training?
Yes. Human error is the number one cause of security breaches, so we include security awareness training as part of our cybersecurity services. This includes simulated phishing tests, training modules on recognizing threats, and clear policies for handling suspicious emails or links. We make the training practical and relevant, not a once-a-year PowerPoint that everyone ignores.
Does FIRN Services manage data backups?
Yes. Backup management is a core part of our managed IT services. We configure automated backups of your critical data and systems, verify those backups regularly to make sure they’re actually working, and maintain recovery procedures so your data can be restored quickly if needed. Too many businesses don’t realize their backups are failing until it’s too late. We make sure that doesn’t happen.
Can FIRN Services help us set up and manage Microsoft 365?
Yes. We handle full Microsoft 365 setup, migration, and ongoing management. This includes configuring Exchange email, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and any other Microsoft 365 tools your team needs. If you’re migrating from another email provider or an on-premises Exchange server, we move everything over with minimal disruption. We also handle ongoing administration like adding new users, managing licenses, configuring security settings, and troubleshooting issues.
Does FIRN Services help businesses move to the cloud?
Yes. We handle cloud migrations for businesses moving to Microsoft 365, Azure, or other cloud platforms. We assess your current setup, build a migration plan that minimizes downtime, move your data and applications, and train your team on the new systems. Whether you’re moving from an aging on-premises server or just want to modernize how your team collaborates, we guide you through the entire process.
Is FIRN Services a Microsoft partner?
Yes. FIRN Services is a registered Microsoft Partner and a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) as an Indirect Reseller. This means FIRN can license, manage, and support Microsoft 365 products directly for clients, including Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive, with full billing and administration handled in-house. FIRN also holds a Fortinet Certified Fundamentals certification for network security and firewall management.
What remote monitoring tools does FIRN Services use?
We use enterprise-grade remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools that allow us to see the health and status of every device in your environment in real time. These tools alert us to potential issues before they become problems, like a hard drive showing signs of failure, a server running low on storage, or a security update that didn’t install correctly. Monitoring is what makes managed IT proactive instead of reactive.
Can FIRN Services set up VoIP phone systems?
Yes. We design, install, and manage VoIP phone systems that replace traditional phone lines with internet-based calling. VoIP gives you features like call routing, voicemail-to-email, mobile integration, and video conferencing, usually at a lower cost than traditional phone service. We help you choose the right system for your business and handle the setup so there’s no disruption to your operations.
What makes FIRN Services different from other IT companies in Fort Worth?
FIRN takes a proactive approach to IT instead of waiting for things to break. Every client gets 24/7 monitoring, monthly reporting on support trends, and Quarterly Business Reviews where we sit down and plan your technology roadmap.
We don’t just keep the lights on, we help you make smarter decisions about where to invest in your systems. The team managing your account actually knows your environment because they’ve been working with you directly. Decisions happen fast, you’re never just a ticket number, and you’re never passed off to a technician who has never seen your setup before.
Will I have a dedicated point of contact at FIRN Services?
Yes. When you work with FIRN, you know the people managing your systems by name, and they know your environment inside and out. That consistency matters because your IT partner should understand your business, not just your ticket queue.
Does FIRN Services provide technology planning and strategy?
Yes. Strategic planning is built into how FIRN works with every client. We don’t just maintain your current systems. We help you plan for where your business is headed. That means budgeting for hardware refreshes before equipment fails, recommending tools that improve productivity, and making sure your technology scales with your growth. Every client gets regular check-ins and Quarterly Business Reviews to keep the roadmap current.
Can FIRN Services help if we’re opening a new office?
Yes. We handle the full technology setup for new office locations, including network design, structured cabling, hardware procurement and configuration, phone systems, and security. We coordinate with your contractors and vendors to make sure everything is ready for your team on day one.
Does FIRN Services help with IT for mergers and acquisitions?
Yes. FIRN specializes in IT due diligence and technology integration for businesses going through mergers, acquisitions, or portfolio transitions. This includes evaluating the technology infrastructure of the companies involved, identifying risks and integration challenges, building a transition plan, and executing the technology merge so that both sides come together cleanly. This is a common need for our private equity clients who are acquiring or combining businesses and need a technology partner who understands the process.
Still Have Questions? Let’s Talk.
Every business is different, and the best way to get answers specific to your situation is to talk with us directly. Schedule a free Tech Check-Up and we’ll walk through your current setup, answer your questions, and give you an honest recommendation.
