Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Bergen County
Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen
Ep # 152 Secure AI For Small Businesses
Ever wonder how a small law firm or dental practice can get the same rock-solid security as a Wall Street bank—without blowing the budget? We sit with Tuple Tech founder and CEO Vamshi Reddy to unpack the playbook: practical cybersecurity, private AI that won’t leak client data, and a service model built on speed, trust, and real humans who pick up the phone.
Vamshi traces his journey from building never-go-down systems for major banks to serving small businesses across the tri-state area. We dig into the essentials every office needs: secure email, managed endpoints, next-gen firewalls, tested backups, and user training that actually prevents clicks on bad links. Then we tackle the biggest blind spot of 2025—public AI tools. Uploading contracts, medical notes, or insurance files to open models can expose sensitive data. Vamshi explains how Tropos AI ring-fences prompts, enforces roles and permissions, and keeps confidential information inside your business, all while delivering the productivity boost teams are craving.
We also talk strategy for a choppy economy. Cutting prices and waiting it out rarely wins. Showing up, strengthening relationships, and deploying AI where it saves hours per week can help you gain share while competitors retreat. Expect actionable insights on ransomware realities for small firms, why “just install antivirus” isn’t enough, and how fast response at 9 p.m. can turn a crisis into a non-event. If you run a legal, healthcare, insurance, nonprofit, or professional services office and want to work smarter without risking a breach, this conversation will sharpen your plan.
If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague who handles IT decisions, and leave a quick review so more local businesses can find practical guidance that actually works.
Tuple Tech
Vamshi Reddy
Our Locations
Mountain View, CA, USA
New York, USA
New Jersey, USA
Connecticut, USA
Hyderabad, India
info@tupletechnologies.net
tupletechnologies.net
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.
Doug Drohan:Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. I am your host, Doug Dry and owner of the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. Today we're joined by Vamshi Reddy. He is the founder and CEO of Tupal Technologies. Um Technologies, you might ask, well, what is that? It's a fast-growing IT and AI solutions company serving small businesses across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island. So the tri-state area basically. They're basically your like a reliable in-house IT team for primarily uh companies like law firms, nonprofits, architecture offices, insurance agencies, medical practices, and more. It's a small team, it's 30 people, right? It's and but they've grown rapidly over the last few years, thanks to great strong relationships, referrals, and some strategic acquisitions. So, you know, AI is on everybody's uh you know tip of their tongue. We hear it every single day, with that becoming essential for every business. I use it every day. Uh Tupul has created Tropos AI, and it's a secure and affordable platform built specifically to help small businesses work smarter, which is I think what everybody wants uh AI to do is help us work smarter. So, Vamshi, uh, we have a lot to dig uh into with all that. So, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_04:Thank you, Doug. I'm happy to be here. Looking forward to having a uh detailed conversation about Tupal and uh everything in around the space.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, so um before we get into everything that Tuple does, why don't we backtrack and you know talk about how your origin story, like how did you get to this point where you're running your own IT company with 30 people? And I know it's like an international team, right? It's not just uh staff based here in the US.
SPEAKER_04:That is correct. So um so let me step back, right?
SPEAKER_03:Um, I spent about 20 years uh building technology systems for large uh Wall Street banks, the kind that of systems that can never go down, if you know what I mean, like your bank websites and back-end processing systems. During that period, um I realized something. Um these software systems, the security and the solutions is something that small businesses need at the same level of reliability and security, but they just don't have the means or the team or the resources that large companies do. So back in 2017, around about, I started Drupal with a different approach. Two keywords affordable first and business is second. I think they're the two principles that we stick uh the foundation of our business with. So if you take care of people and earn their trust, everything else follows, and that's exactly how we've grown. Through referrals, long-term partnerships, and even a few acquisitions of local IT businesses in the tri-state area. Today we're about 30 people um helping small businesses thrive with simple, friendly, reliable technologies, um, especially in the tri-state near New Jersey, Connecticut areas, as well as the San Francisco area.
