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Service Statement

This Service Statement is our “owner’s manual” that generally describes all managed services provided or facilitated by Chat Tech Solutions (“Chat Tech”); however, only those services specifically described in the Quote will be facilitated and/or provided to you (collectively, the “Services”).  Activities or items that are not specifically described in the Quote will be out of scope and will not be included unless otherwise agreed to by us in writing.

This Service Statement contains provisions that define, clarify, and govern the services described in the quote that has been provided to you (the “Quote”).  If you do not agree with the terms of this Service Statement, you should not sign the Quote and you must contact us for more information.

This Service Statement contains important provisions pertaining to the auto-renewal of the Services your Quote, as well as fee increases that may occur from time-to-time.  Please read this Service Statement carefully and keep a copy for your records.

Auditing Services

An initial audit is required before we provide any services to you. Time expended in the auditing process will be charged to you or, if you have purchased a block of consulting hours, will be debited against those hours.

An audit may be designed to determine the readiness for, and compatibility with, the requested services.  Alternatively, the audit may focus on one or more areas of your information technology infrastructure (the “Environment”).

If deficiencies are discovered during the auditing process (such as outdated equipment or unlicensed software), we will bring those issues to your attention and discuss the impact of the deficiencies on our provision of the Services and provide you with options to correct the deficiencies.  Please note, unless otherwise expressly agreed by us in writing, auditing services do not include the remediation of any issues, errors, or deficiencies (“Issues”), and we cannot guarantee that all Issues will be detected during the auditing process.  Issues that are discovered in the Environment after the auditing process is completed may be addressed in one or more subsequent quotes.

Onboarding Services

Onboarding services are required before we provide any services to you. Time expended in the onboarding process will be charged to you or, if you have purchased a block of consulting hours, will be debited against those hours.

If onboarding services are provided under the Quote, then the following services may be provided to you.

  • Uninstall any monitoring tools or other software installed by previous IT consultants.
  • Compile a full inventory of all protected servers, workstations, and laptops.
  • Uninstall any previous virus protection and install our managed antivirus application.
  • Install remote support access application on each managed device to enable remote support.
  • Configure patch management application and check for missing security updates.
  • Uninstall unsafe applications or applications that are no longer necessary.
  • Optimize device performance including disk cleanup, antivirus, and spyware scans.
  • Review firewall configuration and other network infrastructure devices.
  • Review status of battery backup protection on all devices.
  • Stabilize network and assure that all devices can securely access the file server.
  • Review and document current server configuration and status.
  • Determine existing backup strategy and status; prepare backup options for consideration.
  • Review password policies and update user and device passwords.
  • As applicable, make recommendations for changes that should be considered to the managed environment.

The foregoing list is subject to change if we determine, in our discretion, that different or additional onboarding activities are required.

If deficiencies are discovered during the onboarding process, we will bring those issues to your attention and discuss the impact of the deficiencies on our provision of our monthly managed services.  Please note, unless otherwise expressly stated in the Quote, onboarding-related services do not include the remediation of any issues, errors, or deficiencies (“Issues”), and we cannot guarantee that all Issues will be detected during the onboarding process.

Ongoing / Recurring Services

Ongoing/recurring services are services that are provided to you on an ongoing basis and, unless otherwise indicated in a Quote, are billed to you monthly. Ongoing services generally begin upon the completion of onboarding services; therefore, any delays or interruptions to the onboarding services may delay the commencement of ongoing/recurring services.

Depending on the Service provided and your IT environment, ongoing/recurring services may have different commencement or “go live” dates.  Please ask your technician for details concerning the start dates for your selected Services.

Managed Services

The following details explain and define the scope and limitations of the Services.

Remote Help Desk. On-demand remote support applications give our team the ability troubleshoot issues quickly and is used in relation to any/all managed services.

  • Upon running an application and approving our access our technicians can remotely take control of your computer to troubleshoot issues, transfer files, run diagnostics tools, and send commands. You may terminate the remote support application and discontinue our access at any time.
  • Unattended remote support applications require a software to be always installed on your computers. These applications provide our technicians with ability to remotely take control of your computer to troubleshoot issues, transfer files, run diagnostics tools, and send commands. Unattended remote support applications require no user intervention for our technicians to connect or disconnect from your device.
  • Remote support applications capture computer and user data. Such information includes but not limited to computer specifications, user activity history, network information, time zone, list of installed software, screenshot of desktop.
  • Remote support applications update automatically as required.
  • Unless requested otherwise by the client in writing all client devices that are enrolled in CTS Care services would have unattended support application installed and enabled.
  • Our technicians use remote support applications when you request help and are aware of our access at the time we provide support. Under rare circumstances our technicians may access your computer using these tools to address critical issues without your knowledge.
  • Privacy settings may have to be altered on operating systems for our remote support applications to function properly. Updates on some operating systems, such as major MAC version upgrades, may require reconfiguring privacy settings for remote support applications to function properly.

Billable Events.  Any client assistance regarding use, configuration, management, or good practices of a computer would be considered a billable event. CTS team may optionally suggest additional work during a support session such as complete malware scan of a client device. All optional recommendations would be considered a billable event. When unsure, user should inquire with the CTS team member on billing related questions prior to any work being completed.

Reboots. CTS team may require client to reboot a device or trigger a reboot to complete necessary remote remediation steps. It’s users’ responsibility to ensure closing out of all open programs and save their work. CTS team is not responsible for any data loss that could take place at the time of remote remediation.

Resale Disclaimer. CTS tools are a collection of complex applications written by various companies with the specific purpose of assisting IT companies in managing client environments. At CTS, we evaluate and use our best judgment when selecting tools to deploy in client environments to ensure tools we use are produced and maintained by reputable vendors. While number of checks do exist, we can’t guarantee tools from being free of defect or vulnerabilities. As with any software, if and when such issues are detected, we rely on developers of such tools to address them promptly. CTS team has no control or access to development process of tools and can’t be held responsible for any damage caused by any event involving potential issues caused by defects or vulnerabilities of tools we deploy.

The following Services, if listed in the Quote, will be provided to you.

 
Labor (IT Care Credits)
CTS IT Care is an ongoing retainer-type service through which we will provide you with our professional services, and the time expended by us will be debited against a pre-purchased block of consulting hours.
Service Hours; Scope.  The initial amount of consulting hours purchased by you are as indicated in the Quote (“Consulting Hours”).  (Consulting Hours are subject to automatic replenishment—see “Replenishment” section, below).  The scope of the services will be mutually determined between you and us on an “as requested” basis.
Timing.  All services will be provided during CTS’ normal business hours only and are subject to technician availability.  After-hours services may be available, in our discretion, on a case-by-case basis and at additional cost.
Fees. Fees for Service Hours are non-refundable. Upon the expiration or termination of our Services, any fees paid for unused Consulting Hours will not be refunded.
UsageUnless otherwise covered under an ongoing service plan, any time expended by us in diagnosing or evaluating an issue involving the Environment will be debited against the Service Hours. Please see the Service Plan table (above) for a description of services covered under your selected service plan.
Increments.  Unless otherwise indicated in the Quote, our technicians will bill for their time in thirty (30) minute increments.  Partial increments will be rounded up to the next highest thirty (30) minute increment.
Travel. Travel time is charged against your Consulting Hours. Please see the Quote for any minimum amount of travel time that we require for onsite services. You will be responsible for the payment, without markup, of all tolls, parking fees, reasonable gas expenses, and related expenses that our technicians incur while traveling.
Costs.  Additional expenses (if any) that we incur in the provision of our services to you, such as licensing fees, hardware and software expenditures, etc. will be billed to you without markup.  We will obtain your permission before incurring these fees.
Replenishment. We will endeavor to notify you in advance if it appears that the Consulting Hours will be insufficient to finish a project or service.  When your allocated Consulting Hours drops to two (2) hours or less, we will automatically replenish your Consulting Hours to the level indicated in the Quote, and we will invoice you for the replenished hours. In some cases, depending on your specific needs and/or historical usage, we may adjust the replenishment to an amount that is different than indicated in the Quote. If the replenishment will result in an amount that is higher than indicated in the Quote, we will notify you of the change in advance (email is sufficient for this purpose).
 
