Our Story

The Beginning

Florida, Summer 2004...

Hurricane season of 2004 was devastating to South and Central Florida. In less than a month three hurricanes (Charley, Frances and Jeanne) crossed the southern and central portions of Florida, causing great destruction to businesses, homes and, for many, their memories. You see, digital cameras had started to drop in price (more on that in a minute). 

Meanwhile, in North Carolina...

I watched with great anticipation as the four tropical storms crossed the state where I was born and raised - and where my parents, brother and sister all lived. I found myself calling my family multiple times a day to do a "weather check" and in one instance, to check to make sure my younger sister was able to safely escape to Orlando to get out of the path of Category 4 Hurricane Charlie (the 7th most destructive hurricane as of this writing). Her travels were safe and my entire family was blessed to have avoided any major damage.

The motivation I needed...  

Having been out of IT for a few years, the thought of my family's IT situation weighed heavily on my mind. My sister, about to have her first child the next year made me think about all of the precious digital photos that would have been lost. Thinking about my parents business and how all of their company financials were located on one computer in their office might have been lost had they experienced the devastating effects of one of the Hurricanes.

It quickly became clear to me that it was time for me to get back into technology -- and that the traditional relationship between "IT guy and end user" didn't have to be adversarial, so, in October 2004, along with a business partner I started eyeNET Security, Inc.  (originally called Proactive Security Solutions, Inc).

What I decided was going to make us different...

Relationships. That's what makes us different. We noticed there were lots of IT support companies that were doing things 'at their convenience' and in many cases 'taking advantage of people every time the opportunity presented itself'. That's not right. Plain and simple. So I wanted to start a company that would change the dynamic between IT provider and end user. I decided that focusing only on taking care of the technology wasn't going to be enough. We had to figure out how to take care of your technology AND create a positive experience so that our clients FELT BETTER after working with us.

I figured if we focused on serving our clients every day to the best of our ability, our company would grow and the "right clients" would find us. It worked! And we are humbled when we receive comments like the following from our clients:

  • "Have I told you lately how much I love you??? (I know, I’m repeating myself but can you ever hear enough of a good thing?)"

  • "You are welcome to stick your nose into our business. Thanks for bringing this up."

  • "I have talked with Brian and he was the ultimate professional about the transition."

  • "Wished to notify you we received another refund check from AT&T for $483.58. We had previously received $185.88 refund. Thanks so much for your negotiation with them, which I know from previous experience of working with them can be very trying."

These are just some of the comments we received from clients between August 2012 - October 2012.

8 Years Later

New friends, same mission…

As I write this, October 14, 2012, we are celebrating being in business for 8 years. And though the world has certainly changed since eyeNET Security was founded, our goals and ideals have not. Our mission is to completely change the relationship between "end users" and "IT support providers" by treating our clients with respect and by having an unwillingness to compromise our integrity (while also slipping in a few bad jokes from time to time). I have often said, I got into technology as an excuse to connect with people - after all it is people that make up companies, organizations and families, so when we focus on serving the individuals we serve the greater mission of an organization, company or family.

The Now

Circa August 21, 2020…

I often hear folks use the phrase "it's been a minute" when describing how long it has been since they've last seen me, or since I've seen them. When it comes to this page on our website, "its been a long minute" since I've updated our story. I think I wrote "The Beginning" in October 2012 when a marketing consultant I was working with urged me to get a website together. I've been asked to update this page again and provide you with an update as to where we've been since my last entry. So here goes:

  • The Pandemic: The world has been dealing with the Covid19 Virus pandemic since March of this year. At the beginning of March, we were a team of three, by the end of the month, we were a team of five! Yep, the Pandemic hit, we hired two people who have been on work-from-home duty since their first day.

  • The Technology: Since writing "The Beginning," we have revisited our technology stack 4-5-6-10 times to make sure that we are using the right technology to meet our clients' needs. We are actively changing a number of our core technologies to the latest generations of products we have used for years. We are replacing other products that are past their prime.

  • The Personal Life: I got married in March 2019 to an amazing woman who inspires me every day to be a better person. I also became a stepdad to two Lego-loving young men who make me laugh by the simple-yet-amazing way they look at life. My family - who I wrote about in "The Beginning," are all doing well and living in Florida and Georgia. 

  • The Team: Over the past almost 8 years, I have had the good fortune to work with some fantastic people. We've also had some struggles, but I can confidently say that I am blessed beyond belief to work with the four people who make up our team! Tara, Savanna, Courtney, and Camran, you rock, and thank you for believing in what we are trying to build!

  • The Dream: They say if you are going to dream, dream big! We've decided that our dream is to accomplish what is very likely impossible. We (literally) want to be our client's favorite vendor! Like seriously, we want to delight every one of our clients every day! We strive every day to achieve it - and every day, we fall short - but I believe in the target. Though we will never get there, we will get much further by reaching for it.

We are committed more than ever about creating a great experience for our clients. When was the last time you told your friends and family about your mediocre experience at the grocery store? Never, right? But what about the last time you went to you favorite restaurant that not only has the best food and the best service? How often do you tell your friends and family about that experience? We want to create the same experience you have at your favorite restaurant with the amazing service - only we want to create those same feelings when it comes to technology support!

The Road to Success

Our 4 Keys

Everything we do is guided and measured by our 4 Keys:

  • Friendly - Foster long lasting relationships with our Clients.

  • Integrity - Always act in the best interest of our Clients.

  • Seeking - Strive to improve every day.

  • Honesty - We own our mistakes and make things right.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to talking with you soon!

Warmest regards,
Brian Tuffy
Founder - eyeNET Security, Inc.
(919) 907-1560