Doug Drohan:Okay, so um you mentioned affordable, you know, when you say IT systems and you worked for large banks, you think, all right, that's expensive. I'm a five-person insurance agency, you know, I can't afford you. Uh, and why do I need you? Like what why would an insurance agency or a law firm uh need what you know, need what you offer?
SPEAKER_03:That's a great question, God. So today we serve about 65 to 70 clients in the tri-state area. A large part of them are um small businesses. In fact, well, 95% of them are small businesses, ranging from a two-people law firm to uh 15 people dental practice in Stanford, Connecticut. So we cover all the full spectrum of businesses. Um, back to your question, everybody needs an office, everybody needs a safe email setup, your data has to be backed up, they should be in cybersecurity setups so that you're not hacked and attacked. There's no ransomware, you need anti-virus software in your computers. Uh, you want to have a safe firewall for your office, you want remote working ability to go home on a rainy day or snow day and then connect your office. And most importantly, these industries, the insurance, the law firms, and the healthcare, they are obligated for by compliance laws to keep the data safe and secure. And that's where we also come in. So we understand the compliance in this space. For example, healthcare, the HIPAA rules. There are a sophisticated set of rules. We understand what these rules are, which means providing a safe, secure networking equipment in the office, remote working, including a mobile phone. So we provide pretty much everything you need from setting up your office, running the cables and the backup and the security and the websites if you need, as well as today's AI solutions. No, it's not safe to just log into ChatGPT and prompt patient-related questions or legal questions or insurance documents. It's just not safe because that information goes to the internet. And we have solutions to solve that problem too.
Doug Drohan:Oh, you know, I never thought of that. Okay. Um, so people might be uh inclined to type in somebody's personal data, or would they just say a generalization? Hey, how do you treat a patient who presents uh a rash, you know, that's uh you know, whatever, you know. Um, but you're saying that they might be inclined to put the person's name in and come up with it. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, we've I have I've fielded questions about uh the front office administrative staff and even law firms taking entire documentation and uploading to Champion GPT and say, Hey, can you summarize this? Yeah, I can do that at home for personal use, say nothing confidential. But the moment you do anything in the AI space, the moment you upload into your GPTs or Gemini's of the world, you're basically uploading and training the underlying models, and that information can reflect in some other person's prompts.
Doug Drohan:So your your company then would protect sort of put up a firewall so it doesn't it doesn't go outside of or is it proprietary AI? Are they still using chat GPT or is it just is it a different kind of AI?
SPEAKER_03:So it is a wrap around different AI solutions. So just to address the primary concerns, we built our own platform called Tropos AI. Right. It is affordable, which means I can connect it to your underlying GPT models of whatever you choose. If you're aware of that, most of the law firms or most of the clients don't care as long as they have an AI solution out there so that they can increase their productivity. But it is ring fenced with the checks, the balances, and the security, so that the right person can ask the right question and then no confidential information is leaving the business itself and nothing critical is coming back in. A good example would be to make sure that if an IT person asks prompts the salary of the CEO of the business they're working in, and if you upload that information to the GPT, you will get that answer. But if you don't upload it, your AI will not be responsive to you or not customized to you. How do you circumvent that? That's where Atropos AI comes in. That's why we've built it so it's a secure, private, affordable, easy to use. And we're happy to see it. For sometimes it's even free for somebody who just wants to start practicing it, get used to it, and and there's a lot of training that we can offer. So that's one of the key parts of the product.
Doug Drohan:Okay. So if I'm a firm and I need, you know, like you said, security and things like that, why don't I just uh buy McAfee uh, you know, software and doesn't that protect me from uh malware and things like that?