MB-Comp Basic 
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
Monitoring & Management

Features

  • Monitoring & Management tools deployed on PCs and MACs provide ability for CTS team to monitor and manage client computers proactively. Features include patch management, proactive monitoring, automated tune-ups, and remote remediation.
  • Tools provide CTS team with a weekly pending operating system update report. Our team then approve updates tested to be free of issues for deployment while blocking updates determined to cause problems. Closing all open applications at the end of your workday and keeping your computer on overnight will ensure updates get applied as approved by CTS Team.
  • Certain system events such as low disk space, predicted hardware failure, deactivated malware protection, and many more trigger notifications for CTS team to review and address proactively. Such monitoring events could be customized based on client’s needs and environment to provide our team with the ability to intervene promptly on various issues before they become a bigger concern.
  • CTS made maintenance scripts ensure computers operate at their best by executing once a week to optimize the system.
  • RMM tools provide our team with ability to respond and remediate issues detected efficiently. Our technicians can collect, and inspect information, send commands, and run scripts to resolve many issues upon detection often all in the background.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Since OS (Operating System), and app updates are managed by CTS team, users may be blocked from applying updates and or forced to apply them timely to ensure computer systems are patched timely. Users may be prompted to proceed when updates are pending and should do so immediately. Canceling or delaying updates may cause system vulnerabilities to remain which could lead to a security breach. Any security incident or issue caused by users blocking critical updates may require CTS team to resolve and manually apply necessary patches which would be a billable event.
  • OS, and app updates are often delayed for deployment to ensure they are fully tested, and bug free. In addition, major OS, and app upgrades may be held back from deployment for extended period of time as they often have various bugs and require a deployment plan. At any given time, it is normal for systems to be missing updates as well as be behind in OS, app release versions.
  • While we perform extensive testing before approving OS, and app updates, we can’t guarantee such updates being free from defects. Should we discover an issue stemming for an update, CTS team will assist with unrolling such update timely.
  • Certain OS, and app updates require computers or apps to be restarted. We may force this reboot or prompt you to reboot your computer in order to complete applying an important update. Canceling, ignoring, or skipping reboot prompts may cause update failures, software issues, and or security breach.
  • Some OS, and application updates may be approved and deployed more frequently than once a week when and if deemed necessary.
  • Certain applications can’t update if the app is currently open. Closing out of applications regularly and leaving your computer on will help it catch up with updates. If a necessary update is pending and it’s unable to go through, our team may force close an application to proceed with deployment.
  • Due to nature of RMM technology, variety of information is collected and stored from client devices. We only collect system status, and information. While extremely unlikely our tools may collect PII (personally identifiable information), and sensitive client data during their normal operation.
  • Due to security reasons, we do not share our monitoring scope specifics, and make no guarantees on proactively detecting any critical system event.
  • Monitoring scope, even if printed on any client proposal, invoice, or any other documentation may be modified if deemed necessary by CTS team.
  • CTS team is unable to provide any specifics on alert response times or make guarantees on prompt resolution.
  • Resolving certain monitoring events may require client to provide us with assistance, agree to follow specific steps, and/or purchase / replace hardware. If and when client fails to follow such guidelines, issue may get worse, and CTS team may choose to disable alerting of such events on client’s environment.
  • Under very rare conditions, monitoring system may fail to detect an ongoing issue. We ask our clients to report any problems / concerns promptly to CTS team.
  • Monitoring system does use small amount of system resources when in use.
  • Certain issues, when detected, could be automatically resolved by the monitoring agent without CTS team interaction. In such cases CTS team may not be notified of the system alert.
  • System monitoring alert logs, and historical data are flushed frequently.
  • CTS maintenance scripts often purge temporary files. While unlikely this process may purge various cached items such as browser history, recently opened files list, DNS cache, and more. Flushing temporary files may slow down Internet browsing until cache is built back up and effect users’ access to certain information.
  • Maintenance scripts often run at night and can’t execute properly when and if computer is offline, on standby, or have applications running.
  • RMM tools requires live, and constant Internet connectivity to devices in operate as intended.
  • Various system events such as improper security configuration or user interaction could interfere with maintenance scripts from executing properly. Such incidents may cause system corruption.
  • Maintenance scripts may not be sufficient to address all maintenance requirements of a computer. CTS team may have to perform manual tasks at which point there may be a billable event. Furthermore, computer may have to be replaced or upgraded if it does not have enough resources and/or has hardware problems.
  • While it is not possible to list all use cases, and purposes, our team would only utilize such tools to maintain and monitor client devices.
  • RMM tools are a collection of complex applications written by various companies with the specific purpose of assisting IT companies in managing client environments. At CTS, we evaluate and use our best judgment when selecting RMM tools to deploy in client environments to ensure tools we use are produced and maintained by reputable vendors. While number of checks do exist, we can’t guarantee RMM tools from being free of defect or vulnerabilities. As with any software, if and when such issues are detected, we rely on developers of such tools to address them promptly. CTS team has no control or access to development process of RMM tools and can’t be held responsible for any damage caused by any event involving potential issues caused by defects or vulnerabilities of RMM tools we deploy.
  • Remote remediation of issues may not always be possible by working in the background. CTS team may require remote or physical access to the device if and when issues can’t be solved by utilizing background tools.
  • Our team is highly trained, and use tested and approved methods when utilizing RMM tools to resolve issues. In rare circumstances issues may get worse and not respond to our attempts to resolve. We always make best effort to proactively, and efficiently resolve each support case but make no such guarantees.
  • Issues stemming from user actions, and user error would be considered a billable event.
  • RMM tools alert our team on any event that requires our team’s attention. Users can also request assistance should they detect a problem. Any action, or work requested by a client that is not defined as a requirement as part of a resolution or any additional request deemed not necessary to address an ongoing problem would be a billable event.
  • Any client assistance regarding use, configuration, management, or good practices of a computer would be considered a billable event.
  • CTS team may optionally suggest additional work during a support session such as complete malware scan of a client device. All optional recommendations would be considered a billable event.
  • When unsure, user should inquire with the CTS team member on billing related questions prior to any work being completed.
  • CTS team may require client to reboot the computer or trigger a reboot to complete necessary remote remediation steps. It’s users’ responsibility to ensure closing out of all open programs and saving their work. CTS team is not responsible for any data loss that could take place at the time of remote remediation.
Enterprise Grade Security

Features

  • Anti-Malware scans files at the time of access and applications at the time of execution
  • Scan and protection scope includes all internal drives including external devices such as USB storage drives.
  • When an infection is detected, the file or application will be automatically quarantined, and access will be blocked.
  • Full malware scans take place daily at 10pm local machine time. All internal drives and external devices that are plugged in at the time of the scans will be checked for malware.
  • If the device is offline at the scheduled scan time, the scan will not run and will be skipped until next scheduled scan time.
  • Threat definition updates are applied automatically as soon as they are made available by our threat protection partners.
  • Taskbar icon on PCs and MACs provide end users with the ability to perform on-demand anti-malware scans.

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Some features may not be available for MAC devices.
  • By default, all folders and files will be inspected by malware protection which may interrupt or prevent some applications from working properly. Once a support request is made or when we discover such incompatibility, such folders and files can be excluded from protection policy.
  • Anti-Malware protection may report crash reports, suspicious files for analysis, and send feedback on application status to our security partners.
  • Some updates may require system reboots to apply. Rebooting your computer daily is recommended.
  • Password protected or corrupted documents and files located within folders excluded from the scan profile can’t be accessed and therefore are not protected by the anti-malware protection.
  • Malware protection engine may scan internal as well as external network activity to monitor against threats.
  • Uninstalling or quitting the Anti-Malware agent may cause disruptions in protection service.
  • Files that have been quarantined can only be released by a CTS team member. Please contact our support team if you need such assistance.
  • Certain privacy settings may have to be altered on operating systems for our Anti-Malware agent to function properly. Updates on operating systems, such as major MAC version upgrades, may require reconfiguring privacy settings for Anti-Malware agent to function properly.
  • Anti-Malware agent or some of its components may require a password to be uninstalled. Proper off-boarding or on-boarding of this product should be completed by one of our team members
 
MB-Comp Plus
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
MB-Comp Basic ServicesMB-Comp Plus service includes everything listed under MB-Comp Basic services. The same limitations & exclusions apply.
Cloud Backups

Features

  • Backups execute once daily at 12pm local time for laptops, and 6pm local time for desktops.
  • Backups execute incrementally. Only files that have been created or updated since the previous backup are backed up during each execution.
  • Previous versions of files and deleted files are purged from backups after 60 days.
  • For computers that are still operational, backups are restored directly to the computer. Restores for computers that have failed are executed to another computer.
  • Backups services for PC and MAC computers are files based. User profile folders such as desktop, documents, downloads, music, etc. folders are backed up.
  • If the computer is offline at the time of a scheduled backup, backup process will resume as soon as computer is turned on and connected to Internet.
  • Between 9am to 6pm local time, upload speeds of backups are throttled to 2Mbit/s to minimize impact to the Internet connection during work hours.

