Why Tech Impact just created a cybersecurity division

Fresh off its merger with Minneapolis-based Idealware, IT services nonprofit Tech Impact just launched a division that will focus on fending off cyberattacks against the nonprofits it serves.

A group of four technologists at the Callowhill-based company will provide IT security assessments, offer cloud infrastructure and compliance strategy and other cybersecurity strategies to protect the treasure trove of data held by nonprofits.

“Our newly focused security division will enable us to work closely with clients to create specialized plans that effectively meet the unique needs of each organization,” said Jordan McCarthy, infrastructure and security lead at Tech Impact. “The majority of the security products available to nonprofits are one-size-fits all solutions, which are often prohibitively expensive and address advanced threats that just don’t apply to most non-profits, while ignoring the ‘basic’ threats that actually pose the greatest risk to small and mid-size organizations.”

(It’s a critical time to think about data safety, what with tech giants getting their (our) data breached left and right.)

Michele Tomlinson, comms manager for the nonprofit, said the new division was not a direct consequence of the recent merger. Rather, Tomlinson said, it’s the expansion of services through a newly-created dedicated team.

Tech Impact employs around 70 people, CEO Patrick Callihan told our sister site Generocity. Though Philly is the company’s main hub, it has smaller offices in Wilmington, Del., Washington D.C., Las Vegas and now Minneapolis.

The Idealware merger is the organization’s second. Callihan has a piece of advice for a smooth transition:

“The best lesson is to take your time and go through it slow and make sure everyone’s aligned to the same vision. It requires a lot of patience, but the benefits are worth it,” Callihan told Generocity. “The merger with 501cTECH, for instance, gained Tech Impact new talent and allowed it to serve more nonprofits.”