SPEAKER_03:Well, that's a good question. You would think it would it does. The out of the box answer is yes, but do you know what is it protecting from and against? What about those emails that coming into your phone book and your inboxes and you're clicking on it? Then when you click on it, you're in the browser world. The bad software, the bad actors already downloaded everything and installed it. You would think your Micro V will prompt you, however, most of the times it may not. You need to act on it. And a common use case is um you install your antivirus, you don't know when if it's still active and working or not. Most of the common issues are you install your antivirus. Are you aware that most of the time it's actually blocking critical emails and content, even though it's a legitimate site or a process that you want to connect to? That's when you're digging deep into your McFee and then figuring out the filters and then draw and tweak it so that hey, this is a legitimate email, I want this to come through. Yeah, so there are a lot of nuances around the entire wireless stick, but then there's also the motive. There's networking, there's backup of your security. There's if you have multiple offices, you can connect to them as well.
Doug Drohan:So, how did you um like what drove you to like at what point in your life did you say I want to you know get into IT? Were you in at university and you know I had uh an acumen for math and thought, yeah, I like this, or was it even earlier than that?
SPEAKER_03:I think um my background has always been computer science. Um I went to college in Brooklyn, Long Island University, the Brooklyn campus. And I think that cemented my interest in the subject of databases and data and the whole internet. And this is early 2000s when the dot com bubble just be coming out of it, the websites were coming in, and then as I started working in the Wall Street side of things, a fast-paced lifestyle and the complex technical problems, and then the cloud happened early 2010, 2012. Yeah, you know, AWS happened, and that's when I picked up the interest of the infrastructure, networking, and security. And uh and as you start getting deeper into it, it's something that uh you you stick to it, you like what a wise man said, you know, it's baby steps, start doing the small things right and start enjoying it later on in life.
Doug Drohan:Yeah. So um, I mean, what's it like? Obviously, you worked for big banks and you went off on your own. Um, was that something you always felt you would do at some point in your career, or you or you just kind of fell into it and said, one day I I think I could do this better, or I could serve a different client based it's being overlooked. Like, did you always have that in your mind that I'm gonna be a business owner at some point?
SPEAKER_04:Um, you know, I thought about that question all the time when I talk to younger kids when I go to different colleges and try and speak as a mentor. And I we have a couple of high school kids that I've been mentoring at Tupole right now working for us actively.
SPEAKER_03:And I always tell them it's it's good to have a plan, what you want to be, where you want to be, but it's also very hard, and you may limit yourself to just stick to that because you wouldn't stop exploring the various things that life can throw at you. So the short answer is no. For me, I just wanted to do well in my job, make a lot of money, and then see where life goes. And then as you start picking up your various skill set, you know, life just throws opportunities at you, and you start thinking and you start reading and you start picking up at some point. You need you do detect have to take a leap of faith and do the calculated risk, and you start something on your own and you see where it goes.
Doug Drohan:Yeah. Uh John Lennon in one of his uh songs says, and I'm sure he didn't coin this phrase, but life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Uh, you know, sometimes life happens and you have to pivot. And I think that's one of the things when I speak to a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs, is especially those of us that have been around since before COVID, you know, you went through the financial crisis as well. Um you're gonna, if you're gonna survive, you gotta pivot, you gotta figure things out. And you know, right now it's a bit like we were talking before we went on air. Um, you know, it's been a challenging business environment the last year. How did what are you gonna do about it? You know, do you fold up shop and say I can't handle it, or you just figure it out?
SPEAKER_03:Exactly. I think now is the time. Like um, I went through the dot-com bubble, the financial crisis. Yeah, then back in 17 and 18 and 19, we had a little bit of a credit crunch and then the pandemic. I'm convinced after going through the last three to four um these episodes, that these timing, these activities, the market situation is actually throwing opportunities for for entrepreneurs like us. Yeah, so for anybody listening out there, these this is a time a lot of people will fold, but those people who can think back, think creatively, think long term, there are opportunities right now to step in. Like I just talked about the AI. AI is something that we were forced onto. And I'm convinced this is going to be a big part of all the future, not just our kids and education space, but also entrepreneurs and individuals. So be ready to pivot, keep your eyes and ears open and look for that opportunity. And I think we all know statistics, most millionaires are born during these difficult times. And it's the people who can look at that opportunity, you know, get to the rough.
