ZAKHIDOVTechnology Advisory

Resource Library

Free tools for organizations doing a lot with a little.

Checklists, templates and short guides written for nonprofits and small teams without a full IT department. Free to download, share and adapt.

8 guides · 10 free tools · 10 real cases

Start with your situation

Pick what you are dealing with. Each guide gives the short answer, the steps and the tools to use.

Choose a situation

The short answer, five steps and the right templates appear here.

All tools

Word versions are editable, so you can add your own names and details.

  • Checklist1 page

    MFA Readiness Checklist

    Get every person ready for MFA, with the methods ranked strongest first.

    PDF
  • Checklist1 page

    Cyber Insurance Readiness Checklist

    The 24 controls insurers ask about most, so you can answer with confidence.

    PDF
  • Poster1 page

    Stop. Check. Report. Scam poster

    Eight red flags and three steps. Print it and post it near desks.

    PDF
  • Template1 page

    Incident Response Plan

    Who to call and what to do in the first hour of a cyber incident.

    PDFWord
  • Template2 pages

    Business Continuity Plan

    Critical systems, workarounds and who gets notified when things go down.

    PDFWord
  • Template1 page

    Backup Restore Test Log

    Prove your backups work with a quarterly restore test and a simple record.

    PDFWord
  • Template2 pages

    AI Acceptable Use Policy

    A short starter policy: approved tools, data that never goes in, who reviews.

    PDFWord
  • Checklist1 page

    Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness

    Find and fix oversharing before Copilot shows people what they should not see.

    PDF
  • Checklist1 page

    Staff IT Onboarding and Offboarding

    Accounts, devices and access done right on the first and the last day.

    PDFWord
  • Checklist1 page

    Vendor Security Questions

    Twelve questions to ask before any software vendor holds your data.

    PDFWord

Templates are a starting point, not legal advice. Review them with your leadership, insurer and legal counsel.

Real cases

Real work. Client names only with permission.

Central Coast and North Coast Energy Services

Since 2005 with the same agencies

Situation
My US career began at Central Coast Energy Services in 2005. When I left for a biotech company, the agency tried several replacements, then brought me back as a consultant.
What was done
Consulting Head of IT for both agencies: hardened security, secured remote access, trained staff on cybersecurity and launched modern websites.
Result
More than twenty years later, still their IT partner through lean years and good years.
Community action

Agencies facing a statewide MFA requirement

Situation
Energy assistance agencies across California must use MFA for ServTraq and CALIHEAPApply starting in January.
What was done
Spoke at the ServTraq Innovation Summit on why security starts with MFA, and published a free readiness checklist for agencies.
Result
Agencies have a free, practical checklist to get their staff ready ahead of the deadline.
Energy assistance agency

Fixed the same day, client ever since

Situation
After an early job for the agency, a firewall I had installed and configured developed an issue that their IT provider at the time could not resolve.
What was done
They called me back. I came out and fixed it the same day.
Result
They brought me on as their consulting Head of IT, and I have supported them ever since.
Community energy agency

One account, one gap

Situation
An agency I support had one employee account phished and taken over. No genius hacker, just one click and one account where MFA was not set up right. No control stops every click.
What was done
Contained it the same day, cleaned it up and closed the gap for every account. I knew their budget, so I did not charge.
Result
The account was secured, and the CEO heard it plainly: MFA is not optional anymore.
Food distribution

From paper to an automated food distributor

Situation
A food distributor ran on paper. Sales reps carried printed inventory lists for every customer, photographed the marked pages and emailed them to an intake person, who typed every order into QuickBooks. Inventory was tracked by hand.
What was done
Replaced the paper with iPads, added barcodes to inventory, and built a website that syncs inventory from QuickBooks. Installed the servers, remote access and network so the team can work in QuickBooks together. When money was tight, I lowered my costs, never the service.
Result
Orders and inventory flow without retyping, and the business grew from a small warehouse with the systems to match. Now I am helping the owner bring AI into the business, connecting the tools and teaching the team to use them. He started as a client and is now one of my longest friends.
Human services

Faster intake with document management

Situation
A human services nonprofit was slowed down by paper heavy intake and application processing.
What was done
Helped deploy a document management platform to streamline intake.
Result
Intake documents in one place, set up to speed up application processing.
Moving and storage

A 50,000 square foot warehouse in one weekend

Situation
A growing Bay Area moving and storage company took on a 50,000 square foot warehouse and needed cameras covering the whole building inside and out, plus network, Wi-Fi and a firewall.
What was done
Designed and installed all of it in two days over a weekend, with the full equipment list handed over to buy directly, no markup. Later I came back to fix systems someone else had installed. They were end of life, and they were being patched over and over. I flagged it and fixed the root cause instead, because I only stand behind work I can guarantee.
Result
The owner was so pleased he paid more than the invoice. More than five years later, everything I installed still runs without issues.
California organization

Professional video surveillance

Situation
An organization needed to protect its people, property and daily operations.
What was done
Deployed a professional Verkada video surveillance system.
Result
Cloud managed cameras the team can check from anywhere.
Personal project

A website that runs itself from Etsy

Situation
My family jewelry studio wanted a real website without managing products twice.
What was done
Built a fast, secure site that pulls listings straight from the Etsy shop, plus the domain, email and hosting.
Result
Products are managed in one place and the site stays current on its own.
Personal project

A father and son trading card site

Situation
My son wanted a real website for his collectible trading cards.
What was done
Building it together, including a card catalog with condition and market pricing.
Result
In progress: he learns by building it, one page at a time.

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