IT support · Detroit, MI
Managed IT for Metro Detroit's shops, suppliers and offices
Detroit companies are increasingly judged on security by the customers above them in the supply chain. We help you meet those expectations and keep everyday IT out of your way.
A lot of Detroit businesses find out how their IT measures up only when a customer asks. An OEM's supplier portal adds a cybersecurity section. A prime contractor working with the Army in Warren starts talking about CMMC. A lender's closing partner wants proof of MFA. A broker at the Ambassador Bridge is asked how it protects shipment data. The question is rarely whether you have IT. It's whether you can show it's managed.
Motown Solutions is managed IT built around being able to show it. We run your help desk and patching, monitor every endpoint, harden email and logins, manage Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, maintain the network and firewall, and keep tested backups. Along the way we record what's configured and why, so when the next questionnaire arrives you have answers and evidence instead of guesses.
Where we help
Managed IT and help desk
We act as the IT department for companies that don't have one, and as backup for internal IT staff who are stretched thin.
How it works →Cybersecurity and endpoint protection
Supplier security requirements and cyber insurance applications ask about the same core controls, so those go in first: multi-factor authentication everywhere it's supported, endpoint detection and response on every device, email filtering for phishing and impersonation, and removal of everyday admin rights.
How it works →Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and cloud
Most Metro Detroit companies we talk with run Microsoft 365, often with settings left at their defaults.
How it works →Networks, firewalls and multi-site connectivity
Plants, warehouses and older office buildings across the region each bring their own network problems.
How it works →Backup and disaster recovery
Ransomware crews go after manufacturers and logistics firms because downtime is so expensive for them.
How it works →Compliance readiness
We support CMMC readiness for defense suppliers: working through the NIST SP 800-171 controls, building your System Security Plan and plan of action, and setting up the technical safeguards an assessor will check.
How it works →Three parts of Metro Detroit, three kinds of IT pressure
Downtown, Midtown and New Center are offices, hospitals and new companies. Rocket and Ally keep a large finance and mortgage workforce downtown, and around them are title agencies, brokers, insurance offices and law firms. Wayne State, the Detroit Medical Center and Henry Ford Health anchor Midtown and New Center, with TechTown's startups between them. The common thread is regulated data: financial records under the FTC Safeguards Rule, patient records under HIPAA.
Dearborn and the west side revolve around Ford, from the Research and Engineering Center to the restored Michigan Central Station in Corktown. Along the river through Southwest Detroit sit the freight forwarders, customs brokers and warehouses that serve the Ambassador Bridge crossing to Windsor. Those businesses live on EDI, carrier portals and email, and a hijacked mailbox can reroute a payment or a load.
North of Eight Mile, Macomb and Oakland counties hold the supplier base. Warren and Sterling Heights have the Detroit Arsenal, the GM Technical Center, General Dynamics Land Systems and a deep layer of machine shops and defense subcontractors. Troy, Auburn Hills and Southfield carry the engineering firms and tier one offices, with Stellantis in Auburn Hills. Here the pressure is CMMC for defense work and OEM security requirements for automotive work, often under the same roof.
Our process
Evidence as we go
Every change we make is recorded, so you can show a customer, insurer or assessor what's in place without a scramble.
Separate the floor from the office
Plant equipment, CAD stations and guest devices each get their own network segment, which limits how far an infection can spread.
Know who has access
We review admin rights, shared logins and former employees' accounts early, because stale access is one of the most common ways in.
Straight talk on CMMC
We'll tell you which level your contracts likely call for and what it will take, without inflating the scope.
The Detroit companies we fit best
Defense subcontractors and machine shops
Shops in Macomb County that receive Controlled Unclassified Information need to prepare for CMMC under DFARS. We run gap assessments against NIST SP 800-171, implement the technical controls and build the documentation an assessor will ask for. Certification itself comes from an authorized assessor; our job is getting you ready.
Automotive tier suppliers and engineering firms
OEMs increasingly ask suppliers about MFA, endpoint protection, patching and incident response before awarding work. We put those controls in place, separate CAD workstations and plant equipment from general office traffic, and keep large design files backed up.
Mortgage, title and insurance offices
Mortgage brokers and other non-bank lenders fall under the FTC Safeguards Rule, and title and insurance offices face their own data-security expectations from underwriters and regulators. We handle the technical controls and help assemble the written program. Wire fraud around closings is a real threat, so email protection comes first.
Freight, customs and logistics
Forwarders and brokers working the Ambassador Bridge crossing handle shipment data, customs filings and carrier payments, much of it by email. We protect those mailboxes, keep dispatch and warehouse Wi-Fi dependable, and maintain backups that let you recover from ransomware without paying.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need CMMC if we only make parts for a defense prime?
It depends on what information flows to you. If your contracts carry the DFARS clauses and you receive Controlled Unclassified Information, such as controlled technical drawings, you'll likely need Level 2. If you handle only Federal Contract Information, Level 1 applies. Check your contracts and ask your prime; we can help you read the flowdown clauses and plan from there.
We're a mortgage broker in Southfield. What does the FTC Safeguards Rule actually require?
The amended rule calls for a qualified individual to oversee your program, a written risk assessment, MFA for anyone accessing customer information, encryption, monitoring, staff training and a written incident response plan, among other items. Covered businesses must also notify the FTC of certain security events. We implement the technical controls and help draft the written pieces.
We have an office in Troy and a plant in Sterling Heights. Can you manage both as one network?
Yes. We connect the sites with a site-to-site VPN or SD-WAN, put both behind managed firewalls, and manage every device from one console so policies match. Staff sign in the same way at either location, and you get one set of documentation for the whole company.
A customer wants us to have a written incident response plan. Can you help?
Yes. We write a plan that fits your company: who gets called, how systems are isolated, where backups live and how to restore them, and when customers, insurers or regulators must be told. Then we walk through it with your team so the first time anyone reads it isn't during a real incident.
Do you cover businesses Downriver or out toward Novi?
We work across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, and most support is delivered remotely, so being in Wyandotte, Novi or the Grosse Pointes isn't a problem. If a job genuinely needs hands on hardware, we'll talk through how to handle it before you commit to anything.
Get ready before the next questionnaire
Call 313-650-6110 or email support@motownsolutions.com and tell us which customer, contract or insurer is asking. We'll help you sort out what's required and what isn't.