About the author
Christopher Smith
I write Small Biz Cyber Guide for owners and managers who need to buy security tools without the noise. The angle is simple: what works for small teams, what is overkill, and what vendors leave out of the marketing page.
Background
I am an offensive security professional and penetration tester with a Master of Science in Cyber Security. I do hands-on offensive security work for organizations up to Fortune 500 size. My work is finding weaknesses before someone else does: testing networks, applications, and people the way a real attacker would, then explaining how to fix what I found.
That experience shapes how I review products. I care less about feature checklists and more about whether a tool closes the gaps I actually see on engagements, such as reused passwords, missing MFA, unmanaged laptops, untested backups, and exposed remote access, for people who are not full-time IT staff.
I am not a vendor salesperson, and this is not a “top 10 tools” content farm. When a product is a poor fit for a five-person remote shop, I will say so. When a cheaper option covers the job, I will say that too.
Editorial standards
- Sources: Guides are based on hands-on security experience, vendor documentation, and current public pricing pages. I do not claim lab testing I have not done.
- Prices: I link to the vendor’s current pricing page instead of quoting numbers that go stale.
- Affiliate links: Some links earn a commission. They are labeled, disclosed near the top of each page, and never decide what gets recommended. See the affiliate disclosure.
- Updates: Each guide shows when it was published and last updated. Corrections are welcome and get fixed quickly.
- No fear selling: No fake urgency, invented statistics, or fake testimonials.
Contact
Corrections, vendor clarifications, and questions: [email protected] or LinkedIn. I read every message, though I cannot promise a free deep-dive on every stack.
Small Biz Cyber Guide is published by Northline Digital LLC.