The challenge
Modernizing security behind services that never sleep
The City of Redondo Beach runs its own police dispatch center, fire department, libraries, parks and senior centers. Unlike many of its coastal neighbors, it also still owns its waterfront, including the pier, boardwalk and marina, along with free public Wi-Fi used by more than a million visitors a year. The city’s IT team supports all of it, around the clock.
When Mike Cook stepped into the IT Director role in 2023, he built on decades of steady leadership from his predecessors with a plan to take the city’s security to the next level: next-generation firewalls, continuous threat detection, automated patching and proactive infrastructure monitoring. With public safety systems running around the clock, every change had to happen without interrupting the services residents and visitors rely on. After evaluating several leading vendors, Mike selected Tec-Refresh in 2024.
“I was looking for much more than a vendor who just provides firewalls and answers the phone when there’s an issue. I wanted a true cybersecurity partner.”
Mike Cook, Information Technology Director
The solution
A careful cutover, then a growing partnership
Tec-Refresh started with a complete review of the city’s firewall environment, documenting every rule so the city had a clear, current picture of its network. Because public safety systems depend on precise connectivity that cannot go down, the team planned the transition carefully alongside the city’s IT staff.
- Firewall reviewEvery rule documented, giving the city a clear, current picture of its network.
- 2 a.m. cutoverNew next-generation firewalls from a global leader in network security went live with Tec-Refresh’s lead infrastructure engineer on site alongside the city’s team. More than 90% of systems worked without a hitch from the first morning, with no disruption to police, fire or dispatch.
- Continuous protection24/7 log monitoring and threat detection from a global leader in managed detection and response across the city’s identity and cloud applications, automated server and workstation patching from a global leader in patch automation, and infrastructure monitoring from a global leader in network monitoring.
- A team the city knows by nameAfter-hours emergency support from Tec-Refresh engineers, not a third-party call center.
“Their technical team was right there in the building with me at two o’clock in the morning when we physically swapped out the firewalls.”
Mike Cook, Information Technology Director
The results
More resilient, continuously monitored, always current
The city’s infrastructure is now more resilient, continuously monitored and kept current automatically. Mike estimates Tec-Refresh saved the equivalent of two full-time employees for about a year during the firewall project, and continues to cover roughly one full-time role’s worth of network and cybersecurity work today. That frees the city’s IT team to focus on the applications and on-site service where they add the most value. The city has also strengthened its Department of Justice audit responses.
“I certainly sleep better at night knowing there’s a cybersecurity team besides myself ready to answer the call if there’s an emergency in the middle of the night.”
Mike Cook, Information Technology Director