What I do, and what it looks like to work with me.
A handful of practice areas, each with a clear shape. Pick the one that matches where you are — or pick a few. Most real engagements span a couple of them.
Software development & architecture review.
For teams shipping production software, or businesses commissioning new systems, I provide independent architecture review, system design, and technical due diligence.
Typical outputs include a written architecture review with prioritised recommendations, a target architecture, or a phased plan for changes — sized so the team can absorb the work without freezing delivery.
Engagement shape
- architecture & design review (1–3 weeks)
- system design for new builds
- tech due diligence for buyers and investors
- reliability, scaling & cost reviews
- second opinion on big decisions
Typical sectors
Legal, health, fintech-adjacent, and established product engineering teams.
Office & small-business networks, done properly.
Networks that are quiet, secure, and well-documented. From a single-rack office to a multi-floor fit-out, the goal is always the same: the day-to-day works without you having to think about it.
I cover the physical layer (cabling, patching), the logical layer (firewalls, VLANs, Wi-Fi), and the security layer (segmentation, CCTV, door access) as one coherent piece of work rather than three unrelated trades.
Engagement shape
- structured cabling design & install
- Wi-Fi survey & design
- firewall & router configuration
- VLANs, segmentation & guest isolation
- CCTV cameras & NVR
- door access & intercom systems
- documentation & handover pack
Typical clients
Offices, clinics, legal practices, retail, and SMBs fitting out new premises or rationalising existing ones.
AI strategy & adoption — without the hype.
The interesting question isn't "should we use AI?". It's "where does AI actually help us, what does adoption cost, and how do we keep the data we care about safe while we do it?".
I help clients work through that calmly: identify high-value use cases, evaluate tooling honestly, sanity-check vendor claims, and plan rollouts that align with their data and compliance posture.
Engagement shape
- use-case discovery workshops
- tooling & vendor evaluation
- data, privacy & compliance fit
- pilot scoping & success criteria
- rollout planning & change management
- internal policy & guardrails
Outputs
Written strategy, prioritised backlog of opportunities, and a phased rollout plan you can defend at board level.
Independent reviews and roadmaps you can defend.
Security work that produces a list of 300 findings is rarely security work that gets done. I focus on independent reviews, identity and access hardening, and operational tooling — with a roadmap your team can actually execute.
This is not a tick-box pentest service. It's the architecture and operating-model layer that makes the rest of your security spend pay off.
Engagement shape
- independent security & privacy reviews
- identity & access (IAM) hardening
- data-protection & GDPR posture review
- privacy-by-design review (embedded from system design, not bolted on)
- data residency & cross-border transfer analysis
- incident readiness & response playbooks
- vendor & supply-chain risk reviews
- policy & documentation refresh
Style
Practical and prioritised. Findings are ranked by risk and effort, with clear next steps you can actually do.
Infrastructure migrations, led end-to-end.
Moving identity providers, modernising hosting, untangling CI/CD, or replacing long-in-the-tooth tooling — these projects usually fail in the middle, not at the start. I help plan them so the middle survives contact with reality.
I'll either lead the migration end-to-end as a fractional principal, or come in for the planning and key technical decisions and let your team execute. Either works.
Engagement shape
- cloud modernisation & lift-and-reshape
- identity & SSO migrations
- observability & SLO programmes
- CI/CD & delivery-flow improvement
- operational tooling upgrades
- cost & reliability rationalisation
Measured
Always: baseline before, baseline after. If we can't measure it, we don't claim it.
Microsoft 365 & workplace IT, set up to stay manageable.
Tenant setup or clean-up, identity and licensing, Teams and SharePoint, mailbox and device management — done with the same calm posture as the rest of the work. The goal is an environment your team can actually run, not a Friday-afternoon mystery.
Equally useful as a one-off "fix what's drifting" engagement or as part of a wider office or infrastructure fit-out.
Engagement shape
- tenant setup & clean-up
- Entra ID / identity & licensing
- Exchange Online & mail flow
- Teams, SharePoint & OneDrive structure
- Intune / device management & baselines
- backup, retention & security defaults
Typical clients
SMBs, professional practices, and engineering-led companies who want M365 done once and done well.
Mentoring for engineers and technical leads.
The other half of the work. For engineers and tech leads working on distributed systems, cloud, reliability, or just figuring out the next step in their career.
I keep a small number of mentoring slots open at any time. The format is structured enough to be useful and light enough to last.
Engagement shape
- 1:1 engineer mentoring
- tech-lead coaching
- small-group sessions on distributed systems, cloud, reliability
- career planning & growth conversations
Cadence
Typically a recurring slot — fortnightly or monthly — running for an agreed quarter.
Doesn't fit the list? Ask anyway.
Plenty of useful work doesn't slot neatly into a practice area. If you've got a tricky tech problem — vendor decision, second opinion, weird hybrid project — get in touch. If it's a fit, we'll talk. If it isn't, I'll point you toward someone who's a better match for the work.
The aim isn't to take on everything. The aim is to make sure you don't end up stuck for want of asking.
Examples
- second opinion on a quote or proposal
- vendor or tool selection
- "is this technically feasible?" calls
- introductions to specialists I trust
- small one-off engineering jobs
No-judgement zone
If you're not sure whether it's the right kind of question, it almost certainly is. Drop a line.
Sound like a fit?
Tell me a little about what you're working on and we'll figure out, on a 30-minute call, whether this is the right kind of help.