Getting started
What is the first step?
A conversation. Thirty minutes, no pitch. We ask what you are trying to accomplish and where technology is getting in the way.
How quickly can you start?
Usually within a few weeks. If something is urgent or broken, faster.
Do we have to replace everything?
Almost never. We assess what you have, keep what works, and replace what is holding you back.
We already have someone handling IT. Do you still work with us?
Often, yes. We work alongside internal staff regularly, taking on the pieces they do not have the time or the specialty for.
Are we too small to work with you?
Probably not. Some of our clients are single-site clinics. If you are too small for us to help responsibly, we will tell you and point you somewhere better.
The work itself
What does managed services actually mean?
We watch your systems around the clock, keep them patched and backed up, and handle problems for your staff, for a fixed monthly fee. In most months you will not hear from us much, which is the point.
What happens when something breaks after hours?
You reach us. More often our monitoring catches the problem before you notice it.
Do you work with the vendors we already have?
Yes. Your EHR, your accounting software, your phone system. We work with them rather than replacing them.
Can you help us plan something new?
Yes. A new site, a new service line, a merger, a grant-funded project. Planning is the least expensive part of any project and the part most often skipped.
What is the difference between an IT vendor and a CIO?
A vendor answers the request you make. A CIO asks what you are trying to accomplish before answering. We do both, and for many clients we are the second one.
Security and compliance
Are you HIPAA compliant?
We build and manage environments to meet HIPAA requirements, and we document what we do so you can show your work during an audit.
What do you do about ransomware?
Prevention, monitoring, and backups that have actually been tested. The last one matters most, because it is the difference between a bad afternoon and a lost month.
Do you train our staff?
Yes. Regular security training and phishing simulations, because most incidents start with a person rather than a system.
What happens if we get breached?
You follow the incident response plan we built with you before it happened, and we are on the phone with you while you do it.
Cost and contracts
How do you price your work?
Managed services is a fixed monthly fee based on the size of your environment and the level of service desired. Projects, including adds, moves, and changes to your environment, are quoted separately, before the work starts.
Are we locked into a long contract?
We currently renew managed service contracts on a yearly basis.
Can you work within our fiscal year?
Yes. Most of our clients operate on one, and we are used to planning around budget cycles and board approval.
Do you offer nonprofit pricing?
We price with nonprofit budgets in mind from the start.
About CEM
How long have you been doing this?
Del has more than thirty years of experience in the field. CEM has been operating in Virginia for fifteen.
Where are you located?
Ashburn and Charlottesville, Virginia. We serve Northern and Central Virginia in person and support clients across the country remotely.
Who will we actually be working with?
A small team, which means you talk to the people doing the work.