Briefing

Free to talk. Billed only when we build.

If we're just connecting you to the right technology or services, it costs you nothing. When our architects roll up their sleeves, you pay for the actual work.

Who pays for what

$0

for advice and connections

  • Advisory calls and needs analysis
  • Provider introductions and coordination
  • Day-two Essentials: escalations, scorecards and quarterly reviews
Actuals

for work our architects do

  • Discovery and assessment
  • Solution design and buildout
  • Planning and project execution
  • Staff augmentation
  • Enterprise advisory: program assurance, sourcing and M&A due diligence

Time and materials with a not-to-exceed cap, or one of our fixed-fee offers. Scope and rate are agreed before any work starts. Day-two Visibility is a separate monthly subscription.

So how do we get paid?

When you choose a provider we introduced, that provider pays us a referral fee. You pay nothing extra. Here are the rules we hold ourselves to:

  1. We tell you up front whenever a provider compensates us.
  2. Your price is never higher because we introduced you.
  3. Where the market allows, we bring at least two options and explain our pick.
  4. On sourcing, assurance and due diligence work, you are our only source of payment. Read the full policy
Compared to the usual options
TopicVendor sales repTypical brokerNETVarista
Who they work forTheir quotaThe dealYou
Technical depthOne product linePrice sheetsSolution architects across six categories
After the saleOn to the next prospectGoneTicketing, scorecards and quarterly reviews
Who measures resultsNobodyNobodyWe do, against your SLAs and KPIs
Cost of the adviceFree, with a product to sellFree, with a commission to earnFree, with any provider fee disclosed up front

Three fixed-fee ways to start

A fixed scope, a fixed price and a written answer at the end. Pick the one closest to the decision in front of you, or see a sample of each. Not sure where you stand with your providers? Take the free 10-minute self-check.

3 weeksFixed fee

SAP ECC exit readiness assessment

Know your S/4HANA path in three weeks.

$19,500

For mid-market manufacturers on SAP ECC facing the end of mainstream maintenance on December 31, 2027.

What you get

  • A scored recommendation across RISE, GROW, brownfield, greenfield, selective transition and a bridge on extended maintenance
  • Hosting compared on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and RISE
  • A 5-year cost model, with the vendor funding your scope may qualify for
  • An 18-month roadmap and an RFP-ready requirements outline
  • An executive readout: an interactive page you can present, a PDF record and a slide deck
See a sample deliverable

Half the fee is credited toward sourcing and RFP advisory signed within 90 days.

Book the assessment

2 weeksFixed fee

Provider contract and SLA health check

Find out what your providers owe you in two weeks.

$9,500

For companies with two or more managed-service, security or network providers, a renewal ahead, or invoices nobody can reconcile.

What you get

  • A scorecard for up to three contracts, measured against 90 days of tickets and reports
  • Red flags with dollars attached: service credits owed, billing errors and overspend
  • A keep, renegotiate or rebid call for each provider
  • A draft SLA and OLA schedule for your next contract
  • An executive readout: an interactive page you can present, a PDF record and a slide deck
See a sample deliverable

Each additional contract: $2,500.

Book the health check

2 weeksFixed fee

AI use-case sprint

Three AI use cases with payback math in two weeks.

$12,500

For leadership teams asked for an AI plan, and Microsoft 365 Copilot or SAP shops with AI tools nobody uses yet.

What you get

  • 15 to 20 candidate use cases, scored on value, feasibility, data readiness and risk, using our published model
  • A one-page business case for each of the top three
  • The right platform for each: Microsoft, Google Cloud, AWS or SAP Business AI
  • Our governance checklist applied, and a 90-day pilot plan with costs
  • An executive readout: an interactive page you can present, a PDF record and a slide deck
See a sample deliverable

Add a working prototype of the top use case: $7,500.

Then take it to production

AI deployment residency, 90 days: $14,500 a month. One engineer embedded with your team two to three days a week, taking the top use case from pilot to production: the integrations, the evaluation, the approval gates and a measured result, with a written outcome at the end. You keep everything built. Vendor funding is applied where the platform qualifies, and half the sprint fee is credited when the residency starts within 60 days of the readout.

Ask about the residency
Book the sprint

How these work. Scope and price are fixed in a one-page statement of work, with half due at kickoff and half at the readout. The fee is the only money we earn from the work itself. If you later choose a provider we introduced, any referral fee is disclosed under our independence policy.

How the work gets done. All three run on the Two-Key Method: read, score, gate, sign. AI-assisted, architect-approved: AI does the first pass on your documents, an architect checks every finding against its source, and Lai Long approves every readout.

Why we charge for it. Free assessments usually come with something to sell. Ours compare every option, including leaving things as they are.

Run your numbers

A rough estimate of the value an architect-led approach can unlock. Change any input.

$

Cloud, telecom, software, security and IT services combined.

$
$

Lost sales, idle staff and recovery. Use your best guess.

Scenario
Estimated value per year $0
Spend optimization
$0
Team time reclaimed (0 h)
$0
Downtime avoided
$0
Cost to get connected
$0

Fair questions

If the advice is free, how do you make money?

When you choose a provider we introduced, that provider pays us a referral fee. Your price doesn't go up because of us, and we tell you up front. Work our architects do for you, like assessments, designs, builds and project execution, is billed for actual effort, with scope and rate agreed before we start.

Which providers do you work with?

A vetted ecosystem of specialist providers and carriers, with access to more than 1,000 suppliers. We don't publish a roster. For each pursuit we choose the providers that best fit your environment, name them in our proposal, and disclose any referral fee.

Are you a reseller?

No. Your contract is directly with the provider you choose. We help you pick it, plan it, and hold it to account.

Can you help us get vendor funding?

Often, yes. Cloud providers and technology vendors fund assessments, migrations, proofs of concept and training when their technology is part of the plan. Finding the programs your scope may qualify for is part of our free matching step; a formal business case for a large program is scoped with you before it starts. Funding never decides our recommendation, and the vendor always makes the final call.

Do you replace our IT team or MSP?

No. Your team runs your technology. We take vendor selection, escalations and measurement off their plate, and add architect depth when a project needs it.

What does "billed for actual work" mean?

You pay for the hours our architects actually spend on discovery, assessment, design, buildout, planning or project execution, capped at an agreed amount. For common asks we also offer three fixed-fee offers.

What happens if a provider underperforms?

We see it on the scorecard, often before you do. We escalate with the provider, and if it doesn't improve, we'll recommend a switch and help you make it.

Can you put people on our project?

Yes. Through staff augmentation, our architects, engineers and project managers join your team for a set term, billed for actual work.

Where do you work?

We are headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, and have advised clients since 2009. Our architects work globally, over video and on site when it matters.

Can we just get a website from you?

Yes. Websites, hosting, SEO and support are delivered in-house on one flat monthly plan.

Ready to see what it would cost?

Start with a free discovery call. General inquiries: [email protected]

Book a discovery call