Question 1

What security standards does HawkData follow?

Accepted Answer

We align our managed services with NIST 800-171, CIS Controls, and support HIPAA and PCI-DSS compliance frameworks for regulated industries. Our Linux-first stack is hardened using CIS benchmarks and continuous configuration monitoring via Wazuh.

Question 2

How do you protect endpoints and servers?

Accepted Answer

All managed devices run EDR/XDR agents with real-time threat detection, automatic isolation of compromised hosts, and 24/7 alerting. Virtual and physical firewalls are deployed with NGFW rulesets, and all traffic is inspected for anomalies.

Question 3

Is my data encrypted?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256 on managed servers and workstations. Data in transit uses TLS 1.2+ across all connections. Backup repositories are encrypted and stored in geographically separated locations.

Question 4

What happens if a breach is detected?

Accepted Answer

Our SOC follows a documented incident response playbook: immediate containment within minutes, forensic analysis, eradication of the threat, and a full post-incident report. You are notified immediately and kept informed throughout the response lifecycle.

Question 5

How is monthly billing calculated?

Accepted Answer

Billing is based on the monthly rental cost of each assigned asset, calculated per device category (workstation, server, firewall, switch). Proration applies when assets are added or removed mid-cycle, based on the assignment date.

Question 6

When are invoices issued and due?

Accepted Answer

Invoices are generated on the first business day of each billing period and are due within 30 days. Clients with auto-billing enabled through Stripe are charged automatically on the due date.

Question 7

Are there minimum service charges?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Workstation management has a minimum monthly threshold (typically 10 workstations) regardless of actual count. Service-tier minimums also apply to bundled add-on services like SIEM and EDR/XDR.

Question 8

Can I pay with a credit card or set up auto-billing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We support secure payment via Stripe, including one-time invoice payments and recurring auto-billing subscriptions. You can manage your payment method directly from the client portal.

Question 9

How long does onboarding take?

Accepted Answer

A standard onboarding takes 1–2 weeks depending on environment size. This includes asset inventory, agent deployment, firewall configuration, and initial security baseline establishment. Larger environments may require additional time for full coverage.

Question 10

What is included in the onboarding fee?

Accepted Answer

The one-time onboarding fee covers initial assessment, agent deployment across all endpoints and servers, firewall rule configuration, backup setup, and documentation of your environment. This fee may be waived for multi-year service commitments.

Question 11

What do you need from me to get started?

Accepted Answer

We need accurate hardware counts (workstations, servers, firewalls, switches), network topology details, existing compliance requirements, and remote access credentials. A discovery call helps us tailor the deployment to your environment.

Question 12

Will there be downtime during onboarding?

Accepted Answer

Some reasonably expected downtime is anticipated in order to switch over infrastructure. A slightly longer downtime may be expected if the client decides to opt in for a total rebuild of their user structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Security Protocols

Billing Cycles

Onboarding Processes