The TechSentry™ Proven Process
Security and compliance maturity isn't a product you buy. It's a culture you build — together.
Most IT providers sell you a package and hand you a contract. NetWerks does something different. We start by understanding your business — your goals, your risks, your regulatory obligations, and where you actually are today. Then we build a path forward that is honest about where you're starting, realistic about what it takes to get where you're going, and designed to grow with you every step of the way.
That path is The TechSentry Way — a guided process from first conversation to continuous improvement, built on the same standards that protect enterprise organizations, delivered at a scale and price point that works for growing businesses.
What makes NetWerks different
Three things set us apart from every other IT provider in Western Massachusetts — and they're not features or certifications. They're commitments.
Secure by Design
Security and compliance aren't services we layer on top of your IT environment. They're built into every decision we make — from the first assessment through every configuration, every patch, and every strategic recommendation. Security isn't a product you add. It's a standard we hold.
Rapid Response, Relentless Follow-Through
We act fast and stay accountable — especially when the stakes are high. Live answer during business hours. Under five minutes average response time. And when we say we'll do something, we do it. No dropped tickets. No forgotten follow-ups. No "let me check on that" that never gets checked on.
Relationship-Driven Partnership
We're not a vendor. We're trusted advisors who invest in the whole business — and the people behind it. Many of our clients have been with us for over 20 years. That kind of relationship doesn't happen by accident. It happens because we treat your success as our scoreboard — every ticket, every call, every solution.
The TechSentry™ Proven Process
Seven steps from first conversation to continuous improvement. Each step is designed to build on the last — so that by the time you're in a fully managed TechSentry engagement, the foundation is solid, the expectations are clear, and the path forward is yours to own.
Discovery & Fit Call
We start with a focused 15-minute conversation to understand your business, your goals, and your pain points — and to determine if we're a mutual fit. We're selective about who we work with, and we think you should be selective too. This call goes both ways — you're evaluating us as much as we're evaluating the fit.
Cyber Risk & Readiness Assessment
Using industry-standard tools and proven analysis methods, we evaluate your cybersecurity posture and identify where risk actually lives in your environment — not where you think it lives. This assessment covers your IT infrastructure, OT environment where applicable, compliance gaps, and security maturity against two complementary frameworks: CIS Controls v8 for technical implementation benchmarks, and NIST CSF v2 for governance and organizational accountability alignment.
Readout & Roadmap
We deliver clear, plain-English findings from the assessment — no jargon, no fear tactics, no manufactured urgency. Then we develop a roadmap aligned to your goals, your budget, and your compliance obligations. The roadmap tells you where you are, where you need to go, and what it realistically takes to get there. No cookie-cutter IT. No surprises.
First Fixes & Fit Check
We remediate urgent vulnerabilities first — the gaps that represent the highest immediate risk to your operation. Then we do a fit check. If after the assessment and initial work we're not the right long-term partner for your situation, we'll tell you honestly and help you find someone who is. If we are — we move forward together.
TechSentry™ Onboarding
We launch your TechSentry service tier with secure onboarding, Gold Standard endpoint configuration, and critical systems in place — including incident response procedures and backup and disaster recovery. Every onboarding includes a Shared Responsibility Matrix — a plain-English document that defines exactly what NetWerks handles, what your team handles, and what good looks like for both parties. No surprises. No miscommunicated expectations.
Strategic Reviews & vCIO Partnership
Ongoing engagement is structured around the HumanizeIT™ framework — a quarterly strategic review cadence designed to bring real business value to every client relationship, regardless of size. Each quarter has a specific focus that rotates through the four dimensions of a mature IT partnership:
Q1 — Architecture
Infrastructure health, lifecycle management, network and endpoint alignment to best practices
Q2 — Service
How your organization is utilizing available service options — and where gaps exist
Q3 — Risk
Security and governance review against CIS Controls v8 and NIST CSF v2 benchmarks
Q4 — Strategy
Business goals, pain points, desired outcomes, IT budget planning for the year ahead
The HumanizeIT™ framework was developed by Adam Walter and Skip Ziegler at humanizeit.biz — a strategic approach to business reviews and vCIO partnerships that brings sanity to small business IT.
Continuous Improvement
We monitor, adjust, and evolve with you — ensuring you stay protected, informed, and positioned for scalable success. The goal is never a fixed compliance state. It's a continuously improving security culture that grows with your business, survives staff turnover, and eventually makes you the client who tells everyone they know about NetWerks.
Every TechSentry client at every tier starts with the same secure foundation.
The TechSentry Gold Standard endpoint configuration covers the majority of CIS Controls v8 Implementation Group 1 and key elements of Implementation Group 2 — applied to every client at every service tier from day one. On the governance side, we work toward alignment with NIST Cybersecurity Framework v2 — providing the organizational accountability structure, policy frameworks, and risk management practices that turn technical controls into a managed compliance program. CIS Controls v8 answers what needs to be in place. NIST CSF v2 answers how it gets governed, measured, and improved over time. This isn't a premium add-on. It's the baseline we hold ourselves to for every engagement, regardless of size or budget.
We understand that security sometimes creates friction with business operations. When a client needs to balance security against a specific operational requirement, we have that conversation directly — explaining the risk, presenting the options, and respecting the client's decision. Any configuration that deviates from the Gold Standard is documented as a refused configuration — a formal limitation of liability document that records the decision, the risk acknowledged, and the business justification. No surprises in either direction.
Having the controls isn't enough. You have to be able to prove it.
