Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern access to and use of the website operated by Lanternpost IT LLC, including https://lanternpost-it.com, its webpages, public resources, forms, and any related online features that link to these Terms (collectively, the “Site”).

In these Terms, “Lanternpost IT,” “we,” “us,” and “our” mean Lanternpost IT LLC. “You” and “your” mean the person accessing or using the Site and, where applicable, the business or organization on whose behalf that person is acting.

By accessing or using the Site, submitting information through the Site, creating an account, or selecting a button or checkbox that refers to these Terms, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to be bound by these Terms.

If you use the Site on behalf of a business or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

You may not use the Site if:

1. you do not agree to these Terms.
2. you are under eighteen years of age.
3. you lack the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement.
4. your use of the Site would violate applicable law.

The Site is primarily intended for businesses, nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, and their authorized representatives.

2. Website Terms Versus Customer Service Agreements

These Terms govern use of the Site. They do not, by themselves, govern managed information technology services or create a customer relationship between you and Lanternpost IT.

Managed services, consulting, implementation, support, monitoring, cybersecurity, hosting, backup, recovery, procurement, and other professional services are provided only under a separate written agreement accepted by Lanternpost IT and the applicable customer.

Such agreements may include:

• a Master Services Agreement.
• a statement of work.
• a service order or accepted proposal.
• a service-level agreement.
• a data processing addendum.
• a business associate agreement.
• an acceptable use policy.
• a security exhibit.
• other written service-specific terms.

Accessing the Site, requesting information, submitting a form, participating in a consultation, receiving a preliminary recommendation, or receiving an estimate does not create a managed services relationship or obligate Lanternpost IT to provide services.

Website content does not modify, expand, or replace any executed customer agreement. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and an executed customer agreement, the executed customer agreement will control with respect to the contracted services.

Nothing on the Site establishes or modifies any:

• service scope.
• support obligation.
• response or resolution time.
• service-level commitment.
• recovery time or recovery point objective.
• warranty.
• security obligation.
• data retention requirement.
• indemnification obligation.
• limitation of liability.

Those matters are governed exclusively by the applicable written customer agreement.

3. General Information About Our Services

The Site provides general information about Lanternpost IT LLC and the services we may offer.

Service descriptions are summaries and may not describe every feature, limitation, prerequisite, dependency, exclusion, or customer responsibility. The availability, suitability, configuration, and scope of any service depend on the customer’s environment and the terms of the applicable written agreement.

We may add, remove, modify, suspend, or discontinue any Site content, service description, feature, package, or offering at any time without notice.

Although we attempt to keep Site information accurate and current, we do not warrant that every description, specification, price, image, statement, article, or other item of content is complete, accurate, or current.

References to technologies, tools, frameworks, certifications, service levels, or industry practices do not constitute a promise that any particular technology, configuration, outcome, certification, or service level will apply to a customer. Those matters must be expressly stated in the applicable written customer agreement.

Case studies, testimonials, examples, illustrations, and descriptions of previous results are provided for informational purposes only. They do not guarantee that another customer will receive the same or similar results.

4. Pricing, Estimates, Proposals, and Quotes

Published pricing is an estimate and does not constitute a binding quote, offer, or commitment to provide services.

Final pricing depends on factors that may include:

• the complexity and condition of the customer’s environment.
• the customer’s geographic location.
• the number of users, devices, sites, and systems.
• the technologies and applications to be supported.
• cybersecurity and compliance requirements.
• project timing and implementation requirements.
• required licenses, subscriptions, hardware, and third-party services.
• onsite service requirements.
• travel and shipping requirements.
• legacy systems and technical debt.
• required integrations and migrations.
• the final agreed service scope.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, published pricing does not include taxes, shipping, travel, hardware, software licenses, cloud consumption, telecommunications charges, third-party vendor fees, after-hours work, remediation of preexisting conditions, or services outside the agreed scope.

Online pricing calculators, package descriptions, advertised rates, savings illustrations, and similar tools are provided only for preliminary planning purposes.

A price becomes binding only when it is included in a written proposal, quote, order, or agreement that:

1. identifies the applicable services and assumptions.
2. remains within its stated validity period.
3. has been accepted in the manner specified in the document.
4. has been approved by an authorized representative of Lanternpost IT.