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Cloud backups take time to complete. Powering off the computer, activating sleep more, or disconnecting Internet connection will interrupt backup process and cause backup failures.
  • Based on the backup size and the Internet bandwidth at the device location, initial full backup may take a few weeks to complete
  • Folders and files belonging to cloud sync services such as DropBox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, etc. are excluded from backups.
  • Uninstalling or quitting the backup application interferes with backup service executing as scheduled.
  • Backups do not contain system image, application settings, licensing information, or any configuration information. Restoring anything besides documents located within the backup profile selection is not possible.
  • Backup failures or interruptions due to computer being offline are excluded from monitoring policy. CTS team will not report on or respond in such cases.
  • Certain MAC OSx upgrades may invalidate permissions required by the backup application to execute properly. Please check to make sure full disk access permission is enabled for Backup Manager within MAC security & privacy settings.
  • While we make the best effort to address and resolve backup failures quickly, we can’t guarantee backups will always be current. Delays in resolving failed backups due to client cooperation or temporary failures may result in backups that are outdated by a few days.
  • Most ISPs provide slower upload speeds which negatively impacts the speed of cloud backups. Initial backups which contain a version of all files within the backup selection may take from few days to a few weeks to complete.
  • At the time CTS Care services are off-boarded from the computer (on or after date of off-boarding request) all stored backup will be purged and be unrecoverable
  • Backup agent or some of its components may require a password to be uninstalled. Proper off-boarding or on-boarding of this product should be completed by one of our team members.
  • Self-service restore is not possible. Our support team must be contacted to restore data.
  • Successful backups up to 2 weeks prior are considered current. Backups are monitored once a week.
  • Web filtering is only included in CTS Computer Care Plus plan and above
Web Protection & Content Filtering

Features

  • The web protection and content filter application blocks users’ access to websites flagged as malicious. Malicious websites are often flagged due to but not limited to containing malware, designed for phishing & deception purposes, crypto-mining, or containing botnets.
  • By default, no content filtering is enabled. If requested by the client, any combination of close to 40 content categories such as adult content, gambling, or social networks can be blocked.
  • When a site is blocked, user is displayed a splash page providing them with our contact information to reach to support team to request further assistance if needed.
  • If requested, account wide activity reports can be provided for security review and analysis.

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Web Filter may block legitimate sites due to improper site categorization. Our team can quickly allow list such websites once a support request is received.
  • Web Filter retains Internet and network activity information for reporting and troubleshooting purposes.
  • Account wide allow listing and block listing of websites may be applied to your account.
  • Uninstalling or quitting the web filter agent interferes with our service providing the protection as intended.
  • Certain privacy settings may have to be altered on operating systems for our Web Filter agent to function properly. Updates on some operating systems, such as major MAC version upgrades, may require reconfiguring privacy settings for Web Filter agent to function properly.
  • Web Filter agent or some of its components may require a password to be uninstalled. Proper off-boarding or on-boarding of this product must be completed by one of our team members.
  • Web filtering is only included in CTS Computer Care Plus plan and above
Mobile Device Management

Features

  • MDM (Mobile Device Management) tools optionally deployed on PCs, MACs, tablets, and smartphones when necessary to enforce additional security controls. They provide ability to block users from modifying critical system settings, enforce good security practices such as turning on disk encryption, require password complexity, and much more. Such security policies are determined by the security requirements, and operational needs of each client.
  • If an MDM solution is utilized, custom policy is created for each client which defines scope of such controls. This custom policy would be provided to the client to ensure everyone is aware of the specific controls in place.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Based on MDM policy in effect for your organization, certain settings and features of your operating system may be restricted and/or access to them blocked. Such settings and features may also be managed by CTS team based on the specific security policy in place to be forced enabled or disabled.
  • Computer password limitations such as complexity, expiration, and others may be deployed based on the security policy in place.
  • Certain user actions, and privileges within the operating system may be restricted based on the security policy in place.
  • Specific applications and/or security profiles may be installed on your device as part of MDM deployment.
  • MDM tools provide deeper access and abilities to computers they are installed on. Features such as remote wipe could cause data loss and leave computers inoperable. Our team makes the best effort when utilizing such features to communicate with clients and acquire proper authorization. We do not make any guarantees or assurances for loss of data and/or productivity.
  • Due to nature of MDM technology, variety of information is collected and stored from client devices. We only collect system status, and information. While extremely unlikely our tools may collect PII (personally identifiable information), and sensitive client data during their normal operation.
  • MDM tools require live, and constant Internet connectivity to devices in operate as intended.
  • MDM tools are a collection of complex applications written by various companies with the specific purpose of assisting IT companies in managing client environments. At CTS, we evaluate and use our best judgment when selecting MDM tools to deploy in client environments to ensure tools we use are produced and maintained by reputable vendors. While number of checks do exist, we can’t guarantee MDM tools from being free of defect or vulnerabilities. As with any software, if and when such issues are detected, we rely on developers of such tools to address them promptly. CTS team has no control or access to development process of MDM tools and can’t be held responsible for any damage caused by any event involving potential issues caused by defects or vulnerabilities of MDM tools we deploy.
 
MB-E&C Basic
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
Enterprise Grade Email Service

Features

  • Base layer of our email & collaboration suites are licensed products of Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Please refer to their respective resources on further details for these products.
    • CTS E&C Care Microsoft Basic mailbox base layer is a Microsoft 365 Business Basic license.
    • CTS E&C Care Microsoft Plus mailbox base layer is Microsoft 365 Business Standard
    • CTS E&C Care Google mailbox base layer is Google Workspace Business Standard

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Service offerings, billing, or any other change made by Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace will be reflected on the services we offer to you.
  • Unless otherwise indicated on the quote, no client user will have administrative privileges to the Microsoft or Google tenants. Should user require such access CTS is not responsible for any damage or breach caused directly or indirectly by their actions. In addition, investigating, resolving, and addressing such incidents are all considered billable events.
  • To administer services and products CTS support team is granted access to all email and collaboration data
Email Security & Encryption

Features

  • Inbound and outbound MX records for your domain are modified to route emails through Barracuda servers for security scans.
  • All external inbound and outbound emails including their attachments are scanned for security threats.
  • Daily digests are delivered Monday through Friday to each user listing all emails that have been flagged and quarantined.
  • Each daily digest lists messages quarantined since the previous daily digest. If no messages have been quarantined since the previous daily digest, user will not receive a new daily digest.
  • At their discretion, users can deliver quarantined emails and add senders to allow or block lists from daily digests and/or the quarantine user portal.
  • Emails flagged as security concerns are blocked. The list of blocked emails can only be reviewed by the recipient via the quarantine user portal. The sender of the blocked email will receive notification of the failed delivery.
  • When composing a message, email encryption can be triggered by including the word “(secure)” with parenthesis in the subject line of an email. When an encrypted email is received, instead of the email content with attachments, recipients will receive a link to the Encrypted Message Portal where they can create a login to access and reply to encrypted messages.
  • Outbound emails can be blocked based on various security threats including content containing a dangerous URL. Such emails would have to be delivered manually from quarantine user portal. Our team should be contacted investigate the reason for the block.
  • Email security system is operated by an AI that analyzes various pieces of information when flagging emails as security threats. Users should always exercise caution and review quarantined messages. Emails with security threats may pass the filter or legitimate emails may be flagged as threats.
  • Email storage space utilization for team members accounts are monitored by our alerting system for any suspicious change in patterns and/or empty space falling below the recommended threshold.

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Account wide allow listing and blocking of domain addresses may be applied to your account.
  • Domains may be blocked due to bad reputation, previous security incident, or website breach by our security partners. Sending or receiving emails from such domains would be impacted under such conditions. Please contact our support team for further assistance in such cases.
  • Adding senders to allow list is not recommended as this will bypass any security scan on email delivered by such senders.
  • All inbound and outbound emails that have been quarantined will be purged after 30 days and are not recoverable.
  • Proper off-boarding or on-boarding of this product should be completed by one of our team members and is considered a billable event.
  • All inbound and outbound emails within the Encrypted Message Portal will be purged after 30 days and are not recoverable.
  • Due to how Microsoft and Google deliver internal emails, such communications do not pass through email security system and therefore are not scanned against threats and cannot be encrypted.
  • Delivery of emails with attachments could be delayed pending security scans.
  • Domain records should be properly updated to ensure necessary references have been added to validate email security & encryption services. This can be done by our support team if we have necessary access to make changes to your domain
  • Email storage utilization alerts are received once per month per account. We contact offending accounts once per month to notify the account owner. If we do not receive written confirmation on recommended steps to resolve the issue or if the owner of the account does not promptly act once he is notified, the email account may run out of available space. Once an account runs out of available storage space, all incoming emails will bounce back to the sender.

Phishing & Secondary Threat Defense

Features

  • Immediately after emails are received, the phishing & secondary threat defense layer will inspect, and quarantine emails flagged as dangerous.
  • All inbound emails including their attachments are scanned for threats.
  • When an email is flagged as a threat, it will be removed from user’s mailbox. Quarantine notice will be delivered in its place, informing user of the quarantined email. The quarantine notice will provide details on the reason email is flagged as dangerous, and a link to receive the quarantined email should the user believe it is flagged improperly.
  • Users can deliver quarantined emails, add senders to allow or block lists from daily digests and/or quarantine user portal at their discretion.
  • Email security system is operated by an AI that analyzes various pieces of information when flagging emails as security threats. Users should always exercise caution and review quarantined messages. Emails with security threats could pass the filter or legitimate emails may be incorrectly flagged as threats.
  • Senders can be allow listed by our support team upon request. Adding senders to allow list is not recommended as this will bypass any security scan on email delivered by such senders.

