Friends and Partners

As a small business, we sometimes lean on both our friends and trusted partners for support so we can deliver the best possible services to you. While our mission is to push back against the corporatization of the IT field, we’re realistic enough to know that it’s not entirely avoidable. In fact, some of those very corporations help us achieve that mission by enabling us to provide secure, reliable solutions.
We only partner with companies that share our vision and values. Below, you’ll find details about the friends who help make this possible (individuals and local businesses) and the larger partners who provide the essential tools and services we use. You’ll also find the policies and ethics we follow when selecting partners.

For additional details, clarifications, or questions about anything listed below, please contact us. We’re committed to transparency and clear communication—always.

Friends

Wood Brothers Property Services

Shawn and Luke Wood with Wood Brothers Property Services, are the entire reason we moved up here to do this. Without their continued support, partnership, and assistance, none of this would be possible. If you're looking for an awesome team to help manage your property on the Gunflint Trail, we highly recommend them!

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Cook Country Chamber of Commerce

Short Bit Services is a part of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce! We joined pretty quickly on after founding the business. They were imperative with helping us get the name out there! We can never repay them! If you're a business in Cook County looking to network, we can't recommend them enough!

Kyhana Austin

Khyana and I (Caleb) have been friends for years. When we got the idea to start up the company they were kind enough to help design most of our assets, such as our Logo (all versions of it), our business cards, and email signatures. (They did not design the website.) They're not local to Minnesota, but I would highly recommend them if you needed a simple logo or other assets designed!

Partner Policy

Our Approach to Partnerships
Some services are nearly impossible to deliver without support from larger companies. While we reject the “big tech knows best” mentality, we recognize that a few organizations genuinely align with our values—or provide essential infrastructure that modern IT depends on. For transparency, we will always list these partners right here on this page.

Our Commitment to Honesty
We won’t recommend products or services we wouldn’t confidently use ourselves—and we will never make a recommendation without clear communication about why it’s the right fit for you. Every suggestion is based on real-world reliability, security, and value—not marketing hype. We will never exaggerate or “talk up” a company. Instead, we provide honest, transparent information about their capabilities and limitations. We’re not salespeople—we’re a local IT company focused on building resilient, human‑centered tech for our community.

Why Transparency Matters to You

Trust over hype: Clear, unvarnished information lets you make decisions with confidence—no hidden agendas, no upsells disguised as advice.
Your independence: We explain trade‑offs and alternatives, so you’re never locked into a vendor you don’t want or need.
Anti‑corporate by design: We choose partners carefully, advocate for open standards when possible, and default to solutions that protect your choice and your data.
Accountability: If a partner changes terms, raises prices, or shifts policies, we’ll flag it—and we’ll help you pivot.
Better value for you: By working directly with trusted partners, we can often offer better pricing than going direct. This gives us more control over costs and ensures you get the best deal without sacrificing quality.
Scalable support: Partnering with these companies allows us to efficiently manage many clients at once, ensuring consistent service and rapid response when you need it most.

Our Ethics on AI and Emerging Tech
We refuse to recommend any product that misuses or overuses AI—or similar technologies—without a clear, justifiable purpose, informed consent, and strong privacy protections. If a tool can’t meet our ethical standards, it won’t touch your systems.

VEEAM

Veeam is our primary backup provider because they deliver reliability, flexibility, and innovation at a level few others can match. We use Veeam to protect servers, workstations, and even cloud-based environments like Microsoft 365—ensuring your data is secure no matter where it lives.

Veeam is highly regarded across the IT industry for its proven track record in disaster recovery and business continuity. Their solutions offer advanced features such as:

Instant Recovery for critical workloads
Immutable backups to defend against ransomware
Granular restore options for files, applications, and entire systems
Cloud and hybrid support, giving you freedom to store backups locally or in the cloud

We trust Veeam because their technology aligns with our mission: keeping your data safe, accessible, and under your control. When we recommend Veeam, it’s because we know it works—not because of marketing hype. Their commitment to security and reliability makes them an essential partner in delivering resilient IT solutions for our clients.

BitDefender

Bitdefender is our trusted cybersecurity partner, providing advanced protection for both home and business environments. We rely on Bitdefender for antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and layered security solutions that safeguard devices against modern threats—including ransomware, phishing, and zero-day exploits.

Bitdefender stands out in the industry for its combination of high detection rates, low system impact, and proactive threat intelligence. Their solutions offer features such as:

Real-time threat monitoring powered by global intelligence networks
Advanced ransomware protection with behavioral analysis
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) for businesses, enabling rapid threat isolation and remediation
Centralized management for multi-device environments, making security simple and scalable

We trust Bitdefender because their technology aligns with our mission: keeping your systems secure without compromising performance or usability. When we recommend Bitdefender, it’s because we know it delivers—protecting your data and your peace of mind.

N-able

N-able is our trusted partner for remote monitoring and management (RMM), enabling us to deliver proactive IT support and security for our clients. Their platform allows us to monitor systems, deploy updates, and respond to issues before they become problems—keeping your technology running smoothly and securely.

N-able stands out for its scalability, automation capabilities, and security-first approach. Key features include:

Comprehensive RMM tools for servers, workstations, and network devices
Patch management to keep systems up-to-date and protected
Integrated security solutions, including endpoint protection and backup options
Automation workflows that reduce downtime and improve efficiency

We trust N-able because their solutions empower us to deliver enterprise-grade IT management without sacrificing flexibility or transparency. When we recommend N-able, it’s because it helps us keep your systems secure, stable, and optimized—so you can focus on what matters most.