Common questions from vet clinics

Most general IT companies have never worked inside a veterinary clinic before, which means the first few hours of any engagement go toward them learning what Cornerstone, Avimark, or an Idexx Catalyst even is — time you end up paying for. Redwood Vet Tech is run by a licensed Registered Veterinary Technician with 14 years of hands-on clinic experience, so we already understand your workflow, your practice management software, and your lab equipment on day one. We're not generalists who happen to take vet clients — veterinary IT support is the entire business.

We're based in and currently focused on Marin County, California, including Novato, San Rafael, Mill Valley, Sausalito, Tiburon, and the surrounding areas. We offer both remote support (available anywhere) and on-site visits for local clinics. We plan to expand into Sonoma and Napa counties as we grow.

Yes — veterinary practices are our sole focus, which is intentional. By specializing exclusively in veterinary IT and lab equipment support, we can go deeper on the specific software, hardware, and workflows clinics rely on instead of spreading ourselves across unrelated industries.

We've used Cornerstone extensively as clinical staff, so we understand exactly what your front desk and exam room teams need from it day to day — workflow, common user-side issues, and what "down" actually costs a busy clinic. Paired with CompTIA A+ IT training, that means we can get up to speed on the technical side of your specific setup fast, and coordinate directly with Cornerstone/IDEXX support when a deeper server-level fix is needed. This is included on every plan — Starter covers the basics within your monthly remote support hours, while Growth and above include fuller, more proactive coverage.

Yes — we have hands-on clinical experience using Avimark day to day. For deeper technical or server-side issues, we combine that workflow knowledge with our IT training to diagnose quickly, and we're upfront if something needs to be escalated to Avimark's own support team rather than guessing.

Yes. IDEXX in-house lab analyzers like the Catalyst and VetLab Station are equipment we've operated directly as vet technicians — running samples, handling error codes, and troubleshooting day-to-day issues is core to what we did in clinics for 14 years. IDEXX Neo software support is something we approach with that same clinical-workflow understanding, backed by IT training for the technical side.

We have direct clinical experience with several major practice management platforms, and general IT/database fluency that transfers well to learning a new one quickly. If your clinic runs a platform we haven't personally used recently, we're upfront about that — and we'll tell you plainly if something is better handled by the software vendor's own support line rather than pretending otherwise.

Yes — lab equipment support is one of our specialties and something most general IT providers in Marin County simply can't offer. We troubleshoot error codes, connectivity issues, calibration failures, and software integration problems on Idexx, Abaxis, Heska, Zoetis, and other in-house analyzers, and we coordinate directly with manufacturers when a hardware issue needs escalation.

Yes, this is one of the most common issues we resolve. Lab analyzers need to properly sync results into your practice management software, and when that connection breaks, it usually shows up as missing results or manual re-entry. We diagnose whether the issue is the analyzer, the network, or the software integration itself.

No. Our monthly plans (Starter, Growth, Premium, and Concierge) are month-to-month with no long-term lock-in, and we also offer a no-contract on-demand hourly option for clinics that aren't ready to commit to a recurring plan. You can choose the arrangement that fits your clinic's needs and change it as those needs evolve.

Our monthly plans start at $1,000/month for the Starter tier and scale up based on support hours, on-site visit frequency, and response time needs, up to $4,200/month for full Concierge-level management with unlimited support (subject to fair use). We also offer on-demand hourly support starting at $150/hr remote and $185/hr on-site with no monthly commitment, for clinics that prefer to pay only when they need help.

The complimentary assessment (a $200 value) includes a network security review, WiFi coverage analysis across your clinic, a workstation health check, and a practice software audit to confirm everything is syncing and backing up properly. There's no obligation — it's designed to give you a clear picture of where your clinic stands before you decide on anything.

No markups. When we source new computers, printers, or networking equipment for your clinic, hardware is billed at cost, with a flat $125 setup fee per device to cover configuration and integration with your existing systems.