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Account wide allow listing and block listing of domain addresses may be applied to your account.
  • All inbound and outbound emails that have been quarantined will be purged after 180 days and are not recoverable.
  • Proper off-boarding or on-boarding of this product should be completed by one of our team members and is considered a billable event.
  • Service requires administrative access to Microsoft or Google accounts to access and scan email communications
Account Hardening

Features

  • Microsoft or Google tenants are monitored for suspicious activity for our support team to respond security related incidents promptly.
  • Monitoring policies are tailored based on known security threats as well as client’s needs.

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Specific monitoring policies are not published for security reasons.
  • We deploy various monitoring policies to combat suspicious activity, however, we make no guarantees on detection or interception of suspicious activity
 
MB-E&C Plus
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
MB-E&C Basic ServicesMB-E&C Plus service includes everything listed under MB-E&C Basic services. The same limitations & exclusions apply.
Cloud to Cloud Backup Engine

Features

  • Cloud to cloud backups execute once a day to backup email & collaboration data.
  • For clients using Microsoft services, backups include emails, contacts, calendars, teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint data.
  • For clients using Google services, backups include emails, contacts, calendars, Google Drive, and Team Drive data.
  • Upon completion of the initial full backup, daily snapshots of incremental changes are backed up and kept indefinitely as long as account backup service remain active.
  • Entire mailboxes, documents folders, or specific items can be restored.
  • Data can be downloaded into a local device or restored to its original location.

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Successful backups up to 1 week prior are considered current. However, backups are monitored every business day and support team will resolve any backup failures promptly.
  • Self-service restore is not possible. Our support team must be contacted to restore data.
  • Upon cancelation of services or mailbox offboarding, all relevant data is deleted and cannot be restored.
  • Service requires administrative access to Microsoft or Google accounts to access and backup data.
  • Based on the backup size and API limitations, the initial full backup may take up a couple weeks to complete
  • Cloud to cloud backups are not included with CTS Email & Collaboration Care Basic mailboxes
 
MB-Net Firewall 12, 25, & 50
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
Enterprise Grade Network Firewall & Router

Features

  • Cloud enabled firewalls are managed and monitored by our team over an SSL connection.
  • All protected devices are assigned a local static IP address binding to the MAC address of the network adapters connecting to the firewall.
  • Based on the license type purchased limited and defined scope of devices are protected against threats. MAC address (network adapter identification) of devices that need to be protected must be registered on the firewall.
  • After initial firewall installation, client must submit a support request with our team to add/remove/update devices from the protected scope as needed.
  • Bypass devices (those that are not registered to be protected by the firewall) do not receive any firewall security or monitoring services.
  • While we can detect network outages our team does not respond to them as they are often caused by power outage or Internet service provider related issues. Client must notify our support team of an outage after verifying it is not related to an electrical issue or an ISP related outage before we can troubleshoot further.
  • Firewall will block visits to websites flagged as dangerous. Websites may be flagged for having malware, key loggers, phishing content, spyware, or other malicious intent. When a user is blocked, they will be prompted with a Chat Tech Solutions branded block page and can request whitelisting of a website by connecting our support team.
  • Firewall may block network activity for certain applications flagged as malicious in order prevent leak of data or spread of malware.
  • Firewalls support failover to backup Internet Service Provider to ensure Internet connectivity uptime when necessary. Such connectivity requires for client to acquire Internet service from at least two companies at once. Failover technology requires primary Internet provider to be completely down for at least 10 minutes before it can detect and switch over to the backup Internet provider. Should primary Internet provider restore service, even intermittent, firewall may detect and switch back to the primary service provider.
  • Unless otherwise requested by the client firewall will log visits to following content categories but will not block them: adult & pornography, gambling, hacking, illegal. Such logs are not reviewed unless a breach is detected and only used for addressing the vulnerability at its source.
  • Upon request various network activity reports can be send to the client on regular intervals. CTS support team will only review reports when troubleshooting a network issue or responding to a network security related event.
  • When necessary virtual local area networks can be deployed to isolate guest devices from the local network for security reasons

Limitations and Exclusions

  • Any number of devices exceeding the Firewall’s capacity will not be protected. For example, Firewall 12 only protects 12 devices.
  • Firewall firmware can be updated any weekday between 12am – 6am local device time which will trigger device reboot and temporary Internet outage.
  • When devices are added to protected scope internal network adapters of such devices are registered for firewall to identify them. Replacing internal adapters, using a different network adapter, getting computer hardware or computer itself replaced may cause for it to be removed from the protected scope.
  • DNS configuration for all connected devices may be altered to increase security and performance on the firewall level.
  • Firewall will retain up to 7 days of system logs.
  • Connected device policies, firewall rules, and connectivity uptime are not regularly monitored or maintained. Firewall configuration updates are applied as needed or when requested by the client.
  • Unless otherwise requested by the client or required for the project dynamically assigned IPs for connected devices are limited to 100
  • To protect against threats and track network activity various events such as visited URLs are logged by the firewall.
  • Certain firewalls may be configured to sync and/or export configuration and activity information to other network management devices used by our team to secure business networks.
  • Firewall on-boarding, off-boarding, and configuration update are billable events.
  • Virtual local area networks and network isolation may block devices on one network to communicate with devices on the other. For example, user connected to the guest network may be unable to use the printers on the primary network
 
MB-Net Switch / MB-Net Access Point
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION

Cloud Enabled Network Switch / Access Point Maintenance

Features

  • Cloud enabled network switches, and wireless access points allows our support team to perform various management and troubleshooting tasks remotely.
  • Tracking wireless bands being utilized by the network devices as well as connection quality helps our team remotely resolve wireless connectivity issues.
  • As long as devices are online and connected to the management dashboard, our team can remotely; reboot devices, change port configurations, update wireless SSID & passwords, setup virtual LANs, and perform most common configuration tasks.
  • To improve performance, enable new features, and apply security patches; devices receive firmware updates when available on any weekday between 2am to 5am local time.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Cloud enabled network dashboard will store various network activity and connectivity information for troubleshooting purposes. This includes but not limited to brand, type, and network address of connected devices as well as visited URLs and amount of data transmitted. Such logs are purged on regular intervals and only recent information is kept for security reasons.
  • Cloud enabled network devices do not include any monitoring service, all available technology is accessed on-demand when requested by the client or found necessary by CTS support team.
  • Canceling service plan on any cloud enabled network device will remove it from the management portal and our team will lose access to manage, configure or troubleshoot it going forward.
  • Devices without an active service plan will not receive critical or recommended software updates.
  • Under rare circumstances billable site visits may be necessary to further troubleshoot network and/or connectivity issues
  • Should you choose to switch IT providers, we would be happy to help transfer of access and management to them. New IT provider must have necessary qualifications and partnerships established with manufacturers of products and services that are being moved over.
  • Service plan on networking devices do not extend or enhance the limited warranty provided by the manufacturer (in most cases 1 year). Warranty service and/or process of acquiring a replacement device may cause delays in resolving network related issues.
  • Compatible ISP equipment, and Internet plan is required to take advantage of all available features. Furthermore, certain security, and configuration options may not be available if CTS network care equipment is installed in a mixed environment with other network equipment or devices not provided or managed by us.
  • Changing how wireless devices are connected to Internet by using different SSIDs, moving devices to other jacks, or manipulating how network devices are wired together may cause unexpected connectivity issues and some cases could damage the network equipment. Please contact our team first should you need to make such changes.
 