We may revise or withdraw a proposal before acceptance if an assessment identifies previously undisclosed conditions, incorrect assumptions, additional requirements, errors, or changes in third-party costs.

Submitting a purchase order, request, form, or other document does not bind Lanternpost IT unless we expressly accept it in writing. Any additional or conflicting terms contained in a customer purchase order or similar document will not apply unless expressly accepted in a writing signed by an authorized representative of Lanternpost IT.

5. Cybersecurity and Technology Risk

No information technology provider can guarantee complete prevention of cybersecurity incidents, outages, data loss, equipment failure, unauthorized access, malicious activity, or other technology-related harm.

Lanternpost IT provides risk-reduction services, security guidance, technical support, and other services based on the agreed service scope. These services are intended to help identify, manage, reduce, detect, and respond to technology risks. They cannot eliminate all risk.

Cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, malicious techniques, technologies, legal requirements, and industry practices continually change. Security measures that are appropriate at one time may require modification as threats and customer environments evolve.

Unless expressly stated in an executed customer agreement, Lanternpost IT does not guarantee that:

• a customer will never experience a cybersecurity incident.
• systems or services will be uninterrupted or error-free.
• all vulnerabilities or malicious activity will be identified.
• all attacks will be detected, prevented, contained, or remediated.
• data will never be corrupted, lost, disclosed, or rendered unavailable.
• backups will address every potential loss scenario.
• a particular technology will be compatible with every system.
• a customer will satisfy every legal, contractual, regulatory, or insurance requirement.
• services will achieve a particular financial, operational, security, or compliance outcome.

Statements on the Site using terms such as “secure,” “protected,” “monitored,” “managed,” “compliant,” “available,” “redundant,” “encrypted,” or “24/7” are general descriptions. Their precise meaning, scope, dependencies, exclusions, and limitations are determined by the applicable customer agreement.

Lanternpost IT is not an insurer, and its services are not a substitute for cyber liability, business interruption, errors and omissions, property, or other appropriate insurance coverage.

Unless expressly assigned to Lanternpost IT under a written agreement, customers remain responsible for their own:

• business decisions and risk tolerance.
• employee and contractor conduct.
• acceptable-use and security policies.
• legal and regulatory compliance.
• user access and authorization decisions.
• physical security.
• insurance coverage.
• business continuity planning.
• incident-response decisions.
• vendor oversight.
• systems, services, devices, or information outside Lanternpost IT’s contracted scope.

6. No Legal, Compliance, Insurance, or Financial Advice

Information on the Site does not constitute legal, regulatory, compliance, insurance, accounting, tax, or financial advice.

Cybersecurity assessments, compliance-readiness services, control mapping, technical recommendations, policy templates, and similar materials may assist a customer with its compliance efforts. They do not constitute a legal opinion, certification, attestation, guarantee of compliance, or determination that the customer satisfies any particular law, regulation, contract, framework, or insurance requirement.

Use of a particular technology, control, product, service, checklist, framework, or security standard does not by itself establish compliance.

You should consult appropriately qualified legal counsel, compliance professionals, accountants, insurance professionals, or other advisers regarding matters within their respective areas of expertise.

No attorney-client, accountant-client, insurer-insured, fiduciary, or similar professional relationship is created by use of the Site or receipt of general information from Lanternpost IT.

7. Support Requests and Emergency Communications

The public Site and general contact forms are not emergency support channels.

Existing customers must report outages, active cybersecurity incidents, suspected account compromise, data loss, and other urgent matters through the support and escalation channels identified in their customer agreement or onboarding documentation.

Unless Lanternpost IT expressly agrees otherwise in writing:

• submitting a message through the Site does not create a support ticket.
• a message is not considered received until acknowledged by Lanternpost IT.
• no response or resolution time applies to a public website submission.
• Lanternpost IT is not responsible for harm caused by relying on a public form for an urgent request.

Do not use a public contact form to transmit passwords, authentication codes, private encryption keys, regulated data, detailed network credentials, or other highly sensitive information. Contact Lanternpost IT through an approved channel to arrange secure transmission.

