Pick by industry first, then by distance. Energy, petrochemical and port operators should start with Mako Logics; manufacturers, banks, and law and CPA firms on the west side with Impress Computers; healthcare facilities that need nurse-call systems as well as IT with SpaceCenter Systems; and offices that want copiers, printing and IT from one vendor with Stargel. For broader managed IT and security, Centre Technologies suits companies of 50 to 500 employees, Aldridge suits firms with in-house IT staff or private equity owners, and Meriplex, CITOC, eNet Systems and TeamLogic IT serve offices across west and southwest Houston. Before signing, ask each finalist how it would keep you running if your office lost power for a week: where backups live, whether phones and line-of-business apps fail over to the cloud, and how quickly it can equip staff to work from home.
How should Houston businesses prepare their IT for hurricane season?
NOAA’s Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so the planning belongs in spring. Keep backups off site, ideally in a cloud region away from the Gulf Coast; move email, files and phones to services that work from anywhere; document how staff will work remotely and who decides when to shut equipment down; and test a full restore before the season starts. Beryl’s outages showed that power can stay off for days even when a building is undamaged, so ask your MSP how long your servers can run on battery or generator power and what happens when they can’t.
What does the Coast Guard’s maritime cybersecurity rule require?
The rule, published on January 17, 2025, and effective July 16, 2025, applies to owners and operators of U.S.-flagged vessels, facilities and outer continental shelf facilities that must have security plans under the Maritime Transportation Security Act, a group that includes many port terminals. They must report cyber incidents to the National Response Center without delay, train all personnel in cybersecurity, with the first round due by January 12, 2026, and new hires trained within five days of getting system access, name a Cybersecurity Officer, and complete a cybersecurity assessment and submit a cybersecurity plan by July 16, 2027.
What does Texas medical-privacy law add to HIPAA for Houston practices?
Texas Health and Safety Code chapter 181, strengthened by HB 300 in 2011, applies to a broader range of covered entities than HIPAA. Employees must be trained on state and federal privacy law as it relates to their duties within 90 days of being hired and again after a material change in the law, with signed attestations kept for six years, and providers that use electronic health records must deliver a patient’s record electronically within 15 business days of a written request. An IT provider serving medical practices should help with both the training records and the systems that make timely record delivery possible.
