FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Everything behind our plans in one place: the support windows for each tier, response targets by severity, how we classify Critical incidents, and clear answers to the questions we hear most about managed IT.

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Support Hours & Response Targets

Clear, defined service levels so you know when you can reach us and how quickly we respond.

Essentials

Mon–Fri, 8 AM–5 PM ET

Excluding FringeIT-observed holidays.

Standard

Mon–Fri, 7 AM–7 PM ET
Sat, 8 AM–Noon ET

Saturday coverage is remote-first.

Secure

Mon–Fri, 7 AM–7 PM ET
Sat, 8 AM–Noon ET

Same window as Standard, plus 24/7 response for qualifying Critical incidents.

What a response means: a FringeIT technician has acknowledged the incident and begun triage. It is not a guarantee that the issue will be resolved within that time, and automated ticket-receipt confirmations do not count as a response. For Essentials and Standard — and for Secure P2–P4 — response clocks run only during the applicable Support Window. Only Secure P1 Critical operates on a continuous 24/7/365 response clock.

FringeIT response targets by severity and plan
Response target	Essentials	Standard	Secure
P1 Critical	Within 2 support hours	Within 1 support hour	Within 1 clock hour, 24/7/365
P2 High	Within 4 support hours	Within 2 support hours	Within 1 support hour
P3 Normal	Within 8 support hours	Within 4 support hours	Within 2 support hours
P4 Low / Service Request	Within 16 support hours	Within 12 support hours	Within 4 support hours

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What a support hour is: a support hour is one elapsed hour within your plan's applicable Support Window. Response times generally run only during that Support Window, except for qualifying Secure Critical (P1) incidents, which receive 24/7/365 response coverage.

How we classify severity

P1Critical

A widespread or severe incident substantially preventing the business from operating.

Complete site or major network outage
Major FringeIT-managed server or infrastructure outage
Production substantially stopped because of a FringeIT-managed IT failure
Active ransomware attack or confirmed active cybersecurity compromise
Multiple critical systems unavailable with no reasonable workaround

A single-user inconvenience is not normally P1.

P2High

A significant system or service is impaired and materially affecting operations, but the organization can still operate.

A department or group is unable to work
Major system degradation or an important application unavailable
Significant network performance issue
Serious security concern without an active confirmed compromise

P3Normal

A user, device, or noncritical system issue with limited business impact or a reasonable workaround.

Individual workstation issue
Individual Microsoft 365 problem
Printer issue or routine software troubleshooting
Noncritical access problem

P4Low / Service Request

A non-urgent request, planned change, or general question.

New user setup or permissions change
Software installation
Hardware recommendation
Planned configuration change or general IT question

How is severity classified?

Clients may tell FringeIT how urgent an issue appears to them. FringeIT determines the applicable severity based on actual business impact and may adjust the classification as more information becomes available.

How do Secure clients report after-hours Critical incidents?

Secure clients receive a designated emergency reporting process for qualifying Critical incidents outside normal support hours. After-hours Critical response must be initiated through that emergency channel — an ordinary contact form or general email does not start the after-hours P1 clock.

Does after-hours Critical response include onsite service?

Secure’s 24/7 Critical incident response includes remote triage and response. After-hours onsite service is subject to technician availability, travel, and applicable onsite or emergency labor terms. Onsite arrival times are not guaranteed unless expressly stated in a Service Order.

What about Saturday support?

Saturday Standard and Secure coverage is 8 AM–Noon ET and remote-first. For manufacturers running Saturday shifts, that means reduced Saturday remote support instead of automatically pushing every issue to Monday. It does not mean guaranteed same-day resolution or free onsite dispatch.

Published support hours and response targets summarize FringeIT’s current managed-service levels. Contractual service commitments, scope, exclusions, and escalation procedures are governed by the client’s applicable Service Order, Master Services Agreement, and Service Level Agreement. If there is ever a conflict, the executed client agreements govern.

Common questions

Plans and support, clearly explained.

What is a named user?

An employee who receives normal FringeIT helpdesk support and uses their own accounts and devices.

What is a shared or production endpoint?

A workstation used by multiple people who do not individually require normal helpdesk support, such as a shipping station, shop-floor terminal, or shared production PC.

Is Microsoft 365 included?

Microsoft 365 tenant administration is included with Standard and Secure. Microsoft license subscriptions are billed separately based on the licenses the business selects.

Is backup included?

Backup monitoring and management are included where specified by the plan. Backup software, cloud storage, appliances, and other backup infrastructure are priced separately based on the client’s environment.

Is onsite service unlimited?

No. Standard and Secure include a set number of onsite hours each month. Additional onsite work is billed separately. Included hours do not roll over and do not apply to separately quoted projects.

What about projects?

Cabling, network buildouts, migrations, phone-system installations, surveillance and access-control projects, hardware deployments, and other fixed-scope projects are quoted separately.

How is onsite labor billed?

Standard onsite labor is billed at our published hourly rate with a minimum per visit. We’ll confirm the current rate and minimum as part of your quote.

What are FringeIT’s support hours?

Essentials includes remote support Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM ET. Standard and Secure include extended hours Monday–Friday, 7 AM–7 PM ET plus Saturday, 8 AM–Noon ET (remote-first). Secure also adds 24/7 response for qualifying Critical incidents.

What does a response target mean?

A response means a FringeIT technician has acknowledged the incident and begun triage. It is not a guarantee that the issue will be resolved within that time, and automated ticket-receipt confirmations do not count as a response.

Does Secure include 24/7 support?

Secure includes 24/7 response for qualifying Critical incidents. Routine requests remain subject to the normal Secure Support Window.

What qualifies as Critical?

A P1 Critical incident is a widespread or severe issue substantially preventing the business from operating — for example, a major network or FringeIT-managed server outage, an active ransomware attack, or production substantially stopped by a FringeIT-managed IT failure. A single-user inconvenience is not normally Critical.

Does Saturday support include onsite visits?

Saturday Standard and Secure coverage is remote-first. Onsite service is subject to availability and applicable onsite or after-hours terms.

Are resolution times guaranteed?

No. FringeIT commits to response targets, while actual resolution time depends on the issue and factors such as vendors, hardware, connectivity, and complexity.

Still have questions about the right plan?

Tell us about your environment and we'll help you figure out which level of support fits — no pressure, no jargon.

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Based in Sterling Heights • Serving Metro Detroit