CASE STUDY
Real Estate Investment Trust
Is your firm's IT security leaving you vulnerable to devastating ransomware attacks?
From Ransomware Devastation
To Long-Term Resilience
"This ransomware event was devastating—but it was also a wake-up call. With Preactive IT Solutions, we now know we’re protected by professionals who specialize in our industry."
— COO, Construction Firm
Client Profile
Industry: Real Estate Investment Trust
Office Staff: ~80
IT Support (Pre-Attack): Single internal IT manager and one helpdesk technician
Annual Revenue: $100MM+
THE CHALLENGE
While finalizing a proposal for our managed IT services, we received an urgent call from the firm on a Monday morning. Over the weekend, a ransomware attack had encrypted their entire network, including servers, workstations, and local backups, halting all operations.
The root causes stemmed from vulnerabilities in their IT setup:
- The CEO required remote access to the office's security camera system from his home computer.
- Their internal IT manager, lacking expertise, opened an insecure port in the firewall, exposing the network to the internet without proper safeguards.
- This misconfiguration allowed attackers to exploit the open port and deploy ransomware.
Compounding the issue, their backups failed catastrophically:
- Only file-level backups were stored on a local NAS device.
- No off-site, cloud-based, or image-based recovery options existed.
- Backups lacked air-gapping or credential separation, making them vulnerable to encryption.
With no viable recovery path, the firm paid a $7,000 ransom in Bitcoin. Even then, the decryption tool—unstable Visual Basic code—required 2.5 weeks of intensive oversight, recovering only about 95% of their data.
The total impact was staggering, with estimated costs nearing $1 million from the ransom payment, firm-wide downtime, lost project time, overtime for recovery, forensic services, and system rebuilds—not to mention reputational harm in the competitive Houston market.
THE SOLUTION
Post-incident, the firm partnered with Preactive IT Solutions for comprehensive managed IT and cybersecurity services. Leveraging our 20+ years of expertise and process-driven approach, we rebuilt their IT environment from the ground up, focusing on resilience, proactive monitoring, and industry-specific protections tailored to Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) challenges, such as secure remote access for field teams and compliance with Texas regulations.
Key implementations included:
- Next-generation antivirus with ransomware rollback capabilities.
- Behavior-based monitoring to automatically isolate machines exhibiting encryption activity.
- AI-assisted Security Operations Center (SOC) and 24/7 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for real-time threat identification and neutralization.
- Zero-Trust Application Whitelisting to prevent unauthorized programs from running.
- Nightly image-based server backups with off-site replication and immutability features.
- Credential-isolated backup storage to ensure recoverability.
- Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) for monitoring and protecting Office 365 accounts.
- Regular cybersecurity awareness training for users to mitigate human error risks.
Our data-driven processes ensured efficient execution. We audited their systems, prioritized high-impact fixes, planned within their budget and timeline, and deployed solutions with minimal disruption, allowing the firm to focus on core activities, such as project delivery and growth.
THE RESULTS
Since implementing these measures, the firm has remained ransomware-free for over 7 years. Their IT environment is now continuously monitored, with verifiable backups and trained staff, transforming a reactive setup into a proactive fortress.
Benefits achieved:
- Eliminated repeat vulnerabilities by addressing root causes like insecure remote access.
- Achieved full data recoverability, reducing potential downtime from weeks to hours.
- Enhanced overall security posture, protecting sensitive project data and intellectual property in line with the Real Estate Investment Trust industry needs.
- Freed leadership from IT worries, enabling focus on business scalability and profitability.
This partnership not only recovered lost ground but also positioned the firm for long-term success, with reduced risks of project delays, cost overruns, and compliance issues.
TIME DETAILS & SAVINGS (ESTIMATION)
Pre-attack, the firm's internal IT team—consisting of one manager and one technician—handled reactive support but lacked the bandwidth for modern security. The ransomware recovery alone took 2.5 weeks of intensive effort, costing nearly $1 million in direct and indirect losses.
Post-partnership, our proactive solutions have prevented incidents entirely, saving an estimated $100,000+ annually in potential downtime and recovery costs. Response times for any issues now average under 1 hour, with resolutions under 4 hours—aligning with our EOS metrics for zero negative feedback and enterprise-level reliability.
THE CONCLUSION
This ransomware crisis exposed the dangers of an underprepared in-house IT team, where overwhelmed staff and outdated practices can lead to massive financial and operational hits. By partnering with Preactive IT Solutions, the firm gained a specialized ally in cybersecurity.
As Charles Swihart, Founder and CEO with over 30 years of IT experience, emphasizes, our vision is to deliver cutting-edge, proactive strategies that safeguard businesses without large in-house resources. Recognized as MSP Titan of the Industry in 2024 for leadership in construction and engineering IT, we help firms avoid disasters and thrive.
Ready to Strengthen Your Firm's Cybersecurity?
Don't wait for an attack to reveal weaknesses. Schedule a free cybersecurity readiness review today and discover how Preactive IT Solutions can protect your construction or engineering business.
What Our Client's are Saying
Houston TX
Preactive IT Solutions, LP
1220 Blalock Road, Suite 345
Houston, Texas 77055
Phone: (832) 583-3707
Email: [email protected]
Austin TX
Preactive IT Solutions, LP
2505 E 6th St Suite C,
Austin, TX 78702
Phone: (512) 812-7227
Email: [email protected]
San Antonio, TX
Preactive IT Solutions, LP
700 North Saint Mary's Street, Suite 1210
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Phone: (210) 864-2929
Email: [email protected]
Charles Swihart
Visonary & Founder
Charles has become a recognized authority in delivering IT support and solutions tailored for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly in the engineering and construction sectors. His vision for Preactive IT Solutions has always been to provide enterprise-level IT services to businesses that typically lack the resources of larger corporations.
IT Insights for Engineering Firms
Dive into the world of digital protection with Charles Swihart, Founder and CEO of Preactive IT Solutions. This collection of blogs offers in-depth analysis, practical strategies, and real-world insights to help businesses safeguard their data and strengthen their reputation in an increasingly connected landscape.
How Preactive IT Solutions Delivers Expert Technical Support for Bluebeam in Engineering and Construction