We live in a litigious environment where a data breach, a regulatory inquiry, or a cyber insurance claim can trigger demands for documented evidence of your security controls — not just your assurance that they exist. A firewall you can't prove was configured correctly provides no legal protection. A training program with no attendance records didn't happen in the eyes of a regulator. A risk analysis that exists only in someone's memory will not satisfy an OCR investigator.
Cyber Liability Guard maps your security policies directly to the controls that implement them — and maintains documented evidence that those controls are being met. Policies. Control mappings. Evidence of implementation. All of it organized, current, and ready the moment someone asks for it — whether that's a cyber insurance underwriter, a regulatory auditor, a carrier compliance reviewer, or a plaintiff's attorney.
Studies show that 44% of all data breaches result in some form of litigation — either regulatory action by government agencies or civil suits from affected individuals. In nearly every one of those cases, the question is not just what happened, but what you can prove you had in place before it happened. Adequate cyber liability coverage requires documented evidence of security controls. Regulatory defense requires documented evidence of compliance activities. Civil litigation requires documented evidence of reasonable practices. Without that documentation, having the controls is legally indistinguishable from not having them.
Because in compliance, what you cannot prove did not happen.
Four tiers. One journey. Start where you are — grow into what you need.
TechSentry service tiers are designed as a progression — not a price ladder. Each tier builds on the previous one, adding capability as your security maturity and compliance obligations grow. Pricing is affected by the number of sites, endpoints, and users in your environment.
TechSentry Essentials
Building a strong foundation. The right starting point for businesses getting serious about IT security for the first time.
- ✓ Patch management
- ✓ 24x7x365 MDR with advanced endpoint protection
- ✓ DNS filtering
- ✓ Remote monitoring & management with automated remediation
- ✓ Annual business review and third-party security assessment
- ✓ Support: time & materials
From $50/endpoint
TechSentry SafeStart
Laying the groundwork for a secure and compliance-oriented culture. Everything in Essentials, plus user-centric protections.
- ✓ Everything in Essentials
- ✓ SaaS protection & vulnerability scanning
- ✓ Application control
- ✓ MFA, password management & PAM
- ✓ Immutable cloud backup — desktops & servers
- ✓ Security awareness training
- ✓ Quarterly business review and annual third-party security assessment
- ✓ Support: time & materials
From $150/user
TechSentry Guardian
Compliance-framed and focused. Everything in SafeStart, plus the monitoring and backup infrastructure that regulated industries require.
- ✓ Everything in SafeStart
- ✓ SIEM & network device monitoring
- ✓ Email security
- ✓ Immutable cloud backup — desktop & server (with optional local encrypted vault or appliance)
- ✓ Documented change protocol
- ✓ Quarterly business review and third-party security assessments, annual vCIO guided SWOT session and incident response tabletop
- ✓ Support: Business hours remote support included
From $250/user
TechSentry Guardian Pro
Compliance-managed. Peace of mind. Everything in Guardian, plus the advanced protections that regulated industries and defense contractors require.
- ✓ Everything in Guardian
- ✓ Application ringfencing
- ✓ File integrity monitoring
- ✓ File level encryption
- ✓ Active compliance management platform
- ✓ Cyber Liability Guard
- ✓ Monthly business review and quarterly third-party security assessments, annual vCIO guided SWOT session, semi-annual incident response tabletop
- ✓ Support: Business hours remote & on-site (within 50 mile radius of Springfield, MA) support included
From $500/user
Additional productivity and advanced security offerings, such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace licensing, Email security and backup, SaaS security, advanced server backup, and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA/VPN) are available at all support tiers. Packages are tailored to your organization's specific needs and maturity level.
In addition, tailored compliance, fractional CIO and CISO consulting services are available at all tiers.
Both Guardian and Guardian Pro support tiers include a documented change protocol — feature releases and non-urgent maintenance are scheduled to minimize disruption. Critical security patches are applied per compliance requirements following NetWerks internal validation testing. Your environment is never a test bed.
TechSentry Compliance Track — for organizations focused specifically on compliance management.
We are developing a dedicated compliance-focused service track — Compliance Essentials, Compliance SafeStart, Compliance Guardian, and Compliance Guardian Pro — for organizations that need structured compliance management support without a full managed IT engagement.
This track is designed for businesses that have existing IT support but need a trusted compliance partner to manage their security program documentation, risk assessments, policy frameworks, and regulatory alignment — whether that's HIPAA, FTC Safeguards, CMMC, or general cybersecurity maturity development. Pricing and availability details coming soon.
Interested in the compliance track? Let's talk →
Our guarantee — and we mean it.
No cookie-cutter IT. No fear tactics. Just real partnership, built on trust.
If we're not the right fit for your goals, we'll help you find someone who is — because doing the right thing comes before making the sale.
That's not a marketing line. We have relationships with trusted peers in the Western Massachusetts IT community — partners we refer to for enterprise engagements above our ideal client threshold, and specialists in break-fix computer repair for businesses that aren't ready for a managed services relationship. If we sit down together and discover that you need something we're not the best provider for, we'll point you in the right direction. No pressure. No hard sell. Just the right outcome for your business.
Every great partnership starts with an honest conversation
The first step in The TechSentry Way is a free 15-minute discovery call. We'll ask about your business, your current situation, and where you want to go. You tell us if we feel like the right fit — and we'll tell you the same.
Not ready for a call? Take one of our free industry-specific IT readiness assessments first. They take 5–10 minutes, deliver immediate personalized results, and give you a clear picture of where your business stands — before you speak to anyone.
- No obligation — ever
- No jargon — plain English only
- No fear tactics — honest assessment only
- Serving within 50 miles of Springfield, MA
