Cloud Strategy Advisory
Some cloud decisions don't need a project, they need an ongoing second opinion: someone who's been hands-on with AWS at scale and can sanity-check direction before a decision gets expensive to reverse. This retainer is for engineering leaders in Canada and the US who want that kind of relationship, not another vendor evaluation deck. It works alongside your team rather than instead of it: reviewing architecture decisions as they come up, helping prioritize a technical roadmap against actual business constraints, and giving a straight answer on tradeoffs, buy versus build, migrate now versus later, which parts of the stack deserve investment, before they turn into six-month regrets. It's intentionally lightweight to start and scales with however much strategic input your team actually needs month to month.
What's included
- Regular strategy sessions covering architecture decisions, technical roadmap, and prioritization
- Second-opinion review on major infrastructure or vendor decisions before they're locked in
- Guidance tailored to engineering leaders, not a generic maturity-model assessment
- Flexible, ongoing retainer structure instead of a fixed-scope project
- Direct access for ad-hoc questions between sessions
- I advise engineering teams on AI adoption — standardizing practices with reusable AI skills, reviewing AI spend, and choosing the right model for each task
Is this right for you?
This retainer is a fit for engineering leaders who want an ongoing second opinion on cloud direction — someone to sanity-check architecture and vendor decisions before they become expensive to reverse — without hiring a full-time principal engineer or going through a one-off consulting engagement for every decision. It starts with a free 30-minute call to understand what kind of input would actually be useful to your team and how often. Unlike the other services here, this isn't a fixed-price, fixed-scope project — it's structured as an ongoing retainer that scales with how much strategic input you need month to month. It's not a fit if what you actually need is hands-on implementation work (writing Terraform, migrating workloads) — those are better scoped as their own fixed-price engagements, and can run alongside this retainer rather than instead of it. I reply to new inquiries within 24 hours and work with engineering leaders in Canada and the US.
FAQ
Is this a fixed-price engagement like the other services?
No — this one is structured as an ongoing retainer rather than a fixed-scope project, since the point is continuous access rather than a single deliverable.
How much time commitment does this require each month?
I take on a limited number of ongoing retainers at a time so each one gets real attention — current availability and a cadence that fits your needs are confirmed on the scoping call rather than fixed in advance.
Can we start with a smaller commitment and adjust later?
Yes — the retainer is intentionally flexible and scales with how much strategic input your team needs month to month, so it can start light and adjust as that becomes clearer.
How it works
Simple, low-friction engagement. No lengthy contracts or discovery phases.
Tell me what you need
Fill out the contact form with a brief description of your challenge. I'll respond within 24 hours.
Quick scoping call
We jump on a 30-minute call to understand your environment, goals, and timeline. I'll follow up with a clear scope and fixed price — usually within a couple of days, up to a week for more complex asks.
I get to work
Hands-on delivery with regular updates. You get clean documentation and knowledge transfer — not a black box.
Done — and you own it
Everything I build is yours. I document it thoroughly so your team can maintain and extend it independently.
Ready to talk about strategic advisory?
Tell me a bit about your challenge and I'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Get in touch →