8. Privacy and Data Handling

Our collection and handling of Personal Information through the Site are described in our Privacy Policy, available at https://lanternpost-it.com/privacy.

Customer Data processed through contracted services is also governed by the applicable customer agreement and, where applicable, a data processing addendum, business associate agreement, or other data-protection terms.

You should provide only the information reasonably necessary for your inquiry. Unless Lanternpost IT has expressly authorized a secure transmission method, do not submit the following through public Site forms:

• account passwords or multifactor authentication codes.
• private encryption keys.
• full payment-card information.
• financial account credentials.
• government identification numbers.
• protected health information.
• criminal justice information.
• confidential personnel records.
• export-controlled information.
• detailed vulnerability information.
• other regulated or highly sensitive data.

Lanternpost IT may delete unsolicited sensitive information submitted through an inappropriate channel.

Submitting information through the Site does not create a nondisclosure agreement or other confidentiality obligation beyond those imposed by applicable law, our Privacy Policy, or a separate written agreement.

9. Ownership of the Site and Its Content

The Site and its content are owned by or licensed to Lanternpost IT and are protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

Protected content may include:

• text.
• graphics.
• logos.
• icons.
• photographs.
• videos.
• service descriptions.
• website design and layout.
• downloadable resources.
• documentation.
• software.
• code.
• templates.
• compilations and arrangements of content.

Subject to these Terms, Lanternpost IT grants you a limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, nonsublicensable, and revocable license to access and use the Site for lawful internal business purposes, including evaluating whether Lanternpost IT’s services may be appropriate for your organization.

You may print or save a reasonable number of copies of publicly available Site content for your internal business evaluation, provided that you retain all copyright, trademark, and proprietary notices.

Except as expressly permitted by these Terms or applicable law, you may not:

• reproduce, republish, distribute, sell, license, or commercially exploit Site content.
• modify or create derivative works from Site content.
• remove copyright, trademark, or proprietary notices.
• frame or mirror the Site.
• use Lanternpost IT’s name, logo, or trademarks without written permission.
• imply that Lanternpost IT sponsors, endorses, or is affiliated with another person or organization.

No right or license is granted by implication, estoppel, or otherwise.

“Lanternpost IT,” associated logos, service names, and related marks are trademarks or service marks of Lanternpost IT LLC. Third-party names and marks belong to their respective owners.

10. Acceptable Use and Prohibited Conduct

You may use the Site only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.

You may not use, attempt to use, or assist another person in using the Site to:

1. violate any applicable law, regulation, court order, or third-party right.
2. gain unauthorized access to the Site, an account, a network, a server, or another system.
3. conduct vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, load testing, credential testing, or other security testing without Lanternpost IT’s prior written authorization.
4. introduce malware, ransomware, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, malicious scripts, or other harmful code.
5. interfere with, degrade, overload, disable, or disrupt the Site or its supporting infrastructure.
6. bypass authentication, access controls, rate limits, robot-exclusion measures, or other technical restrictions.
7. impersonate another person or organization or misrepresent your identity, authority, or affiliation.
8. harvest email addresses, contact information, credentials, or other information from the Site.
9. use bots, scrapers, crawlers, or automated tools to extract Site content, except for ordinary search-engine indexing conducted in accordance with our published instructions.
10. reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive source code from Site software, except to the limited extent such a restriction is prohibited by law.
11. submit false, fraudulent, defamatory, infringing, threatening, unlawful, or malicious content.
12. use Site content to create a misleading comparison, endorsement, representation, or advertisement.
13. attempt to conceal the origin of a communication or activity.
14. interfere with another person’s use of the Site.
15. use the Site in a manner that could expose Lanternpost IT, its customers, vendors, or other persons to liability or security risk.

Authorization to access the public Site does not constitute authorization to test, scan, probe, access, or interact with any nonpublic system or infrastructure.

11. Accounts and Customer Portals

Lanternpost IT may make account features or customer portals available to certain users. Additional terms or customer agreements may apply to those features.

You are responsible for:

• maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials.
• using unique and appropriately secure passwords.
• enabling multifactor authentication when available.
• limiting account access to authorized persons.
• promptly removing access for persons who are no longer authorized.
• maintaining accurate account information.
• promptly notifying Lanternpost IT of suspected unauthorized access.