MB-Net Monitor
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION

Network Performance & Security Monitoring

 

Features

  • Cloud network monitoring technology is offered as an optional add-on service.
  • CTS network monitoring device is installed on your local network to monitor and report on the security and status of your network.
  • Connected devices, network maps, important network device statuses, as well as Internet uptime is tracked.
  • Monthly reports generated and emailed to a desired contact from your team to review an easy to read network summary. Giving you insight on uptime of important network devices, other devices that have connected to your network throughout the month, average daily Internet speed tests, and Internet uptime will help you be informed.
  • Based on your network infrastructure custom alerts are configured to notify our team of any network related incidents that require our attention
  • Additional features such as open port scan ensures your network is secured properly.
  • When combined with CTS network devices, network topology is automatically generated and updated. This helps our team visualize your network when helping remotely.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Alerting of network events require Internet connectivity. Security alerts may be delayed in communication if and when there is a connectivity issue.
  • Up to 30 days of network data is retained to generate reports or assist with troubleshooting. All logs older than 30 days are automatically purged.
  • Network performance tests require download, and upload of sample files during which time Internet connection may slow down temporarily
 
MB-Web Domain
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
Domain Registration

Features

  • CTS domain registration ensures your domain is current by letting us handle the renewals. We track renewals and execute them in advance to avoid major potential disruptions to your business and email services.
  • All domains are registered with complete privacy to ensure your business information is not shared online.
  • Our team monitors domain record changes and deploys a lock to secure your domain and its configuration.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • All domains are registered to CTS account become CTS property however we can assist with transferring them out should you choose to terminate your services with us.
  • Our team can assist with making changes or updates to domain records however we are unable to grant such access to you or a 3rd party for security reasons.
  • Domain registration and ownership information will indicate CTS as the contact. This information is masked for privacy however any domain related communications will be directed to us.
  • CTS team will assist when transferring domains in/out. During such transfers we may require access to administrative panel of sending/receiving service provider to ensure a smooth transition
  • We do not make any guarantees on detecting or taking action on all fraud DNS record changes.
  • When necessary, updating domain records could take from a couple hours to a few days which may delay activating or restoring access to services.
  • Our team will always make the best effort to contact you promptly on any issue that requires your attention. In the event we are unable to reach a member of your team on an unpaid balance over 30 days, confirmation on renewals, or any other matter of importance for longer than 30 days, we may release your domain registration.
  • CTS can’t be held responsible for any consequences stemming from us releasing the registration of your domain, name being purchased by someone else after we release it, or you lose access to the name along with any services your business may require.
  • All support requests for domain transfers and DNS record changes are executed at the discretion of CTS team.
  • We may decline releasing any client domain who has a past due balance with CTS.
  • Domain transfers are considered a billable event.
  • All domain related support, admin, or billing requests must be submitted as a support ticket in writing
 
MB-Web HTML-App
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
Cloud App Hosting & Monitoring

Features

  • Linux hosting plans for various use cases such as web apps are tailored and priced based on client’s requirements.
  • Once daily snapshots of the entire hosting platform provides the ability to restore a previous version of your hosting environment (up to 30 days)
  • Hosting resources allocated for each website meet the needs of majority of small business websites with a room to spare. Additional storage, bandwidth, or other resources can be swiftly deployed as needed for an additional cost.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Monitoring of our Linux platform is very limited since it contains custom applications for each client. Please report any issues you detect to our team for a fast resolution.
  • Deployment, configuration, setup, and client walkthrough are billable events
 
MB-Web VPS
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
Virtual Private Server Hosting

Features

  • CTS cloud hosted virtual desktop plans are tailored and priced based on your needs.
  • Once daily snapshots of the entire hosting platform provides the ability to restore a previous version of your hosting environment (up to 14 days)
  • All virtual desktops run behind a firewall providing additional layer of security.
  • Virtual desktop services do not include security, patch management, maintenance, and monitoring of Windows operating systems therefore CTS Computer Care plan is deployed.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Connecting to virtual desktop require VPN connection to the firewall.
  • User’s Internet speed as well as its reliability may negatively impact remote desktop experience.
  • Certain features may not be available or different based on connecting device’s operating system type and version.
  • In addition to cost of the virtual hosting platform, Windows virtual desktops require CTS Computer Care service which is billed separately.
  • Each client is required have a cloud firewall service which incurs additional cost.
  • Various elements including hosting related outages or security related events may cause extended outages when it comes to accessing your virtual desktop.
  • Deployment, configuration, setup, and client walkthrough are billable events
 
MB-Website Care
SERVICESGENERAL DESCRIPTION
MB-Web DomainMB-Website Care service includes one instance of MB-Web Domain services for the primary website domain. The same features, limitations, and exclusions apply.
Cloud Website Hosting

Features

  • CTS cloud website hosting platform consists of clusters of servers located throughout the world providing superior uptime, and performance.
  • Hosting resources allocated for each website meet the needs of majority of small business websites with a room to spare. Additional storage, bandwidth, or other resources can be swiftly deployed as needed for an additional cost.
  • Limited access to hosting platform can be provided to you or a 3rd party vendor when requested giving you direct ability to make minor updates or changes to your own website quickly.
  • One domain registration with privacy per cloud website hosting plan is included.
  • Hosting security stack provides layers of protection against various attacks. Access control firewall, DDOS mitigation, IP blacklisting, malware scanner, PHP hardening, spam filtering, SSL certification, and WP patching are some of the levels of security included with our platform to protect against malicious attacks.
  • Once daily snapshots of the entire hosting platform provides the ability to restore a previous version of the website (up to 30 days)
  • CTS team will test and deploy updates for the hosting environment as necessary to ensure vulnerabilities are addressed, and enhancements are added. Such updates will include WordPress plugins. Update review takes place once a week. Available updates will be queued for installation upon through testing.
  • Hosting environment utilizes content delivery networks to ensure high performance for

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Various factors impact website performance, security, and uptime. We prioritize maintaining, and monitoring of all of our cloud hosted services however make no guarantees on quality of service, uptime, or security. No refunds are offered under any circumstance on hosting services.
  • While we often catch and address issues proactively, due to nature and complexity of website monitoring systems, detection capabilities are limited. Please inspect your website’s content, and visuals frequently. In addition, please test website features such as contact forms and report our team if you detect any issues.
  • All updates are tested for critical backend errors, and conflicts before deployment. In rare cases website visuals or functionality of its modules may be adversely affected due to updates. We are unable to detect such issues therefore please test your website regularly and report any findings to our team immediately.
  • Website themes or plugins that have their own script/method deriving from the official update method will not be included in the weekly scans, and updates. Theme, and plugins will still be scanned for vulnerabilities and manual updates will take place, when necessary, as long as active maintenance license of such products are purchased by the client. There may be additional billable time assessed for updating custom themes.
  • Granting your team or external users of your choice with access to administrative panel of your website comes with great security risks. Client is responsible for any issues caused by user error.
  • AI technology combined with threat database continuously evolve in preventing most malicious attacks. In the event of a breach secondary security layer detect and notify our monitoring team to take immediate action. Due to the nature of ever evolving cybersecurity landscape 100% protection or detection cannot be guaranteed.
  • Daily snapshots may not contain must up to date versions of the website. All snapshots older then 30 days are automatically purged.
  • Email notifications for the website require an SMTP account, one can be provided for an additional monthly fee
Global Content Delivery

Features

  • CTS global content delivery network ensures your website content is responsive for all users regardless of their region.
  • Providing network security, visitor behavior monitoring, and bot detection ensures bad actors are prevented from taking down your website or infecting it with malware.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Security features can detect and respond to immediate threats however not all threats can be prevented. CTS makes no guarantees on stopping a breach of your website or its uptime.
  • To preserve security of our services, we are unable to share specific functions or features of our web security layers.
  • If and when an abnormal traffic is detected, visitor may be blocked or prompted with a web based challenge before proceeding to your website.
  • Fair use policy on web traffic and security events applies. Should your site require additional resources, we may require an upgrade with additional ongoing costs.
  • All manual remediation services for security events, update requests or report / log requests are considered billable events.
  • Event logs are flushed regularly we can’t guarantee having access to any historical data of changes or security events.
  • Technologies such as CDN cache website content for visitors. Caching may cause delays when reflecting most current changes or updates that have been applied to the website
Contact Form Module

Features

  • Most critical feature of your website is enabling visitors to connect with you. We standardize all contact forms, its updates, and functionality to ensure messages are delivered promptly after submission.
  • Deploying current iterations of CAPTCHA ensures spam submissions are prevented.
  • Submissions from web forms are kept at an online database as well as delivered securely via an authenticated email account which reduces delivery failures.

Limitations & Exclusions

  • Contact form module is only compatible with WordPress websites.
  • Visitor error, contact form module bug, or an issue with sending account could prevent submissions from delivering. We strongly suggest testing your contact forms regularly to insure they function as expected.
  • CTS team does not test or can guarantee functionality of contact forms. If you detect any issues, please submit a support request immediately.
  • An SMTP sending account is required for delivering submissions via email. If your account does not have a suitable one, we may require you acquire one through us for a monthly fee.
  • Contact forms may not look & function similarly across all devices.
  • In case of an email delivery failure with an online form submission, we may be able to retrieve information from the online database but cannot guarantee its availability.
  • Should online database containing your form data exceeds the allocated size, data older then 60 days may be purged
 

Hardware as a Service (HaaS)

HaaS Equipment We will provide you with the HaaS Equipment described in the Quote or, if no hardware is expressly designated as HaaS Equipment in the Quote, then a complete list of HaaS Equipment will be provided to you under separate cover.

Deployment. We will deploy the HAAS Equipment within the timeframe stated in the Quote, provided that you promptly provide all information that we reasonably request from you to complete deployment.  This deployment guaranty does not apply to any software, other managed services, or hardware devices other than the HAAS Equipment. If you wish to delay the deployment of the HaaS Equipment, then you may do so provided that you give us written notice of your election to delay no later than five (5) days following the date you sign the Quote.  Deployment shall not extend beyond two (2) months following the date on which you sign the Quote.  You will be charged at the rate of fifty percent (50%) of the monthly recurring fees for the HaaS-related services during the period of delay.  Following deployment, we will charge you the full monthly recurring fee (plus other usage fees as applicable) for the full term indicated in the Quote.

