Need advice on building a Small Business Network that grows into a medium-sized operation?
Need advice on building a Small Business Network that grows into a medium-sized operation?
Been closely following Linus since his early days, now I’ve matured (28) and am moving beyond just building battle stations. I’m leaving the Navy soon and will be landing two dream positions in Virginia. One is with a well-established chemical engineering company in Blacksburg, the other is with a nearby startup focused on electrical engineering. As the top employee at the startup, I manage a huge workload—imagine what I’m responsible for! In my current role (IC), I enjoy a very flexible budget and face minimal security concerns beyond standard safeguards (SAPF/TEMPEST). Nowhere near that is building a SCIF to study aliens. Instead, we’re aiming for FISMA, NIST, and CMMC certifications. TL;dr—I’m not constructing a secure facility for alien research, just figuring out the right equipment and security level for a growing team of about 70 people. Feel free to ask if you need more details—I’m both hands-on and still learning network design.
Your actions for the Navy are likely confidential, so it's best to keep that information private.
You haven't outlined your requirements clearly, making it difficult to provide a strong suggestion. It would be best to engage an IT professional such as an MSP to handle the setup and operation. The CMMC requirements could be challenging and costly, so consider hiring someone experienced. Right now, a full Microsoft stack—Microsoft 365, Azure AD, Intune—offers most of what you need. Since it’s cloud-based, just ensure reliable internet access across all devices. Adding more users or systems is straightforward. For CMMC compliance, opt for the government plan, as it mandates FIPS encryption standards. On-premise storage makes sense if you experience slow internet or need to move large files, but for documents and similar tasks, a shared drive or point-to-point solution works well.