You may not share an individual account unless Lanternpost IT expressly permits shared use.

To the extent permitted by law, activity performed using your credentials may be treated as activity authorized by you or your organization until you notify Lanternpost IT that the credentials may have been compromised.

Lanternpost IT may suspend or restrict account access when reasonably necessary to:

• protect the security or integrity of the Site or services.
• investigate suspected unauthorized activity.
• comply with law.
• enforce these Terms or a customer agreement.
• prevent harm to Lanternpost IT, a customer, or another person.

Customer portal content, Customer Data, and contracted services remain governed by the applicable customer agreement. If these Terms conflict with that agreement regarding a customer portal or contracted service, the customer agreement will control.

12. Information You Submit

You retain any ownership rights you have in information you submit through the Site.

You grant Lanternpost IT a nonexclusive right to receive, reproduce, transmit, store, review, and use that information as reasonably necessary to:

• respond to your inquiry.
• evaluate a potential engagement.
• provide requested Site functionality.
• prevent fraud or misuse.
• protect the Site and our systems.
• comply with law.
• otherwise carry out the purpose for which you submitted the information.

You represent that:

1. the information you submit is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
2. you have the authority and legal right to submit it.
3. its submission does not violate another person’s rights.
4. it does not contain malicious code or unlawful material.

This section does not give Lanternpost IT ownership of Customer Data processed under a customer agreement.

Feedback

You may voluntarily provide suggestions, ideas, comments, or feedback concerning the Site or our services. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, Lanternpost IT may use nonconfidential feedback for any lawful purpose without restriction, attribution, or payment.

Do not submit an invention, proprietary method, trade secret, or other confidential idea as general feedback unless a written confidentiality agreement is already in place.

13. Third-Party Products, Services, and Links

The Site may reference or link to third-party websites, software, products, platforms, cloud providers, telecommunications providers, payment processors, manufacturers, or other services.

Third-party references are provided for convenience and informational purposes. Unless expressly stated, they do not imply sponsorship, endorsement, partnership, certification, or control by Lanternpost IT.

Lanternpost IT does not control and is not responsible for a third party’s:

• website or content.
• availability.
• pricing.
• licensing terms.
• privacy practices.
• security practices.
• product changes.
• service interruptions.
• performance.
• legal compliance.

Your use of a third-party product or service is governed by the terms between you and that third party.

Descriptions of third-party pricing, features, licensing, or availability may change without notice. You should verify material third-party information directly with the applicable provider before making a purchasing or implementation decision.

14. Site Availability and Modification

We may maintain, modify, replace, restrict, suspend, or discontinue any portion of the Site at any time.

We do not guarantee that the Site will:

• be continuously available.
• operate without interruption.
• be free from errors or vulnerabilities.
• be compatible with every browser, device, or system.
• retain information submitted through it.
• remain available in its current form.

We may restrict Site access from particular devices, networks, users, or geographic locations when reasonably necessary for security, legal, operational, or abuse-prevention purposes.

15. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH IT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” YOUR USE OF THE SITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, LANTERNPOST IT DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS, IMPLIED, AND STATUTORY WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE SITE, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, AVAILABILITY, RELIABILITY, AND QUIET ENJOYMENT.

Without limiting the foregoing, Lanternpost IT does not warrant that:

• Site content is complete, current, or error-free.
• the Site will meet your needs.
• access will be uninterrupted.
• defects will be corrected.
• the Site or its servers will be free from harmful components.
• information transmitted through the Site will never be intercepted, lost, or accessed without authorization.

No oral or written statement obtained through the Site creates a warranty unless it is expressly included in a written agreement signed by an authorized representative of Lanternpost IT.

This disclaimer applies to the Site only. Warranties, if any, concerning contracted services are governed by the applicable customer agreement.

Some jurisdictions do not permit the exclusion of certain warranties. In those jurisdictions, these exclusions apply only to the maximum extent permitted by law.

16. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, LANTERNPOST IT LLC AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, LICENSORS, AND SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS.

This exclusion includes, without limitation:

• loss of profits, revenue, business, or opportunity.
• loss or corruption of data.
• loss of goodwill.
• business interruption.
• costs of substitute services.
• security incidents.
• unauthorized access.
• reliance on Site content.
• inability to access or use the Site.

