Solway Web Consulting provides discreet, hands-on IT and cybersecurity support for private clients, family offices, private households, executive home offices and home-office companies across Australia and New Zealand.
The service is designed for environments where technology is personal, sensitive and operationally important. A private client may have family devices, executive email, investment records, property documents, travel accounts, domains, websites, cloud storage, personal assistants, advisors and business interests all overlapping. The work is not only technical. It requires judgement, confidentiality, low-friction delivery and an ability to work carefully around busy people.
The focus is defensive IT and cybersecurity: secure home office setup, email security, DNS and domain review, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace security, MFA, passwords, device hygiene, backup review, account recovery planning, documentation and practical remediation.
Request a discreet private-client IT and cybersecurity consultation
Discreet IT and cybersecurity support for private clients
Private-client technology work is different from ordinary business IT support. It often involves personal accounts, family members, assistants, household staff, external advisors, investment entities, old company domains and devices used across home, travel and business contexts.
The aim is to reduce practical risk without creating unnecessary drama. That may mean reviewing a Microsoft 365 tenant, securing a Google Workspace domain, checking SPF, DKIM and DMARC, documenting account ownership, cleaning up DNS records, reviewing backup coverage, helping with password manager adoption or preparing devices before international travel.
It may also mean working around meetings, travel schedules, family routines and existing advisors. Some work can be completed remotely through a controlled session. Other work is better handled on site, particularly where routers, printers, drives, old devices, private office equipment or household networks need to be physically reviewed. In both cases, the scope should be clear before any technical changes are made.
For related email authentication work, see email security and DMARC setup. For broader small business security review work, see cyber security review services.
Who this service is for
This service is suitable for:
- high net worth individuals
- families and private households
- family offices
- executive home offices
- home-office companies
- private PAs and executive assistants
- estate managers
- founders, investors and senior executives
- boutique professional service firms
- wealth, legal, accounting and advisory practices supporting private clients
- IT firms needing trusted subcontracted support for sensitive projects
Work can be arranged directly or through a family office, private assistant, estate manager, existing IT provider or professional advisor.
Why private-client IT requires a different approach
Private-client environments rarely fit a standard managed services template. There may be no single office, no formal asset register and no clean separation between personal and business technology. A family member may use a shared iPad. An assistant may manage calendars and travel accounts. A domain may have been registered years ago by a web agency. Important files may sit across iCloud, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox and local storage.
Good support needs to be calm, practical and discreet. The work should identify real risks, prioritise fixes and avoid unnecessary exposure of sensitive information. It should also respect existing relationships with advisors and IT providers.
Low-friction delivery matters because private-client environments cannot be secured by issuing corporate instructions and expecting everyone to adapt immediately. Controls need to be realistic. MFA must be strong but usable. Password manager rollout needs to account for assistants and shared responsibilities. Backup recommendations need to fit the way documents are actually created and stored. Documentation must be clear enough for a family office, assistant or trusted advisor to use later.
From 5-star Sydney hospitality to cybersecurity and digital asset protection
Mark Solway's career originally started in 5-star hospitality in Sydney over 35 years ago, working in some of Sydney's most prestigious hotels.
That background still shapes the service style: discretion, attention to detail, calm delivery, confidentiality, high standards and the ability to work effectively around demanding clients without creating friction.
Mark now combines that private-client service mindset with hands-on experience across IT, cybersecurity, DNS, hosting, web platforms, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, email authentication and digital asset protection. The result is a practical consulting service for clients who need sensitive technology work handled personally and carefully.
Services for high net worth individuals, families and home offices
Services can include:
- secure home office review
- email security review covering SPF, DKIM and DMARC
- Microsoft 365 security review
- Google Workspace security review
- domain and DNS security review
- password manager and MFA rollout
- secure device and account review
- website, domain and email ownership review
- privacy and digital footprint review
- secure backup review
- travel-related digital security preparation
- executive account recovery planning
- trusted subcontracted project support
- documentation and plain-English reporting
For technical background, see SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained for Australian businesses and where email domain security fits with Essential Eight and ISM thinking.
Typical private-client projects
Typical projects include securing an executive home office before a business transition, reviewing family domain and email ownership, cleaning up DNS after years of supplier changes, enabling MFA for sensitive accounts, checking whether invoices and private correspondence are protected against domain spoofing, reviewing devices before travel, documenting account recovery paths, or helping an existing IT provider with sensitive DNS and email security work.
Other projects may involve reviewing old laptops and drives before disposal, checking backup coverage for family and business records, confirming that cloud document access is limited to the right people, or creating a practical technology risk register for a family office.
Some projects are triggered by a specific concern: a suspicious email, a changed assistant, a family office restructure, an upcoming trip, a property transaction, a new home office, a business sale, a domain renewal problem or uncertainty about who controls a website or email system. Others are preventative reviews where the client wants a clearer view of their digital assets before there is a problem.
For device retirement work, see secure data wiping and device retirement.
Supporting family offices and subcontracted IT providers
Family offices and boutique advisory firms often need technical support that is independent, careful and easy to coordinate. Existing IT providers may also need a trusted subcontractor for DNS, email authentication, domain ownership, web hosting, documentation or sensitive hands-on work.
Solway Web Consulting can work within an agreed scope, report clearly, avoid overstepping existing relationships and provide practical recommendations without turning a focused project into a large programme.
How I work
The process is deliberately simple:
- Discreet initial discussion to understand the concern, environment and preferred communication path.
- Scope and risk review to agree what should be checked and what should not be touched.
- Hands-on technical assessment of the relevant accounts, devices, domains, DNS records, email platforms, backups or home office setup.
- Prioritised remediation so the highest-value fixes are handled first.
- Clear documentation that explains what was checked, what changed and what remains.
- Ongoing support if required, either directly or alongside an existing IT provider.
Available across Australia and New Zealand
Mark is based in Sydney for day-to-day operational support and is available for discreet project work and travel across Australia and New Zealand.
Support can be arranged for clients in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as regional locations where the scope justifies travel. Remote work is suitable for many DNS, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, email security and documentation projects, with on-site work available when hands-on review is required.
Request a discreet consultation
If you need private client IT support, high net worth cybersecurity support, family office cybersecurity consulting or secure home office review, start with a short confidential discussion.
Request a discreet private-client IT and cybersecurity consultation Read about cybersecurity for high net worth individuals Read the secure home office guide Read about digital footprint protection