Coordinating with a hardware or software vendor when something breaks — filing a warranty claim, calling your internet provider, escalating an issue on your behalf — is just part of normal troubleshooting on every plan, not a Concierge-only perk. Basic documentation, like noting a warranty date when we set up a device, happens on any tier too, since it's part of doing the install properly. What's actually specific to Concierge is the unprompted, ongoing monitoring: we proactively check warranty and license renewal dates across your account every month and reach out before something lapses, rather than that information just sitting on file until you happen to ask. On other tiers, we'll always tell you what we know if you ask — Concierge means we're the ones bringing it to you first.

Remote support covers troubleshooting, software issues, workstation problems, and general IT questions handled through secure screen-sharing — no need to wait for someone to drive out. Most day-to-day issues are resolved this way, often within minutes, without needing an on-site visit at all. We track time on our end (not something you need to log), billed in 15-minute increments and rounded up. Hours reset each month with no rollover, and any overage is billed at our standard hourly rate — always with a heads-up first, never a surprise on your invoice.

An on-site visit means we come to your clinic in person for anything that genuinely needs hands-on attention — new hardware setup, physical repairs, network equipment, or a scheduled check-in on your systems. How often we visit depends on your plan, from monthly up to weekly or unlimited. Issues that can be fixed remotely — like a software or driver problem — are handled using your remote support hours instead, so your on-site visits are reserved for things that genuinely need someone standing there.

We keep an eye on the health of your clinic's computers — flagging things like low disk space, missing updates, or early signs of hardware trouble — so small problems get caught before they turn into a workstation going down in the middle of a busy day. This covers device health specifically; it does not include active security threat monitoring or backups — see "Basic automated backup" for what Starter includes on that front. Our Starter plan covers up to 5 devices; if your clinic has more, additional devices are $20/device/month, or a higher tier may be a better fit.

Every clinic needs real backup, regardless of plan — so even our entry-level Starter tier includes automated backup for your workstations, run on a regular schedule with no action needed from your staff. This covers the "your data is actually saved somewhere safe" baseline. What Starter does not include is active 24/7 security threat monitoring — real-time detection of malware, phishing, and suspicious activity — which starts at our Growth tier. If your clinic wants that layer of protection, Growth is the right fit.

Workstation monitoring watches each computer individually — every machine in your clinic, not just one — catching things like low storage, missed updates, or early signs of a machine slowing down. Full network monitoring watches the connections between everything — your router, WiFi, and internet connection — so we know if the whole system is actually talking to itself properly. A simple way to think about it: workstation monitoring checks each computer like a patient; network monitoring checks the plumbing connecting the whole clinic. A clinic can have perfectly healthy computers and still lose everything if the WiFi or router fails — which is why Growth and above include both. Growth covers up to 10 devices, with additional devices at $20/device/month.

Setup, troubleshooting, and repairs for the everyday devices your clinic relies on — label printers, receipt printers, scanners, and similar hardware. Software or driver issues (a printer not showing up, a configuration problem) are typically fixed remotely, using your plan's remote support hours. Physical setup of new hardware or repairing a broken device requires someone on-site, which counts toward your plan's on-site visit.

Support during our posted support hours by email or phone for quick questions and issues that don't need a full remote session — a fast way to get an answer without needing to open a formal support request.

Growth's network monitoring means we're watching for problems and fixing them as they come up, within your plan's hours. Premium goes a step further: we actively manage your systems, software, and network on an ongoing basis — proactive maintenance and administration, not just monitoring and reacting when something breaks. Covers up to 15 devices, with additional devices at $20/device/month.

Everything Premium does, plus we become the only IT contact your clinic needs — unlimited support hours (subject to fair use), a dedicated direct phone line, and proactive vendor & warranty tracking so nothing slips through the cracks unnoticed. Premium actively manages your systems; Concierge means you have no other IT relationship to maintain at all. Covers up to 25 devices, with additional devices at $20/device/month.