The exclusion applies regardless of the form of action or theory of liability, including contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, statutory liability, or otherwise, and even if Lanternpost IT was advised that the damages were possible.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, LANTERNPOST IT’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF:

1. THE AMOUNT YOU PAID, IF ANY, TO ACCESS THE SITE DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
2. ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US $100).

This section applies only to claims arising from the Site or these Terms. Liability relating to contracted services is governed by the applicable customer agreement.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability to the extent it cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. Depending on applicable law, this may include liability for fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, or personal injury caused by negligence.

17. Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Lanternpost IT LLC and its members, managers, officers, employees, contractors, licensors, and suppliers from third-party claims, actions, liabilities, judgments, damages, losses, costs, and reasonable attorneys’ fees arising out of or relating to:

• your unlawful or unauthorized use of the Site.
• your violation of these Terms.
• information or material you submit through the Site.
• your infringement or violation of another person’s rights.
• your intentional misconduct.

Lanternpost IT may assume control of the defense of a matter subject to indemnification. You agree to provide reasonable cooperation and may not settle a claim in a manner that admits fault by, imposes liability on, or creates an obligation for Lanternpost IT without our prior written consent.

This provision does not require you to indemnify Lanternpost IT for liability caused solely by Lanternpost IT’s own conduct to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by law.

18. Suspension and Termination

Lanternpost IT may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to the Site if we reasonably believe that:

• you violated these Terms.
• your activity presents a security or legal risk.
• your activity may harm another person.
• your access is unauthorized.
• suspension is required by law.
• suspension is reasonably necessary to protect the Site or related systems.

You may stop using the Site at any time.

Termination of Site access does not terminate or modify a separate customer agreement. Termination of a customer agreement is governed by that agreement.

Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will remain effective, including provisions concerning intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, governing law, and dispute resolution.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms to reflect changes in the Site, our business practices, or applicable legal requirements.

Revised Terms will be posted with an updated “Last Updated” date. Unless otherwise stated, revisions apply prospectively from the date they are posted.

Where required by law or reasonably appropriate based on the nature of a change, we may provide additional notice through the Site, by email, or through an account or customer portal.

Your continued use of the Site after revised Terms take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms to the extent permitted by law.

A revision to these Terms does not modify an executed customer agreement. Customer agreements may be modified only as provided in those agreements.

20. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to the Site will be governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

Subject to any nonwaivable rights under applicable law, each party submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of:

• the state courts located in Wilson County, Texas.
• the federal court having jurisdiction over Wilson County, Texas.

Each party waives objections based on personal jurisdiction, venue, or inconvenient forum in those courts.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Lanternpost IT may seek temporary, preliminary, or permanent injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction when reasonably necessary to protect its intellectual property, confidential information, systems, or security.

Nothing in this section deprives an individual of a nonwaivable right or remedy provided by applicable law.

21. Miscellaneous

Entire Agreement

These Terms and any policies expressly referenced in them constitute the entire agreement between you and Lanternpost IT regarding use of the Site.

They do not replace or modify an executed customer agreement.

Severability

If a provision of these Terms is held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law, and the remaining provisions will remain in effect.

No Waiver

A failure or delay in enforcing a provision is not a waiver of that provision or any other right. A waiver is effective only if made in writing by an authorized representative of Lanternpost IT.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms without Lanternpost IT’s prior written consent.

Lanternpost IT may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, financing, sale of assets, or transfer of the Site or relevant business operations.

No Third-Party Beneficiaries

These Terms do not create rights for any person other than you and Lanternpost IT, except for persons expressly entitled to protection under the warranty disclaimer, limitation of liability, or indemnification provisions.

Headings

Section headings are provided for convenience and do not affect interpretation.

Electronic Communications

When you communicate with Lanternpost IT electronically, you consent to receive responses, notices, and records electronically. Electronic communications may satisfy legal requirements that a communication be in writing to the extent permitted by applicable law.

22. Contact Information

Questions about these Terms may be directed to:

Lanternpost IT LLC
Attn: Terms of Use

Email: contact@lanternpost-it.com
Website: www.lanternpost-it.com