Doug Drohan:Yeah. I think uh, you know, when it comes to um, you know, you look at what happened in 2000, 2000, uh, 2008, 2000, you know, the bubble and all that. Um people that had cash were able to take advantage of it. And uh, when everyone was selling, they were buying. Um, you know, in my business, I try to advise people, but it sounds somewhat self-serving. But in times of recession, the companies that double down on their marketing that stay present, that don't run and hide, they're the ones that come out stronger on the other side because they're gonna build up barriers to entry because the competition kind of shrunk. Um, while they said, no, I'm gonna, you know, we're gonna get through this and we're gonna take market share basically through you know, headspace, through advertising. But whenever I tell somebody that that, you know, because of the business I'm in, it's kind of like, uh, you're just saying that because you want to sell more ads. But I'm like, oh listen, I'm just giving my advice, um, whether you take, you know, work with me or not. But I think the other, the other um kind of knee-jerk reaction is to cut prices, right? Let me give away stuff, let me do bargains, let me do whatever it is it takes to get a customer, keep the customer. What what's your philosophy on that? Like, how are you guys um kind of gearing up for the next you know year? And how how have you responded this year?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, um, that's a good question. So the way we are gearing up is we're focusing a lot more on AI. And again, we're in an industry where the basics are always needed. Every office needs your internet and the computers and the security and the backups and um your automation tools to increase productivity and reduce expenses. So that's the key person. Uh, we're about a 30 people team. I'm invested into my team, I'm proud. We take a lot of effort to hire the best of what's available. We are all boots on ground in the tri-state, so we can show up in the office as a man is required. Having said that, we're relying on our relationships, the trust and the service, and the business is always through referrals. And referrals will come just by you sticking around and putting your head down and doing the right thing. Yeah, if you stick around, let the process take care of it, let the referrals come in, and then you will take around. But you gotta be around there. You have to be the person to show up and say, Hey, how's life? How about things? How can I help you? I think being visible is key in today's remote world. Um, a big part of my culture or our firm's culture is to make time for each of the clients, go visit the office, take a pack of donuts, sit down to chat with them, and just try and understand what's going on there. Everything is not remote and email and SMS. Right. But it's good to show up.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, good show up and be prepared to, you know, answer maybe the questions what you know that might be more challenging, but you're there to offer solutions, not to run and hide. Uh, I think it's important. Yeah. So how do people uh you know, how would somebody uh find you, reach you, contact you if they're in need of your services?
SPEAKER_04:Oh yeah, so we are easy to find. I mean, LinkedIn is one source, but otherwise we are tupletechnologies.net, it's one word, or sales at Topletechnologies.net, T U P I that is.
SPEAKER_03:And you should you can also search by my name, Bamshe Ready, uh, at Tople Technologies on LinkedIn. Easy to reach out to us. Uh, we're we're available remote, we're in person, we're 24 by seven with an offshore team if required. But uh, here we are for uh for everybody around who needs uh any IT help.
Doug Drohan:And and IT help is not only for people that are new that don't have any IT support, but you also help people that may be unhappy with their current infrastructure or relationship.
SPEAKER_03:That's true. That's a key thing. We get a lot of referrals uh asking, hey, how is our service different from others? Yes. I think that's how you stand off and stand up and say we are different in the following ways. It depends on the use case. But I mean, we're providing 24 by 7 monitoring, security, backups, training. We show up, the phone rings, and we always have people to pick up. It doesn't matter, it's rain and snow. Last night I was fielding a uh a customer who emailed us at 8 45, and I called him at 8 55, just about to go to bed. And then guess what? He clicked on an email, and now his computer is extremely slow right after that, and this is a large law firm. So if you talk about myths, um my message to the audience is no firm is too small for cyber attacks. Small businesses, especially legal, accounting, nonprofits, healthcare, and financial offices, they are actually the most impacted because the ransomware comes in, people click, they're not informed, and then you get a ransom for not a big amount, so 10,000, 20,000, 50,000. And that's the only way you can get your network and data back. And that's the problem we're trying to solve. Don't assume it's only for large companies and large people. The small companies are the ones who actually have to watch out because it's um it's the easy fish to bait for the bad actors out there.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, yeah. Okay, yeah, that's I mean, you I guess you think that sometimes I'm just a small firm. What does somebody want to do with me?
