Nonprofits usually run cloud-first already, so the work is rarely servers and switches. It is accounts, email, donor and member records, and the fact that staff, volunteers and board members turn over constantly while their access almost never does. That is the risk, and it is an administrative one before it is a technical one.
What we usually find in Reston
Reston associations run meetings and events constantly, which means visitors on your network with their own equipment. A proper guest network lets you say yes to that without exposing anything that matters.
Accounts outlive the people who had them
Every organisation we take on has active accounts belonging to people who left, and often a board member who can still read everything. A written offboarding step is worth more here than any product.
Donor and member data is worth protecting properly
It is attractive, it is often irreplaceable, and it frequently lives in one person's account rather than anywhere organisational. That is a security problem and an ownership problem at once.
Shared and subsidised office space limits control
Donated or shared space usually means a network you do not control and cannot change. Your protection has to live on your accounts and devices instead of the building.
Events put strangers on your network
Meetings and events mean visitors connecting constantly. A proper guest network lets you say yes to that without exposing anything that matters.
Questions from Reston businesses
- Do you look after nonprofits and associations in Reston?
- Yes. Reston is inside our service area and this is work we do regularly. Most issues are fixed remotely the same day, and when a visit is the right answer the time is quoted before anyone drives out.
- How quickly can someone get to us in Reston?
- Reston is within the 30 mile radius we work in, so same day is normal rather than exceptional. The phone is answered 24/7 and technicians are available weekdays 8am to 6pm.
- Do you offer nonprofit pricing?
- Talk to us. There are also substantial nonprofit discounts on software you may already be paying full price for, which is often the bigger saving.
- Board members have access to everything. Should they?
- Usually not to operational systems. Governance oversight and day to day access are different things, and separating them protects the board as much as the organisation.
- Our database is in one staff member's account. Is that bad?
- Yes, because if they leave or lose access the organisation loses its records. Moving it to organisational ownership is straightforward and urgent.
- Can volunteers get email addresses?
- Yes, and the important half is a process for closing them again. Nonprofit licensing usually makes the accounts inexpensive; the discipline is the hard part.
- We were given old computers. Can you set them up?
- Often yes, and we will be honest when a machine is too old to be safe. A donated computer that cannot receive security updates costs more than it saves.
- A funder is asking about data protection. Can you help?
- Yes. Funders generally ask about access control, backup and what happens after an incident, all of which we can put in place and document.
Talk to someone in Reston
Fifteen minutes on the phone. If we are not the right fit for your business we will say so.
Nonprofits and associations nearby
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Services in Reston