Frequently Asked Questions
68 real answers across connectivity, communications, cybersecurity, cloud, AI and managed services.
Connectivity
Fibre, LTE, 5G, SIM card and microwave internet.
What is fibre internet?
Fibre internet is a high-speed internet connection that uses thin glass or plastic strands (called fibre-optic cables) to send data as light signals. It’s much...
What is LTE internet?
LTE internet (Long Term Evolution) is a type of high-speed wireless internet that connects your devices through the cellular network. It's often used in areas...
What is 5G internet?
5G internet is the fifth generation of wireless mobile technology and offers incredibly fast and responsive internet access using advanced cellular networks....
What is SIM card internet, and how does it benefit my business?
SIM card internet is a form of mobile broadband where a data-enabled SIM card is inserted into a router, modem, or mobile hotspot device to provide wireless...
Can I use my SIM card internet as a backup for my primary connection?
Yes, SIM card internet is one of the most effective and affordable backup solutions for your primary internet connection. It ensures your business remains...
How can I back up and recover my data securely?
Data loss can happen for many reasons - accidental deletion, hardware failure, ransomware, or a system crash. That’s why regular, secure backups are essential...
What is microwave internet, and when should I use it?
Microwave internet delivers connectivity using line-of-sight radio links between two points, typically a rooftop dish at your premises and a tower or another...
How does microwave internet compare to fibre or SIM card internet?
All three get you online, but they solve different problems, and the right choice usually comes down to timeline, budget, and how much redundancy you actually...
Is microwave internet affected by weather conditions?
Yes, to a degree, but modern licensed microwave links are engineered specifically for South African conditions, and the practical impact is smaller than the...
What happens if my fibre connection is affected by load shedding?
Fibre itself, the physical glass cable, doesn't care about load shedding; light doesn't need electricity to travel through glass. What does need power is every...
Can I upgrade or downgrade my connectivity plan as my business grows?
Yes, and for most connectivity types this is a straightforward change rather than a full reinstallation, though the specifics differ by technology. Fibre Fibre...
What internet speed does my business actually need?
This is one of the most common questions we get, and the honest answer is: it depends far more on what you run than on headcount. A 5-person accounting firm...
Can I have more than one type of connectivity for redundancy?
Yes, and for any business where an internet outage has a real cost, whether that's lost sales, dropped calls, or a team unable to work, running more than one...
Communications
Hosted PBX, VoIP and voice systems.
What is an IP PBX / VoIP phone system?
An IP PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange) is a business phone system that routes calls over your internet connection using VoIP (Voice over...
Is VoIP secure?
Yes, when properly configured, VoIP is secure, but "VoIP" isn't one single security posture, it depends heavily on how the specific platform and connection are...
Does VoIP comply with POPIA and data protection regulations?
VoIP itself can absolutely be deployed in a POPIA-compliant way, but compliance isn't automatic just because you've moved to a modern platform, it depends on...
How do I set up a VoIP system for my business?
Setting up VoIP properly is less about the technology switch itself and more about a structured migration that avoids the common pitfalls: undocumented...
How do I reduce VoIP latency and call quality issues?
Poor VoIP call quality, choppy audio, delay, echo, dropped words, almost always traces back to one of a small number of underlying causes, and most are fixable...
What internet speed is required for VoIP?
VoIP itself is surprisingly light on bandwidth per call, roughly 100kbps for a standard call, though the real planning number is total concurrent usage across...
Can I use VoIP with a mobile phone?
Yes, and this is one of the more practically useful features of a modern hosted PBX, your business extension can follow you onto your mobile phone through a...
Can I keep my existing phone number when I switch to VoIP?
Yes. Geographic numbers, toll-free numbers, and most existing business numbers can be ported (transferred) to a new VoIP provider through a formal,...
What is an auto-attendant and IVR?
An auto-attendant is an automated system that answers incoming calls and presents callers with menu options ("Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support") to route...
What is Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)?
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is the system that decides which available agent or extension an incoming call should be routed to, based on rules you...
What is DID (Direct Inward Dialing)?
DID (Direct Inward Dialing) allows external callers to reach a specific extension directly, without going through a receptionist or auto-attendant menu first....
What is a voicemail system, and what is voicemail-to-email?
A voicemail system records messages from callers when a call goes unanswered, letting staff retrieve missed messages later. Voicemail-to-email extends this by...
What is unified communications?
Unified communications (UC) means bringing voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging, and presence status (whether someone's available, busy, or...
What are Busy Lamp Field (BLF) function keys?
Busy Lamp Field (BLF) function keys are programmable buttons on a desk phone that show, in real time, whether a specific colleague's extension is available,...
Is VoIP cheaper than traditional phone lines?
Generally yes, particularly for call costs and multi-site or growing businesses, but the honest picture is more nuanced than "VoIP is always cheaper." The real...
Cybersecurity
Firewalls, endpoint protection, monitoring and incident response.
What is cybersecurity, and why does my business need it?
Cybersecurity is the set of practices, tools and policies protecting your business's systems, networks and data from unauthorised access, theft, damage or...
What is a firewall, and how does it protect my network?
A firewall is a security system, hardware, software, or both, that monitors and controls traffic flowing between your internal network and the outside...
What is endpoint protection, and do I need it?
Endpoint protection refers to security software installed directly on individual devices, laptops, desktops, servers, and increasingly mobile devices, to...
What is SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)?
SASE (Secure Access Service Edge, pronounced "sassy") combines networking and security functions into a single, cloud-delivered service, rather than running...
What is dark web monitoring?
Dark web monitoring is a continuous service that scans hidden, non-indexed corners of the internet, forums, marketplaces and data dumps where stolen...