SPEAKER_03:And you never hear about that. The reality is small businesses, they never want to go out and tell the customers or their or their social network because it's a bad thing. And we are the people who feed that questions, and I know these are my customers. Some are calling me because their IT did not respond proactively. And uh, that's the reality of the market is that a lot of people are making a lot more money in this way by performing these cyber attacks on small businesses. It just comes down to training and being aware and having the right IT team on your side.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, and I think the biggest uh complaint for consumers, uh, whether it's business or just the you know person in their home is when you need to reach somebody, uh, you get a bot or you get a chat bot, you can't get a live person on the phone. Or when you call, you gotta go through 15 prompts before you finally get somebody, and then you get the oh, due to high volume, your wait time is 20 minutes. Uh you know, those are the things that drive you up the wall as a consumer. Um and I guess you know the nice thing about you guys is you're nimble enough and customer service is uh on the forefront of of what I guess what your culture is, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's a idea of a small business and we want to pick up the phone and we talk to them right away. And that's the one of the key foundations of data we build.
Doug Drohan:That's great. So is there anything uh you know, any other product or service we haven't touched on? And and I'll I'll say before you answer that, um you know, you were one of the first families we had on the cover of uh the neighbors magazine at Demerest, Cluster in Hallworth. That was like our first year, and now we're three and a half years later. I have a did I give you that blow-up I did of the cover?
SPEAKER_03:I did. Thank you so much. And I like the social event duck, that was amazing. How old are your girls now? The girls are nine and eleven, uh Sara and Myra. Nice, and they're doing great, they go to Denver's Middle School and elementary schools, and yeah, thank you for that. I think that was a great experience for us. We just moved into town all right into Denver's, and uh so it gave us you gave us a great platform to talk about our story, and we still have copies of the magazine. Um everybody in school talked about us. Hey, we heard about your story, and I think that was a great uh opportunity and platform, and I believe you also did the business section, yeah, uh, which was very well received. Uh thanks, Doug. Not only was the print well received, and a lot more people recognize the business and us and the people behind it, uh, but also the LinkedIn impressions was phenomenally great. Uh it was that totally gave us some opportunities to talk to more people. Um, I think it's a it's a it's uh it's an angle of um marketing that people don't value much, but you have to try it to be out there. People know you based on trust, and but you gotta be out there, show your face. And one way to do that is do the traditional print because those are the magazines that that still sits on my coffee table, it sits in the car for long rides, and I go through every ad and you'll be surprised. I got my contractors there, I got my plumbers there, yeah. Uh, I got my landscaper from the same magazine. And there's so many times, Doug, that the families that come up in the magazine, I run into them in the stores, in the towns, and it gives me a chance. Hey, I know you.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, and it's a conversation. Yeah, it's a great thing. It's great. I appreciate that feedback. Yeah. Well, this was great. I um, you know, we we can have you back on if um, you know, when there's something new to to talk about, the the you know, as AI progresses and you introduce new products and services, you know, let's let's come back.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you, Doug. This was a great um appreciate the opportunity to get on this and allow me to express my story and our background. So but good luck to you, Doug. You guys have been doing great.
SPEAKER_04:It's always good to see you around and looking forward for the social in a few days.
Doug Drohan:Yeah, yeah, next week. All right, hang on uh for 30 seconds. We're just gonna have some uh have Chuck take us out. You and I will be right back. Sure.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpbergen.com. That's gmpbergen.com or call 201 298 8325.