Technology & Startups
We test whether your product, APIs, codebase, cloud accounts and laptops are safe from attackers, so customers and investors can trust what you ship. Fast-growing technology companies need security and IT that scale with them. We build the foundations early and keep cloud cost, access and customer trust under control.
Technology companies and startups move fast, adopt tools quickly and keep valuable intellectual property in code repositories and cloud accounts. The same speed that creates growth leaves security and IT decisions improvised, until a customer asks a hard question.
We have supported companies at every stage, from a handful of founders to organizations with hundreds of staff. The foundations go in early, so they grow with the company instead of being ripped out and redone.
What we see in your industry
- Enterprise customers send security questionnaires and ask about SOC 2 before they sign.
- Source code, cloud accounts and customer data need access controls that keep pace with hiring.
- Cloud bills grow faster than revenue when nobody owns them.
- Teams need a written rule for which code and customer data may reach an outside AI model.
Enterprise customers increasingly send security questionnaires before they sign, and many ask about independent attestation such as SOC 2. We do not issue those reports, but we can build the controls behind the answers, document them, and test them the way an auditor would, so the review is shorter and the answers are honest.
Cloud cost and access sprawl grow together. We review cloud accounts for waste and exposure, set up single sign-on and device management, test the application and infrastructure, and, where it helps, build internal tools or AI automation so the team spends its time on the product.
Speed is the real risk. We looked after an investor whose staff grew from 10 to more than 500 across twelve years, so we know which shortcuts are harmless at 10 people and costly at 100. Single sign-on, device management, backups and a clean offboarding process are cheap to start with and expensive to retrofit.
AI adoption needs rules before habits form. We help teams decide what code and customer data may reach a frontier model, run private models where it may not, and log usage so a security questionnaire can be answered with facts.
Two articles help here: "MFA and Passkeys for Businesses" for the sign-in controls customers ask about, and "Local, Private or Frontier?" for deciding what code and customer data may reach an outside model.
"Zero Trust for Mid-Size Firms" shows how to build access around identity from the start, and "Cyber Insurance Readiness" explains the controls an insurer or enterprise customer will expect.
Every industry's reference library and routine can run offline. Our Apocalypse IT Package is an on-premises continuity kit with a local reference library, document scanning, a private AI desk, chat and battery backup, offered to every customer.
Related work on our track record: a digital-asset market-data platform built in ten days, an anycast DNS and BGP edge for a SaaS company, a Kubernetes card-data platform with hardware-backed keys, and a Brazilian investor's growth from 10 to more than 500 staff.
Related work on our track record: two colocation sites built from empty cages with GPU, storage and compute racks (illustrative).
Local, Private or Frontier? How to Use AI Without Exposing Sensitive Data
The question is not whether to use AI on sensitive work, but where each piece of work should run. A three-tier design answers it.
Work like yours
The technology behind a coworking pioneer's first five New York buildings
A New York coworking pioneer that grew into the world's best-known flexible-workspace brand and a leader in its segment. Our team worked side by side with its founders from 2009.
5 buildings, 5–10 floors each, 10,000+ membersRead the case
A 100,000‑mailbox, three-region Exchange platform with automatic database failover
An email provider that hired our team to build its in-house Microsoft Exchange infrastructure.
100,000+ mailboxes, 500+ domains, 250 TBRead the case
From 10 to 500+ employees, fully managed for twelve years
One of Brazil's largest AI angel investors, a leader in its segment.
From 10 to 500+ employees, 3 buildingsRead the case
Two floors, 100+ people, every system in one hand
A leader in online technology education.
2 floors, 100+ employeesRead the case
One team for three countries
A global sustainability consulting and standards firm operating in three countries, a leader in its segment.
3 countries, 50+ employeesRead the case
Anycast DNS and edge for a SaaS company, absorbing attacks close to where they start
A business-software company serving customers in North America and Europe, a leader in its segment.
9 points of presence, own ASN and address space, anycast DNS and HTTPS edge, DNSSECRead the caseHow we help
Cybersecurity
We find out whether everything you run is safe from attackers, then we fix it.
Learn moreCloud Management
Cloud cost review and management, without compromising on quality or security.
Learn moreTailored Software
Software built around your business in weeks, and you own the code.
Learn moreSuper Intelligence
American‑made Super Intelligence: AI your team can learn, trust and deploy.
Learn moreDatacenter & Colocation Builds
Cages, racks, power, cabling and servers, built by the people who will run them.
Learn moreMicrosoft Exchange, Active Directory & SQL
Exchange, Active Directory and SQL Server built redundant, backed up and recoverable, and engineers on call when they fail.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions
Direct answers to the questions we hear most. Something else on your mind?
Send us a messageWhat security do investors and customers expect from a startup?
Enterprise customers and investors increasingly ask for written policies, multi-factor authentication, device management, backups, access reviews and evidence of testing, often in a security questionnaire. We help you put these in place at a level that fits your stage and answer questionnaires accurately.
Can you help us prepare for SOC 2 or a customer security review?
We assess your controls against the framework or questionnaire, close the gaps and organize the evidence. An independent auditor issues any SOC 2 report; we do not. We can map your controls with Clayton Secure so the evidence is ready when the review starts.
Do you do penetration testing of our application?
Yes. We test web applications, APIs and cloud environments, then deliver a report with severity ratings, evidence and fixes, and we retest after you remediate. The scope, timing and rules of engagement are agreed in writing first.
How do we keep cloud costs under control as we grow?
Start with tags, budgets and a monthly review, then remove idle and oversized resources and use pricing commitments once usage is steady. Our Cloud Management service does this across Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and others. Early habits matter more than any single discount.
Can you build our MVP or internal tools?
Yes. Our Tailored Software service builds web applications, integrations and internal tools. We scope a first version, deliver it quickly and keep the code and data under your control. Our team has built a custom platform in three months, with a prototype in two weeks.
How can a small team use AI safely?
Choose approved tools, decide which data may go into each, review outputs and log use. Sensitive code and customer data may belong on a private or local model rather than a public service. Our Super Intelligence service helps with the policy, the tools and the training.
Do you provide a fractional security lead?
Yes, through advisory work and Clayton Secure, which gives you a security roadmap and executive reporting without a full-time hire. We can work alongside your engineers or alongside your CTO. We scope it after a short assessment call; pricing is discussed during scoping.