What is a SOC (Security Operations Centre) and do I need 24/7 monitoring?
A SOC (Security Operations Centre) is a dedicated team and set of systems continuously monitoring your network, endpoints and security tools for signs of...
What is ransomware, and how do I protect my business from it?
Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files, servers, or entire systems, making them completely inaccessible, then demands payment (typically in...
What is multi-factor authentication (MFA) and why is it non-negotiable?
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires a second form of verification beyond just a password to log into an account, typically a code from an authenticator...
How do I know if my business has already been breached?
This is a genuinely hard question to answer definitively without proper tooling, since sophisticated breaches are often specifically designed to avoid...
What is a POPIA-compliant incident response plan?
An incident response plan is a documented, pre-agreed process for what your business does the moment a security incident, a breach, ransomware, or unauthorised...
What's the difference between antivirus and EDR?
Antivirus is traditional, signature-based protection that identifies malware by matching it against a database of known threat signatures. EDR (Endpoint...
How often should I run a security assessment?
For most SMEs, a formal, documented security risk assessment should be performed at least annually, with continuous monitoring filling the gaps between formal...
Cloud
Cloud computing, migration, Microsoft 365 and disaster recovery.
What is cloud computing, and how can it benefit my business?
Cloud computing means running applications, storing data, and accessing computing resources over the internet from a provider's data centre, rather than on...
What is the difference between public, private, and hybrid cloud?
These three models describe different ways of structuring cloud infrastructure, and the right choice depends on your specific security, compliance and cost...
How secure is cloud computing?
Cloud computing, properly configured, is generally more secure than most SME's on-premises infrastructure, major cloud providers invest security resources at a...
What workloads are best suited for the cloud?
Not every workload benefits equally from moving to the cloud, and understanding which genuinely do (and which might be better left as-is, at least for now)...
How do I migrate to the cloud with minimal downtime?
A well-planned cloud migration can achieve minimal to zero perceived downtime for most workload types, but this depends entirely on proper planning, testing,...
What is Microsoft 365 management, and why outsource it?
Microsoft 365 management covers the ongoing administration of your organisation's Microsoft 365 environment, user accounts, licensing, security settings,...
What is disaster recovery, and how is it different from backup?
Backup is a copy of your data, kept so it can be restored if the original is lost or damaged. Disaster recovery (DR) is a broader, more comprehensive plan and...
Which cloud provider is right for my business: Azure, AWS or Huawei Cloud?
All three are credible, enterprise-grade platforms, and for most SME workloads, the "right" choice depends more on your existing technology ecosystem, specific...
What does cloud cost actually look like for an SME?
Cloud costs for a typical SME vary enormously based on what's actually running, but understanding the cost structure and common pitfalls matters more than any...
What happens to my data if I stop using a cloud provider?
Reputable cloud providers give you the ability to export your data before leaving, but the practical ease of this varies considerably depending on the...
AI
AI governance, GovernAI, and how artificial intelligence fits your business.
What is AI governance, and why does my business need it?
AI governance is a documented framework of policies, controls and oversight ensuring artificial intelligence tools are used within your business safely,...
What is GovernAI?
GovernAI is Innovo's AI governance framework, originally built and used internally for our own operations before being offered as a service to clients, aligned...
Is it safe for my staff to use ChatGPT or other AI tools at work?
It can be, but "safe" depends entirely on what's being entered into these tools, which specific tool or account tier is being used, and whether there's any...
What is an AI risk assessment?
An AI risk assessment is a structured review identifying how artificial intelligence tools are currently being used across your business (often far more...
What is agentic AI, and how is it different from a chatbot?
A traditional chatbot responds to questions or commands within a single conversation, answering what's asked, but with no independent ability to take...
Can AI actually answer customer calls?
Yes, with real, practical limitations worth understanding clearly, AI voice systems today can handle routine call types like after-hours inquiries, appointment...
How does AI intersect with POPIA compliance?
AI tools intersect with POPIA in several specific, concrete ways, most centrally around what personal information gets entered into AI systems, where that data...
What is AIOps monitoring?
AIOps monitoring refers to actively monitoring AI systems themselves for operational and safety issues, model drift, hallucination patterns, and...
Do I need an AI use policy?
Yes, and this is genuinely true regardless of whether your business has made any formal, deliberate decision to "adopt AI." If your staff have internet access...
What's the realistic ROI of adopting AI in an SME?
The realistic return on AI adoption varies considerably by use case, some applications deliver clear, measurable value quickly, others are genuinely still...
Managed Services
Managed IT support, structured cabling, hardware and multi-site management.
What does managed IT support actually include?
Managed IT support means an external provider takes ongoing, proactive responsibility for your business's IT infrastructure and end-user support, rather than...
What is structured cabling, and do I need it?
Structured cabling is a properly designed, organised, and documented network cabling infrastructure, following recognised industry standards, rather than an ad...
What's included in switching and hardware management?
Switching and hardware management covers the network switches, access points, and other core networking hardware that connect all your devices together, along...
How fast is your support response time?
Response time commitments should always be documented in a clear Service Level Agreement (SLA) rather than left as a vague, informal expectation, and the...
Do you handle hardware procurement?
Yes, managed hardware procurement means we source, specify, and supply the actual physical equipment your business needs, servers, networking hardware,...
What is patch management, and why does it matter?
Patch management is the systematic, ongoing process of applying software and operating system updates, particularly security patches, across every device in...
Can you manage IT for a business with multiple sites?
Yes, multi-site IT management is a genuinely common and well-understood requirement, though it does need deliberate, specific planning around connectivity...
What happens if I already have an in-house IT person?
Managed IT services and an in-house IT person are genuinely not mutually exclusive, many businesses run a hybrid model where an internal team member handles...