Equipment Hardware Repair or Replacement. Chat Tech will repair or replace HAAS Equipment by the end of the business day following the business day on which the applicable problem is identified by, or reported to, Chat Tech and has been determined by Chat Tech to be incapable of being remediated remotely. This warranty does not include the time required to rebuild your system, such as the time required to configure a replacement device, rebuild a RAID array, reload the operating system, reload and configure applications, and/or restore from backup (if necessary). If Chat Tech fails to meet the warranties in this section and the failure materially and adversely affects your hosted environment (“Hosted System”), you are entitled to a credit in the amount of 5% of the monthly fee per hour of downtime (after the initial one (1) hour allocated to problem identification), up to 100% of your monthly fee for the affected HaaS Equipment.  In no event shall a credit exceed 100% of the applicable month’s monthly fee for the affected equipment.

Periodic Replacement of HaaS Equipment.  From time to time and in our discretion, we may decide to swap out older HaaS Equipment for updated or newer equipment.  (Generally, equipment that is five years old or older may be appropriate for replacement).  If we elect to swap out HaaS Equipment due to normal, periodic replacement, then we will notify you of the situation and arrange a mutually convenient time for such activity.

Return of HaaS EquipmentUnless we expressly direct you to do so, you will not remove or disable, or attempt to remove or disable, any software agents that we installed in the HaaS Equipment.  Doing so could result in network vulnerabilities and/or the continuation of license fees for the software agents for which you will be responsible, and/or the requirement that we remediate the situation at our then-current hourly rates, for which you will also be responsible.  Within ten (10) days after the termination of HaaS-related Services, Client will provide Chat Tech access to the premises at which the HaaS Equipment is located so that all such equipment may be retrieved and removed by us.  If you fail to provide us with timely access to the HaaS Equipment or if the equipment is returned to us damaged (normal wear and tear excepted), then we will have the right to charge you, and you hereby agree to pay, the replacement value of all such unreturned or damaged equipment.

Covered Equipment & Supported Software

During our initial discovery phase, we will meet with you to determine, and agree upon, the number of devices that require managed services (“Covered Equipment”). As part of the discovery phase, we will also install software to detect if/when new devices are added to the managed network, and those devices will automatically be added to the list of Covered Equipment. Covered Equipment will receive our managed services; all other devices are out-of-scope and are not covered by our services.

Covered Equipment will also include (i) any computers that you bring to our attention and which access company resources (as described below), and (ii) any computers that, upon inspection, we determine are accessing company resources.

Please note: We require that all computers in your network be monitored and managed by us.  This not only includes computers that are permanently attached to and/or connected to your network, but all computers that may periodically connect to your network and from which you access company resources (e.g., notebook computers, “spare” computers, etc.).  You are required to notify us if you connect a new device or computer to the managed network, or if you are using a new (or previously undisclosed device) to access company resources.

We will support software for applications that are licensed through us, as well as any software that is required to provide the managed services to you (“Supported Software”). Coverage for non-Supported Software is outside the scope of coverage and is provided only on a case-by-case basis, and will be billed to you on a time/materials basis.  In all cases, software-related support is provided on a “best efforts” basis. We strongly advise you to obtain third party service / support contracts for non-Supported Software to minimize the amount of billable time that we expend in diagnosing and/or remediating non-Supported Software issues.

In this Service Statement, Covered Equipment and Supported Software are collectively referred to as the “Environment.”

Physical Locations Covered by Services

In all cases, Services will be provided remotely.  Onsite services, if requested or required, are subject to technician availability in your locale and will require the payment of additional fees and costs.

Term; Termination

Commencement Date. The Quote will be effective, and billing will begin, as of the date on which you accept the Quote (“Commencement Date”). Depending on the Services purchased and/or your IT environment, the provisioning of the Services may take up to ninety (90) days. Please speak to your technician for further information about the provisioning timeline(s) applicable to your purchased Services.

Termination. Unless otherwise indicated in the Quote, the Services under the Quote will continue until terminated by either party upon sixty (60) days prior written notice (email is sufficient for this purpose).  If the effective date of termination falls on a day other than the last day of a calendar month, then the effective date of termination will automatically be adjusted to be the last day of the calendar month in which termination is scheduled to occur, and you agree to pay us for the Services through that entire calendar month. Monthly payments are not subject to offsets, credits, or pro-rated refunds, regardless of the precise date on which one or more of the Services is transitioned to another service provider or terminated.

Transition. Any time we expend in transitioning your services to another service provider will be debited against your Consulting Hours.  If there are an insufficient number of Consulting Hours to cover those services, then we will bill for our transition services at our then-current hourly rates.  We reserve the right to require you to make advance payments if we believe, in our reasonable discretion, that your remaining Consulting Hours will be insufficient to cover the anticipated services. Per Seat LicensingRegardless of the reason for the termination of the Services, you will be required to pay for all per seat licenses (such as, if applicable, Microsoft NCE licenses) that we acquire on your behalf. Please see “Per Seat License Fees” in the Fees section below for more details.

Assumptions / Minimum Requirements / Exclusions

The scheduling, fees and provision of the Services are based upon the following assumptions and minimum requirements:

  • Server hardware must be under current warranty coverage.
  • All equipment with Microsoft Windows® operating systems must be running then-currently supported versions of such software and have all of the latest Microsoft service packs and critical updates installed.
  • All equipment with Apple® operating systems must be running then-currently supported versions of such software and have all of the latest Apple service packs and critical updates installed.
  • All software must be genuine, licensed and vendor-supported.
  • Server file systems and email systems (if applicable) must be protected by licensed and up-to-date virus protection software.
  • The Environment must have a currently licensed, vendor-supported server-based backup solution that can be monitored.
  • All wireless data traffic in the environment must be securely encrypted.
  • There must be an outside static IP address assigned to a network device, allowing VPN/RDP control access.
  • All servers must be connected to working UPS devices.
  • Recovery coverage assumes data integrity of the backups or the data stored on the backup devices. We do not guarantee the integrity of the backups or the data stored on the backup devices.  Server restoration will be to the point of the last successful backup.
  • Client must provide all software installation media and key codes in the event of a failure.
  • Any costs required to bring the Environment up to these minimum standards are not included in this Service Statement.
  • Client must provide us with exclusive administrative privileges to the Environment.
  • Client must not affix or install any accessory, addition, upgrade, equipment, or device on to the firewall, server, or NAS appliances (other than electronic data) unless expressly approved in writing by us.

Exclusions.  Services that are not expressly described in the Quote will be out of scope and will not be provided to Client unless otherwise agreed, in writing, by Chat Tech.  Without limiting the foregoing, the following services are expressly excluded, and if required to be performed, must be agreed upon by Chat Tech in writing:

  • Customization of third-party applications, or programming of any kind.
  • Support for operating systems, applications, or hardware no longer supported by the manufacturer.
  • Data/voice wiring or cabling services of any kind.
  • Battery backup replacement.
  • Equipment relocation.
  • The cost to bring the Environment up to the Minimum Requirements (unless otherwise noted in “Scope of Services” above).
  • The cost of repairs to hardware or any supported equipment or software, or the costs to acquire parts or equipment, or shipping charges of any kind.
  • Onboarding services

Support

Automated monitoring is provided on an ongoing (i.e., 24x7x365) basis; response, repair, and/or remediation services (as applicable) will be provided only during business hours unless otherwise specifically stated in the Quote.  Our current business hours are M-F, 9 AM – 6 PM Central Time, excluding holidays.

We will respond to problems, errors, or interruptions in the provision of the Services according to the severity of the issue(s), which will be determined by Chat Tech in our discretion after consulting with the Client.

All remediation services will initially be attempted remotely.  Chat Tech will provide onsite service only if remote remediation is ineffective and, under all circumstances, onsite services are subject to additional costs and fees.

Client must notify Chat Tech of any support issues by email (support@ctsitcare.com), by webform (https://ctsitcare.com/support), or by telephone (773-244-6313).  Notifications received in any manner other than described herein may result in a delay in the provision of support.

Fees

The fees for the Services will be as indicated in the Quote.

Changes to Environment.  Initially, you will be charged the monthly fees indicated in the Quote.  Thereafter, if the Environment changes then you agree that the fees may be automatically and immediately modified to accommodate those changes.

Minimum Quantities. Under no circumstances will the amount of Covered Equipment that is actually managed, provided, or facilitated by us fall below five (5) devices; similarly, under no circumstances will the number of MB-E&C Plus email boxes managed or provided by us fall below five (5) (the “Minimum Quantities”). Should you not meet the foregoing minimums, then you will be billed for, and you agree to pay, fees for the Minimum Quantities, and your rates will be adjusted automatically to meet the Minimum Quantities.

