IT White Papers: Best-Practice Setup Guides by Industry
How to set up the network, accounts, email, devices, backups and vendors for an organization like yours, written in plain English for owners, executive directors and office managers. Every paper is built on official guidance and says clearly what the law requires today, what official guidance recommends, and what is only proposed. Read them here or download the free PDF. No sign-up needed.
Find the white paper for your organization
HIPAA IT Setup Guide for Medical and Dental Practices
Risk analysis, MFA, encryption, network segments for imaging and medical devices, backups, BAAs and breach rules, with each step labeled required, recommended or proposed.
Law Firm IT Setup Guide: Security and Ethics in Virginia
What Virginia's Rules 1.1 and 1.6 mean for your IT, vendor diligence under LEO 1872, MFA, encryption, remote work and stopping wire fraud on trust accounts.
Nonprofit IT Setup Guide: Protecting Donors and Mission Data
What Virginia law actually requires of nonprofits, PCI rules for online donations, board oversight, volunteers' accounts, and the NIST and CISA basics that protect donor trust.
Wealth Management IT Setup Guide: Reg S-P and FINRA
Amended Reg S-P is now in force for every firm size: incident response program, 30-day customer notice, 72-hour vendor notice, plus FINRA practices and the FTC Safeguards Rule.
Small Business IT Setup Guide: A NIST-Based Blueprint
A complete IT setup blueprint organized around NIST CSF 2.0's six functions, with Virginia's breach and SSN laws, card rules, and the controls that stop the most common attacks.
Construction Company IT Setup Guide: Office to Jobsite
Jobsite phones and tablets, trailer Wi-Fi, project file backups, stopping fraud on draws and change orders, and what changes when you bid federal work.
Property Management IT Setup Guide: Tenant Data Security
Tenant screening reports and the FTC Disposal Rule, Virginia's tenant-record and ID-scanning laws, rent payment fraud, and keeping building systems off the office network.
Government Contractor IT Setup Guide: CMMC and NIST 800-171
FAR basic safeguards, DFARS 7012, NIST 800-171 and CMMC levels, what the July 2026 Phase 2 suspension changed (and what it did not), and how to scope a CUI enclave.
White papers you can hand to your board, auditor or insurer
Official sources only. Every recommendation links to the law, regulation or government guidance behind it, such as the HIPAA Security Rule, SEC and FINRA rules, the CMMC program rule, NIST publications, CISA guidance or the Virginia Code. If we cannot trace a claim to an official source, it does not go in.
Clear labels. Each step is marked as required by law today, recommended by official guidance, or only proposed. Proposed rules are never presented as deadlines.
Vendor-neutral. We describe what a good setup looks like, not which brand to buy, so you can use these papers with any IT provider.
Reviewed and dated. Each paper shows when it was last reviewed, and we update it when the rules change. Read our editorial policy.
Looking for shorter reads? Our Chronicles cover news, scams and practical tips, and our free Cyber Safety Checklist takes five minutes.
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