We train your team on the technology they use every day — practice management software navigation, proper device startup and shutdown, basic troubleshooting steps to try before calling IT, and how to handle common error messages independently — so your staff feels confident and knows exactly when to escalate. On Premium and Concierge, this also includes written SOPs (standard operating procedures) documenting these processes for your team to reference on their own. Training hours are tiered by plan (2 hrs/mo on Premium, up to 5 hrs/mo on Concierge) — generous, but not unlimited on any plan, so it stays sustainable for both of us.

Concierge clients get a direct line to reach us — skipping any general queue or contact form — for when you need a fast, personal response instead of waiting on a standard support channel.

Unlimited support on our Concierge plan is built for clinics that want us functioning as their full IT department — sustained, ongoing usage, not an occasional question here and there. "Fair use" just means it's not a literal blank check for an unusual volume of hours that would fall outside normal clinic operations. If your clinic's actual needs are lighter than that, our Starter, Growth, or Premium plans are likely a better fit — and a better price — for how much support you'll really use.

Yes. We'll help you choose a modern VOIP phone provider that fits your clinic, then handle the setup — phone numbers, extensions, call routing, and voicemail — so it's configured correctly from day one. Your clinic keeps its own account directly with the phone provider, so billing stays transparent with no markup from us. If something stops working down the road, troubleshooting is covered under your regular support hours, not billed separately. Setup itself is a flat $150 fee.

Response commitments scale by plan, all during our posted support hours. Starter gets standard response — handled in normal queue order, same or next business day. Growth gets priority response — bumped ahead of the standard queue, typically same business day. Premium gets a guaranteed same-day response for every request, not just faster queuing. Concierge includes that same guarantee plus same-day on-site presence specifically for true emergencies — a full server, network, or software outage. Most day-to-day issues are resolved remotely within minutes at every tier, without needing to wait for an on-site visit.

A full outage — server down, network failure, or a complete practice software outage — is treated as a same-day emergency during our posted support hours, and we'll be on-site same day to get your clinic back online. We also offer network redundancy and cellular failover systems that automatically switch to a backup connection the moment your primary internet drops, so a single outage doesn't have to stop your clinic entirely.

Most issues are resolved remotely first, using secure screen-sharing tools, which is usually faster than waiting for an on-site visit. Every monthly plan also includes scheduled on-site visits, and we come to you for anything that genuinely needs hands-on attention — like lab equipment, network hardware, or new workstation setup.

We combine 24/7 monitored threat detection with automated backups and secure network configuration — including separating staff WiFi from any guest network — to reduce the risk of data loss or unauthorized access. As part of the free network assessment, we also check whether existing backups are actually running and restorable, not just assumed to be working.

We go beyond basic antivirus. Every workstation and server gets modern endpoint protection that's actively monitored around the clock by a dedicated security team — not just software that occasionally scans for known viruses. This includes email threat protection to catch phishing attempts before they reach your staff, and login/identity monitoring to flag suspicious access attempts. We also provide basic phishing awareness training for your team as part of our Staff Technology Training service, since staff are usually the actual entry point for an attack, not the software itself.

Yes. Poor WiFi coverage in exam rooms, treatment areas, or surgery suites is a common issue we find during our assessments. We map signal strength room by room and recommend or install the right fix, whether that's a hardware upgrade, better router placement, or additional access points.

The easiest first step is scheduling your free 30-minute consultation and network health assessment. We'll come take a look at your current setup, identify your biggest pain points, and recommend the plan that actually fits your clinic — with no pressure and no sales pitch.

Absolutely. Many clinics keep their existing general IT provider for broader infrastructure needs and bring us in specifically for veterinary practice software and lab equipment support, since that's our specialty. We're happy to work alongside your current provider or serve as a backup contact for anything vet-specific.