Increases. Your quoted rates and monthly recurring fees are subject to an annual price increase of 5% each year, with the first annual price increase to take effect with the January 1st bill. If an increase is more than five percent (5%) of the fees charged for the Services in the prior calendar year, then you will be provided with a sixty (60) day opportunity to terminate the Services by providing us with written notice of termination. You will be responsible for the payment of all fees that accrue up to the termination date and all pre-approved, non-mitigatable expenses that we incurred in our provision of the Services through the date of termination. Your continued acceptance or use of the Services after this sixty (60) day period will indicate your acceptance of the increased fees.

Travel Time.  If onsite services are provided, we will travel up to 45 minutes from our office to your location at no charge.  Time spent traveling beyond 45 minutes (e.g., locations that are beyond 45 minutes from our office, occasions on which traffic conditions extend our drive time beyond 45 minutes one-way, etc.) will be billed to you at our then current hourly rates.  In addition, you will be billed for all tolls, parking fees, and related expenses that we incur if we provide onsite services to you.

Appointment Cancellations.  You may cancel or reschedule any appointment with us at no charge by providing us with notice of cancellation at least one business day in advance. If we do not receive timely a notice of cancellation/re-scheduling, or if you are not present at the scheduled time or if we are otherwise denied access to your premises at a pre-scheduled appointment time, then you agree to pay us a cancellation fee equal to two (2) hours of our normal consulting time (or non-business hours consulting time, whichever is appropriate), calculated at our then-current hourly rates.

Automated Payment.  Unless otherwise stated in the Quote or your monthly invoice, all fees must be paid to us by credit card, and you authorize us to charge your designated credit card for all fees due and owing to us. If we authorize payment by ACH or check, then the following shall apply:

  • ACH. You authorize us to electronically debit your designated checking or savings account, as described in an ACH form or other consent method provided by us to you. This authorization will continue until otherwise terminated in writing by you.  We will apply a $35.00 service charge to your account for any electronic debit that is returned unpaid due to insufficient funds or due to your bank’s electronic draft restrictions.
  • Checks must be delivered to us prior to the commencement of Services. Checks that are returned to us as incorrect, incomplete, or “not sufficient funds” will be subject to a $50 administration fee and any applicable fees charged to us by your bank or financial institution.

Microsoft Licensing Fees. The Services require that we purchase certain “per seat” licenses from Microsoft (which Microsoft refers to as New Commerce Experience or “NCE Licenses”) in order to provide you with one or more of the following applications: Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Windows 365, and Microsoft Power Platform (each, an “NCE Application”). As per Microsoft’s requirements, NCE Licenses are not non-refundable and, once they are purchased, cannot be transferred to any other customer. Each NCE License that we purchase may require a one (1) year term (“Term License”). For that reason, you understand and agree that regardless of the reason for termination of the Services, you are required to pay for all applicable Term Licenses in full. Provided that you have paid for the Term Licenses in full, you will be permitted to use those licenses until they expire, even if you move to a different managed service provider.

Additional Terms

Authenticity 

Everything in the managed environment must be genuine and licensed—including all hardware, software, etc. If we ask for proof of authenticity and/or licensing, you must provide us with such proof. All minimum hardware or software requirements as indicated in a Quote or this Services Statement (“Minimum Requirements”) must be implemented and maintained as an ongoing requirement of us providing the Services to you.

Monitoring ServicesAlert Services 

Unless otherwise indicated in the Quote, all monitoring and alert-type services are limited to detection and notification functionalities only.  Monitoring levels will be set by Chat Tech, and Client shall not modify these levels without our prior written consent.

Remediation 

Unless otherwise provided in the Quote, remediation services will be provided in accordance with the recommended practices of the managed services industry.  Client understands and agrees that remediation services are not intended to be, and will not be, a warranty or guarantee of the functionality of the Environment, or a service plan for the repair of any particular piece of managed hardware or software.

Configuration of Third Party Services 

Certain third party services provided to you under this Service Statement may provide you with administrative access through which you could modify the configurations, features, and/or functions (“Configurations”) of those services.  However, any modifications of Configurations made by you without our knowledge or authorization could disrupt the Services and/or or cause a significant increase in the fees charged for those third party services. For that reason, we strongly advise you to refrain from changing the Configurations unless we authorize those changes. You will be responsible for paying any increased fees or costs arising from or related to changes to the Configurations, as well as any time we are required to expend (on a time and materials basis) to re-configure/remediate issues arising from those changes.

Dark Web Monitoring 

Our dark web monitoring services utilize the resources of third party solution providers.  Dark web monitoring can be a highly effective tool to reduce the risk of certain types of cybercrime; however, we do not guarantee that the dark web monitoring service will detect all actual or potential uses of your designated credentials or information.

Modification of Environment 

Changes made to the Environment without our prior authorization or knowledge may have a substantial, negative impact on the provision and effectiveness of the Services and may impact the fees charged under the Quote. We strongly suggest that you refrain from moving, modifying, or otherwise altering any portion of the Environment without our prior knowledge or consent.  For example, you should refrain from adding or removing hardware from the Environment, installing applications on the Environment, or modifying the configuration or log files of the Environment without our prior knowledge or consent. You will be responsible for costs and fees (including our fees on a time and materials basis), incurred as a result of your unauthorized changes to the Environment.

Co-Managed Environment 

In co-managed situations (e.g., where you have designated other vendors or personnel, or “Co-managed Providers,” to provide you with services that overlap or conflict with the Services provided by us), we will endeavor to implement the Services an efficient and effective manner; however, (a) we will not be responsible for the acts or omissions of Co-Managed Providers, or the remediation of any problems, errors, or downtime associated with those acts or omissions, and (b) in the event that a Co-managed Provider’s determination on an issue differs from our position on a Service-related matter, we will yield to the Co-Managed Provider’s determination and bring that situation to your attention

Anti-Virus; Anti-Malware 

Our anti-virus / anti-malware solution will generally protect the Environment from becoming infected with new viruses and malware (“Viruses”); however, Viruses that exist in the Environment at the time that the security solution is implemented may not be capable of being removed without additional services, for which a charge may be incurred.  We do not warrant or guarantee that all Viruses and malware will be capable of being detected, avoided, or removed, or that any data erased, corrupted, or encrypted by malware will be recoverable.  In order to improve security awareness, you agree that Chat Tech or its designated third party affiliate may transfer information about the results of processed files, information used for URL reputation determination, security risk tracking, and statistics for protection against spam and malware. Any information obtained in this manner does not and will not contain any personal or confidential information.

Breach/Cybersecurity Incident Recovery 

Unless otherwise expressly stated in the Quote, the scope of the Services does not include the remediation and/or recovery from a Security Incident (defined below).  Such services, if requested by you, will be provided on a time and materials basis under our then-current hourly labor rates.  Given the varied number of possible Security Incidents, we cannot and do not warrant or guarantee (i) the amount of time required to remediate the effects of a Security Incident (or that recovery will be possible under all circumstances), or (ii) that all data impacted by the incident will be recoverable.  For the purposes of this paragraph, a Security Incident means any unauthorized or impermissible access to or use of the Environment, or any unauthorized or impermissible disclosure of Client’s confidential information (such as user names, passwords, etc.), that (i) compromises the security or privacy of the information or applications in, or the structure or integrity of, the Environment, or (ii) prevents normal access to the Environment, or impedes or disrupts the normal functions of the Environment.

Environmental Factors 

Exposure to environmental factors, such as water, heat, cold, or varying lighting conditions, may cause installed equipment to malfunction.  Unless expressly stated in the Quote, we do not warrant or guarantee that installed equipment will operate error-free or in an uninterrupted manner, or that any video or audio equipment will clearly capture and/or record the details of events occurring at or near such equipment under all circumstances.

Fair Usage 

Our Fair Usage Policy (“FUP”) applies to all Services that are described or designated as “unlimited” or which are not expressly capped in the number of available usage hours per month.  An “unlimited” service designation means that, subject to the terms of this FUP, you may use the service as reasonably necessary for you to enjoy the use and benefit of the service without incurring additional time-based or usage-based costs.  However, unless expressly stated otherwise in the Quote, all unlimited services are provided during our normal business hours only and are subject to our technicians’ availabilities, which cannot always be guaranteed.  In addition, we reserve the right to assign our technicians as we deem necessary to handle issues that are more urgent, critical, or pressing than the request(s) or issue(s) reported by you.  Consistent with this FUP, you agree to refrain from (i) creating urgent support tickets for non-urgent or non-critical issues, (ii) requesting excessive support services that are inconsistent with normal usage patterns in the industry (e.g., requesting support in lieu of training), (iii) requesting support or services that are intended to interfere, or may likely interfere, with our ability to provide our services to our other customers.

