Independent IT Advisory & Security Compliance
25 years of enterprise IT and healthcare leadership — now on your side of the table. We help growing businesses across the U.S. and Canada evaluate, negotiate with, and hold their IT providers accountable.
Sound Familiar?
"We're paying $15K/month and can't tell if it's working."
No scorecards. No benchmarks. No way to know if you're overpaying — or underserved.
"Our contract auto-renewed and nobody reviewed it."
You're locked into terms written by the vendor's lawyer — not yours.
"We got a compliance audit letter and our IT company shrugged."
They manage your infrastructure. You own the risk. That gap can be expensive.
"We're growing and need to switch IT providers — but don't know where to start."
Choosing an IT partner is a six-figure decision. You deserve someone in your corner.
Sample Assessment Output
One assessment produces compliance visibility across all four frameworks simultaneously.
What We Do
Four core advisory services to evaluate and optimize your IT provider relationship. One specialized security & compliance practice rooted in healthcare — available to any regulated organization.
Compliance Expertise
Our compliance framework was developed through years of operational leadership across healthcare systems, clinical application environments, and regulated IT organizations. The methodology applies to any industry where compliance matters — across the U.S. and Canada, including HIPAA, PIPEDA, and provincial privacy legislation.
7-section Security Risk Assessment aligned to the federal SRA methodology.
Every control mapped to HIPAA, NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 27001, and HITRUST. One assessment, four views.
5-level maturity scoring with detailed definitions per control.
Controls weighted by Patient Safety, PHI Risk, and Regulatory Exposure.
Automated 30/60/90-day action plans by priority, with effort estimates and cost modeling.
Already incorporates the elimination of addressable vs. required specifications.
PIPEDA and provincial health privacy legislation (PHIPA, HIA, FIPPA) advisory for Canadian organizations managing cross-border or domestic IT providers.
The IT provider–compliance connection: Your IT provider manages your infrastructure — which IS your compliance posture. If they aren't delivering on the controls that map to HIPAA, NIST, or HITRUST, your organization is the one facing the penalty. We evaluate both the relationship and the risk.
How We Work
Experience
Our advisors have held senior operational leadership roles on both sides of the IT outsourcing relationship — building the delivery models that providers use, and managing the vendor relationships that clients depend on.
Senior executive roles at multiple healthcare-focused and global/national managed service providers — building delivery models, SLA compliance programs, governance & financial frameworks, and operational dashboards from the inside out.
Directed IT vendor relationships for global enterprises — renegotiating contracts, resetting accountability, and building governance frameworks when service delivery broke down.
Deep operational and compliance experience across healthcare systems — hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and medical groups.
Multi-continent delivery management spanning diverse time zones and service models for enterprise engineering and advisory organizations.
IT vendor management and cloud cost optimization experience across diversified global manufacturing environments.
Senior operational leadership across multiple managed service providers — the perspective that only comes from having run the operation.
"We've been on both sides of every IT outsourcing conversation — building the delivery models, negotiating the contracts, and managing the outcomes. Now we bring that perspective to growing businesses who deserve the same rigor."
Resources
Practical frameworks to help you evaluate, negotiate with, and get more from your IT provider — whether you're choosing a new partner or holding your current one accountable.
Evaluation Guide
Not sure if your IT company is delivering real value? This framework helps you objectively assess response times, security posture, contract terms, and strategic alignment — without needing a technical background.
Coming SoonPricing Transparency
From bundled services you don't use to inflated per-user fees, learn the common pricing traps in managed IT contracts — and how to benchmark what you're actually paying against market rates.
Coming SoonSwitching Guide
Changing IT partners feels risky — but staying with the wrong one costs more. A step-by-step playbook for transitions: timelines, data migration, contract exits, and what to negotiate before you sign.
Coming SoonCompliance
Your IT provider manages the infrastructure that stores and transmits protected health information. Here's how to tell if they're meeting the security standards your practice is accountable for.
Coming SoonContract Review
Auto-renewal traps, vague SLAs, and missing termination rights — the clauses your IT vendor's contract relies on you not reading. What to look for before your next renewal.
Coming SoonCybersecurity
MFA, endpoint protection, backup testing, incident response — the baseline security services every IT provider should deliver. A plain-language guide to knowing whether you're actually protected.
Coming SoonWant early access to these guides? Get in touch — we'll send them as they publish.
Industry Insights
We read the industry press so you don't have to. Honest commentary on the trends, deals, and incentive structures that affect the service you receive — from people who've been on the inside.
Industry Watch
PE-backed MSPs are optimized for monthly recurring revenue and margin expansion — not service improvement. When the business model rewards client retention over client satisfaction, delivery quality becomes an afterthought. Here's what that means for you.
The Vantage take: If your IT provider was recently acquired, watch for reduced headcount, slower response times, and new "premium" tiers for services that were previously included. These are signs the investment thesis is about extraction, not excellence.
Pricing Reality
Flat-rate IT sounds simple — until you realize the incentive is to do as little as possible. When your provider profits by minimizing the work they do for you, "all-inclusive" can become "barely adequate."
The Vantage take: Ask for utilization data. How many tickets were opened? How many were proactive vs. reactive? If your provider can't answer, they're not measuring — and neither are you.
Compliance Alert
Many IT providers check a few boxes and call it compliance. But HIPAA compliance is your responsibility, not theirs — and a Business Associate Agreement alone doesn't make your infrastructure secure.
The Vantage take: If your IT provider hasn't conducted a formal risk assessment mapped to NIST or HITRUST, you likely have compliance gaps you don't know about. The 2026 HIPAA rule changes make this even more urgent.
Cross-Border
Whether you're governed by HIPAA or PIPEDA, the challenge is the same: IT providers hold the keys to your data and infrastructure, while you bear the regulatory risk. The oversight gap exists on both sides of the border.
The Vantage take: Our team advises businesses across the U.S. and Canada. The compliance frameworks differ, but the need for independent oversight is universal.
PE Roll-Ups & Service Quality
How private equity consolidation in the managed services industry is reshaping incentives — and why MRR-focused ownership models often deprioritize delivery improvement.
The Cybersecurity Talent Shortage
With 3.5M+ unfilled cybersecurity roles globally, your IT provider's security bench may be thinner than their sales pitch suggests.
AI & Automation in IT Services
IT providers are adopting AI to reduce labor costs. Are they passing those savings to you — or keeping the margin?
Follow our commentary on LinkedIn for weekly industry analysis and client-side perspectives.
A 30-minute conversation to understand your situation — whether that's evaluating a new IT partner, optimizing an existing contract, or getting security compliance ready. No pitch. No obligation. Just clarity.
Book a Discovery Call[email protected] | Illinois, USA & Canada