Your IT Keeps You Running. We Help Keep You Protected.
Specialized cybersecurity for growing businesses. Stop guessing, stop overspending, and cut the vendor bloat.
We deliver a focused security plan so you always know where you stand, what to fix first, and how to protect your business without disrupting operations.
Clear-Cut Risk Assessment
We start with a diagnosis of your actual risks before offering a solution. You get a comprehensive report that shows you the specific threats and their quantifiable impact on your business.
Specialized, Seamless Partnership
We concentrate on security strategy only, working alongside your existing MSP or IT team to fill security gaps and strengthen your entire environment.
Actionable, Affordable Roadmap
Walk away with a phased, step-by-step plan based on your risk, resources, and compliance needs. Know exactly what matters, why it matters, and how to implement it.
Our Approach
Your MSP Keeps You Running. We Keep You Secure.
Your MSP or IT Team is your general practitioner. They keep your systems healthy and running. But most MSPs only provide baseline security tools, not the specialized risk analysis and strategy modern threats require.
That’s where Smoky Mountains Cybersecurity comes in.
Instead of treating symptoms with tools, we diagnose the root causes: how your people work, how data moves through your organization, and where attackers are most likely to succeed. From there, we give you an unobstructed, practical plan to strengthen your defenses that fits how your team actually works and avoids unnecessary complexity or spending.
Our Six-Domain Security Framework
To understand your true risk, we evaluate your business across six core security domains. This structured approach gives you a clear picture of where you’re strong, where gaps exist, and which improvements will have the greatest impact. Our review covers:
- Physical Security
- Endpoint Protection
- Network Protection
- Data Access Controls
- Disaster Recovery
- Human Resilience
Every recommendation is mapped to CIS and NIST standards and prioritized by risk, so you know exactly what to focus on first. Whether you need to meet HIPAA, PCI-DSS, WISP, or cyber insurance requirements, you’ll have realistic steps based on how your business operates.
People
Security shouldn’t slow your team down or confuse them with constant warnings. We design controls that fit your employees’ workflows, making the secure choice the easy choice. When security is intuitive and frictionless, your team follows it naturally, and attackers find fewer ways in.
Policies
Effective policies aren’t fifty-page binders gathering dust: they’re the rules your team follows everyday. We help you build or refine policies that meet compliance requirements (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, WISP) while actually working in your daily operations.
Technology
Most businesses already own security tools they’re not fully using. We start by identifying and closing those gaps. Only when necessary do we recommend new technology, and when we do, it’s vendor-agnostic guidance based on your risk profile and budget, not sales commissions.
Industries
Helping Small Businesses from California to East Tennessee
From our origins in California’s Central Valley to our home in Knoxville, TN, we’ve supported companies across a wide range of fields. Whether you manage a team of five or five hundred, we adapt our approach to fit your organization’s specific needs.
Legal
Finance & Accounting
Healthcare Practices
Property Management & Real Estate
About Us
Real Cybersecurity, backed by Real Experience
I’m Seth Bagdanov, founder of Smoky Mountains Cybersecurity. Before launching this business, I spent over a decade in the trenches of small-business IT, supporting everyone from agriculture companies in Central California to professional services firms across five time zones worldwide. I saw firsthand how overwhelmed leaders felt when trying to understand cybersecurity, especially when every vendor pushed a different “must-have” product or expensive bundled package.
What struck me wasn’t a lack of effort. It was a lack of direction. Businesses were getting sales pitches, not strategy.
Most leaders didn’t need a bigger budget or a fancier firewall. They needed clear, structured confidence. They needed someone who understood how they function to filter out the noise, simplify decisions, and reduce real risk.
So in 2024, I built Smoky Mountains Cybersecurity around a different idea: give small businesses the specialized guidance normally reserved for enterprise security teams, but delivered in a way that fits their size and resources. Today, I work directly with business owners, office managers, IT staff, and MSPs to develop security programs that are grounded in operational reality, not flashy sales decks.
Is Smoky Mountains Cybersecurity Right For You?
We are specialized partners, not general IT providers. Our emphasis is on helping non-technical leaders turn cybersecurity from an overwhelming problem into a competitive business advantage.
✅ Who We’re For (Our Ideal Partner):
❌ We May Not Be the Right Fit If:
Growing SMBs (25-400 employees) who depend on digital systems and need security guidance, not just another tool.
Businesses seeking general IT support (software issues, hardware repairs, helpdesk services). We specialize in security strategy, not day-to-day IT management.
Regulated industries (Legal, Finance, Healthcare) that must meet compliance requirements (WISP, HIPAA) and can’t afford fines or operational disruption.
Companies seeking the lowest-cost option or one-time solutions. We build comprehensive programs designed for long-term protection.
Companies with existing IT support (MSP or internal team) who need specialized expertise in risk management, policy development, and compliance.
Organizations not ready to invest in security policies and employee training—the foundational elements of effective cybersecurity.
Leaders who recognize that prevention costs less than recovery and want a defined roadmap to protect their business continuity.
Very small teams (under ~15 employees) who aren’t yet ready for a cybersecurity program.
Projects Completed
Years of Technology Experience
Satisfied Small Businesses Protected
Download
The 12-Point Non-Technical Security Checklist
Discover the 12 most critical security measures a small business can implement to block common attacks like ransomware, email account compromise, and data theft.
Get your free, no-jargon checklist now.
Schedule Your Security Assessment
We’ll take a close look at your risks, walk through your specific concerns, and give you a straightforward plan to strengthen your defenses.
Proven with 500+ small businesses over 17 years.