Hosted Email 

You are solely responsible for the proper use of any hosted email service provided to you (“Hosted Email”). Hosted Email solutions are subject to acceptable use policies (“AUPs”), and your use of Hosted Email must comply with those AUPs. In all cases, you agree to refrain from uploading, posting, transmitting or distributing (or permitting any of your authorized users of the Hosted Email to upload, post, transmit or distribute) any prohibited content, which is generally content that (i) is obscene, illegal, or intended to advocate or induce the violation of any law, rule or regulation, or (ii) violates the intellectual property rights or privacy rights of any third party, or (iii) mischaracterizes you, and/or is intended to create a false identity or to otherwise attempt to mislead any person as to the identity or origin of any communication, or (iv)  interferes or disrupts the services provided by Chat Tech or the services of any third party, or (v) contains Viruses, trojan horses or any other malicious code or programs.  In addition, you must not use the Hosted Email for the purpose of sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages (“SPAM”) in violation of any federal or state law.  Chat Tech reserves the right, but not the obligation, to suspend Client’s access to the Hosted Email and/or all transactions occurring under Client’s Hosted Email account(s) if Chat Tech believes, in its discretion, that Client’s email account(s) is/are being used in an improper or illegal manner. If your use of Hosted Email results in your email domain becoming backlisted or blocked (i.e., listed on a blocklist, also knowns as a “DNSBL”), then we will work with you (at additional cost) to request and facilitate the removal of your blocked domain from the DNSBL. In extreme situations, we may be required to assign you a new IP address from which your email may be sent.

Patch Management 

We will keep all managed hardware and managed software current with critical patches and updates (“Patches”) as those Patches are released generally by the applicable manufacturers.  Patches are developed by third party vendors and, on rare occasions, may make the Environment, or portions of the Environment, unstable or cause the managed equipment or software to fail to function properly even when the Patches are installed correctly.  We will not be responsible for any downtime or losses arising from or related to the installation or use of any Patch.  We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to refrain from installing a Patch if we are aware of technical problems caused by a Patch, or we believe that a Patch may render the Environment, or any portion of the Environment, unstable.

Backup (BDR) Services 

All data transmitted over the Internet may be subject to malware and computer contaminants such as viruses, worms and trojan horses, as well as attempts by unauthorized users, such as hackers, to access or damage Client’s data.  Neither Chat Tech nor its designated affiliates will be responsible for the outcome or results of such activities. BDR services require a reliable, always-connected internet solution.  Data backup and recovery time will depend on the speed and reliability of your internet connection.  Internet and telecommunications outages will prevent the BDR services from operating correctly.  In addition, all computer hardware is prone to failure due to equipment malfunction, telecommunication-related issues, etc., for which we will be held harmless.  Due to technology limitations, all computer hardware, including communications equipment, network servers and related equipment, has an error transaction rate that can be minimized, but not eliminated.  Chat Tech cannot and does not warrant that data corruption or loss will be avoided, and Client agrees that Chat Tech shall be held harmless if such data corruption or loss occurs.  Client is strongly advised to keep a local backup of all of stored data to mitigate against the unintentional loss of data.

Procurement 

Equipment and software procured by Chat Tech on Client’s behalf (“Procured Equipment”) may be covered by one or more manufacturer warranties, which will be passed through to Client to the greatest extent possible.  By procuring equipment or software for Client, Chat Tech does not make any warranties or representations regarding the quality, integrity, or usefulness of the Procured Equipment.  Certain equipment or software, once purchased, may not be returnable or, in certain cases, may be subject to third party return policies and/or re-stocking fees, all of which shall be Client’s responsibility in the event that a return of the Procured Equipment is requested.  Chat Tech is not a warranty service or repair center.  Chat Tech will facilitate the return or warranty repair of Procured Equipment on a time and materials basis.  Client understands and agrees that (i) the return or warranty repair of Procured Equipment is governed by the terms of the warranties (if any) governing the applicable Procured Equipment, for which Chat Tech will be held harmless, and may require Client to pay return- or repair-related costs (such as restocking fees, postage, etc.) and (ii) Chat Tech is not responsible for the quantity, condition, or timely delivery of the Procured Equipment once the equipment has been tendered to the designated shipping or delivery courier.

Business Review; IT Strategic Planning 

We strongly suggest that you contact us from time to time to arrange business review/strategic planning meetings so that you may stay informed about recommended (and potentially crucial) modifications to your IT environment, as well as to discuss your company’s present and future IT-related needs. These reviews can provide you with important insights and strategies to make your managed IT environment more efficient and secure.   You understand that by suggesting a particular service or solution, we are not endorsing any specific manufacturer or service provider.

VCTO or VCIO Services 

The advice and suggestions provided us in our capacity as a virtual chief technology or information officer will be for your informational and/or educational purposes only.  Chat Tech will not hold an actual director or officer position in Client’s company, and we will neither hold nor maintain any fiduciary realtionship with Client.  Under no circumstances shall Client list or place the Chat Tech on Client’s corporate records or accounts.

Sample Policies

From time to time, we may provide you with sample (i.e., template) policies and procedures for use in connection with Client’s business (“Sample Policies”).  The Sample Policies are for your informational use only, and do not constitute or comprise legal or professional advice, and the policies are not intended to be a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.  You should seek the advice of competent legal counsel prior to using or distributing the Sample Policies, in part or in whole, in any transaction.  We do not warrant or guarantee that the Sample Policies are complete, accurate, or suitable for your (or your customers’) specific needs, or that you will reduce or avoid liability by utilizing the Sample Policies in your (or your customers’) business operations.

No Third Party Scanning 

Unless we authorize such activity in writing, you will not conduct any test, nor request or allow any third party to conduct any test (diagnostic or otherwise), of the security system, protocols, processes, or solutions that we implement in the managed environment (“Testing Activity”).  Any services required to diagnose or remediate errors, issues, or problems arising from unauthorized Testing Activity is not covered under the Quote, and if you request us (and we elect) to perform those services, those services will be billed to you at our then-current hourly rates.

HaaS

You will use all Chat Tech-hosted or Chat Tech-supplied equipment and hardware (collectively, “Infrastructure”) for your internal business purposes only.  You shall not sublease, sublicense, rent or otherwise make the Infrastructure available to any third party without our prior written consent.  You agree to refrain from using the Infrastructure in a manner that unreasonably or materially interferes with our other hosted equipment or hardware, or in a manner that disrupts or that is likely to disrupt the services that we provide to our other clientele.  We reserve the right to throttle or suspend your access and/or use of the Infrastructure if we believe, in our sole but reasonable judgment, that your use of the Infrastructure is violates the terms of the Quote, this Service Statement, or the Agreement.

Obsolescence

If at any time any portion of the managed environment becomes outdated, obsolete, reaches the end of its useful life, or acquires “end of support” status from the applicable device’s or software’s manufacturer (“Obsolete Element”), then we may designate the device or software as “unsupported” or “non-standard” and require you to update the Obsolete Element within a reasonable time period.  If you do not replace the Obsolete Element reasonably promptly, then in our discretion we may (i) continue to provide the Services to the Obsolete Element using our “best efforts” only with no warranty or requirement of remediation whatsoever regarding the operability or functionality of the Obsolete Element, or (ii) eliminate the Obsolete Element from the scope of the Services by providing written notice to you (email is sufficient for this purpose).  In any event, we make no representation or warranty whatsoever regarding any Obsolete Element or the deployment, service level guarantees, or remediation activities for any Obsolete Element.

Hosting Services 

You agree that you are responsible for the actions and behaviors of your users of the Services. In addition, you agree that neither Client, nor any of your employees or designated representatives, will use the Services in a manner that violates the laws, regulations, ordinances, or other such requirements of any jurisdiction. In addition, Client agrees that neither it, nor any of its employees or designated representatives, will: transmit any unsolicited commercial or bulk email, will not engage in any activity known or considered to be “spamming” and  carry out any “denial of service” attacks on any other website or Internet service; infringe on any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other proprietary rights of any third party; collect, attempt to collect, publicize, or otherwise disclose personally identifiable information of any person or entity without their express consent (which may be through the person or entity’s registration and/or subscription to Client’s services, in which case Client must provide a privacy policy which discloses any and all uses of information that you collect) or as otherwise required by law; or, undertake any action which is harmful or potentially harmful to Chat Tech or its infrastructure. Client is solely responsible for ensuring that its login information is utilized only by Client and Client’s authorized users and agents. Client’s responsibility includes ensuring the secrecy and strength of user identifications and passwords. Chat Tech shall have no liability resulting from the unauthorized use of Client’s login information.  If login information is lost, stolen, or used by unauthorized parties or if Client believes that any hosted applications or hosted data has been accessed by unauthorized parties, it is Client’s responsibility to notify Chat Tech immediately to request the login information be reset or unauthorized access otherwise be prevented. Chat Tech will use commercially reasonable efforts to implement such requests as soon as practicable after receipt of notice.

Licenses 

If we are required to re-install or replicate any software provided by you as part of the Services, then it is your responsibility to verify that all such software is properly licensed. We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to require proof of licensing before installing, re-installing, or replicating software into the managed environment.  The cost of acquiring licenses is not included in the scope of the Quote unless otherwise expressly stated therein.