About John Snyder, CEO

John Snyder is owner and CEO of Net Friends, Inc., an MSP and MSSP headquartered in NC. He began his Net Friends career in early 1999 as a field technician working with customers in the biotech, healthcare, education, and legal professions. His early work in 2001 grappling with how to help multiple research and clinical organizations comply with the HIPAA regulation led to a lifelong study of cybersecurity frameworks like NIST 800-53a, 800-171, COBIT 5.0, and ISO 27001. Grounded in these time-tested approaches that aid in protecting data and maintaining safe networks, John consistently steers Net Friends towards developing IT support services built from these security frameworks and best practices. Once John became a minority owner of Net Friends in 2009, he was able to direct the company more fully to building IT service offerings based on these frameworks.

John knows the power of 3rd party industry certifications to confirm your expertise. He is a former Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), former CompTIA Security+ certified analyst, former CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control) expert, and former Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). The value of these formal and specialized pursuits has influenced Net Friends to prioritize securing its SOC 2 Type II certification back in 2019, which we have maintained without interruption year after year. John firmly believes that focusing on a culture of security will directly improve the optimal business outcomes that our customers seek.

In 2021, John was named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA)'s Leadership Council. The NSBA is nonpartisan and the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization. As a member of the Leadership Council, John engages with U.S. policymakers on the interests of small businesses and advocates for laws to improve cybersecurity and address supply chain issues. John is also serving a two-year term on the Information Technology Advisory Committee at Durham Technical Community College, helping bridge the instructional priorities of the institution with the today's business and industry sectors.

Connect with John on LinkedIn.
(Updated September 2024)

Latest Articles by

John Snyder

Life At Net Friends
A Tale of Net Friendly IT Support (How I Met My Wife)

"In 1999, I was a new tech at Net Friends, enjoying my time supporting dozens of research departments at Duke University."

Cybersecurity
Is Your VPN Solution Optimized for Anywhere Operations?

Our four core recommendations to ensure your VPN solution is optimized for Anywhere Operations to support your distributed workforce.

Technology
Three Strikes Against Universal Print for Small Businesses

Currently, Net Friends does not recommend Microsoft’s Universal Print services to small businesses. Here are the core reasons why.

Managed IT Services
Navigating Microsoft Licensing Complexities for Our Customers

Two recent Microsoft licensing developments will impact how businesses obtain their subscriptions. Here is how we're navigating it on behalf of our customers.

Business Strategy
2021 in Retrospect with Net Friends CEO

A 2021 reflection and end-of-year letter from John Snyder, Net Friends CEO.

Business Strategy
A Tech CEO’s Shortcut to Business Impact Analysis (BIA)

Most businesses don’t have the luxury of conducting a formal Business Impact Analysis. Here's a BIA shortcut for your everyday business decisions.

Technology
Top 5 Benefits of Microsoft Azure for Small Businesses

Microsoft Azure offers a wide range of powerful cloud computing solutions for any small business. These 5 specific SMB benefits are worth noting about Azure.

Cybersecurity
The Stack Lab: Meeting Cybersecurity Hands-On

In 2020, we designed our Stack Lab, featuring technology equipment that facilitates in-house, hands-on training for our technical staff.

Cybersecurity
Why You Need Technology Specialists

Far too often, IT companies are stuck in the generalist hiring loop with no formal strategy to develop their technical staff beyond being break-fix technicians.

Technology
The First Cornerstone to Safe Network Design: Technology Stack

By cementing your Technology Stack from the onset, you dodge disruptions such as frequently recycling technology solutions and upending operational processes.

Business Strategy
A Tech CEO's "Return to Office" Plan

Net Friends CEO John Snyder shares his motivations to create a demand-driven facility for his company to use as needed to collaborate and enrich their work.

Technology
How to Check Your Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is central to Microsoft’s plans to boost the security of 1.3 billion workstations running Windows 10.

Contact our IT
Support Center 24/7

Option 1: Call (919) 680-3763
Option 2: Email - request@netfriends.com
Option 3: Complete the form below
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

If your support issue requires immediate assistance, please call our office. Email & web form submissions are only reviewed during business hours.