IT CONSULTING SERVICES
Project-based IT advisory for one specific decision.
Scoped engagements, fixed-fee or hourly. No managed contract required.
Sometimes you need a technology decision made well, not a managed services engagement. Vendor selection, infrastructure design, migration planning, due diligence on a merger. We scope the work, write a fixed-fee or hourly proposal, and deliver the answer.
- Scoped engagements, not subscriptions
- Fixed-fee or hourly, quoted before any work
- Vendor-neutral on every recommendation
Most technology decisions get made by whoever happens to be in the meeting. The vendor with the best slide deck, the cousin who knows computers, the team member who has done something like this before. The decisions that matter (cloud architecture, vendor selection on a multi-year contract, due diligence on an acquisition target) deserve someone whose only job in the room is to think about them. Netsafe Solutions runs project-based IT consulting for the decisions that matter, scoped against the question and quoted in writing before any work begins.
When IT consulting is the right shape.
The question to ask first is whether you need an answer or you need an ongoing seat. If your business has a specific decision in front of it, project-based consulting is the shape. Pay for the engagement, get the deliverable, move on. We scope to the question rather than to a calendar.
If you need a recurring strategic voice at your leadership table (someone who joins quarterly, reviews your environment, plans your roadmap, benchmarks your spend), the recurring shape is virtual chief information officer engagement instead. That lives at vCIO services; the deliverables and cadence are different, and the pricing is structured differently too.
Most clients eventually use both. A project consulting engagement to make a specific decision well; a virtual chief information officer retainer to keep the strategy going across the year. We will tell you which one your current question fits in the first conversation.
What we get hired to figure out.
Six categories cover most of the engagement work. Some are one-shot decisions; others are multi-week projects with phased deliverables.
Vendor selection and request for proposal support
You know what kind of system you need; you do not yet know which vendor to buy it from. We write the requirements document, run the request for proposal process, evaluate the responses against your weighted criteria, and walk into the executive meeting with a recommendation supported by the scorecard.
Infrastructure design and architectural review
Network architecture, cloud landing zones, identity design, disaster-recovery topology. We document the current state, design the target state, and produce the migration plan that gets you from one to the other. Engineering-grade documentation suitable for handoff to your internal team or to whichever managed services provider runs the build.
Migration planning
Cloud migration, Microsoft 365 cutover, hardware refresh, office relocation, on-premises to hybrid. Engagement output is a phased migration plan with timeline, dependencies, risk register, communication plan, and rollback procedure for each phase. We can also lead the execution if asked, or hand the plan off and stay available for questions.
Technology due diligence for mergers and acquisitions
Buy-side or sell-side, we read the target environment and produce a written diligence report covering integration risk, technical debt, license transferability, security posture, vendor contract overhang, and the cost of bringing the acquired environment up to your standard. Time-boxed to the diligence window.
Compliance gap closure projects
You have a HIPAA finding, a Service Organization Controls 2 readiness assessment, or a cyber insurance questionnaire showing gaps. We scope the closure work as a project: which controls need to be implemented, in what order, at what cost, and what documentation needs to land before the next audit cycle. Pairs naturally with our compliance services for the ongoing program.
Build versus buy decisions
You have a workflow problem and a budget. The question is whether to license a software-as-a-service platform, build it custom, or extend a tool you already have. We model the total cost of ownership across all three paths over a multi-year horizon and recommend the option that actually wins the math. Pairs with our automation work when the answer is build.
Three engagement shapes. Pick the one that fits the question.
The engagement shape changes how the work is paid for and how often we are in the room. The deliverable quality stays the same.
Best for: a defined question with a defined deliverable. Vendor request for proposal, infrastructure design, migration plan, due diligence engagement.
Scoped against the deliverable and quoted in writing before any work starts. The price does not move once the scope is signed; if scope expands mid-engagement, we write a change order. Most projects ship in two to six weeks.
Best for: open-ended questions where the deliverable is the conversation itself. Architecture review on a draft design, build-versus-buy modeling, sounding board on a leadership decision.
Billed in fifteen-minute increments against a small retainer or pay-as-you-go. The clock is on while we are working; you only pay for the time you actually use. Useful when the scope is not knowable upfront.
Best for: a recurring strategic seat at your leadership table. Quarterly working sessions, multi-year roadmap ownership, ongoing spend management, vendor relationship oversight.
Subscription rather than project. Lives at vCIO services: this page is for the project-based shapes. Most clients use the retainer alongside occasional project engagements when something specific needs deeper focus.
How project consulting is priced.
Two pricing models depending on whether the scope is knowable upfront. Both are quoted in writing before any work begins.
The default for most engagements. We define the deliverable, identify the work behind it, and quote the project as a single line item. Most projects ship in two to six weeks. Scope changes mid-engagement get handled through a written change order rather than scope creep.
For engagements where the deliverable is the conversation itself. Billed in fifteen-minute increments against a small monthly retainer or pure pay-as-you-go. Useful when the scope is open-ended or the work is sporadic.
For clients running consecutive projects (a migration plan, then the cutover oversight, then a follow-on architecture review), we structure the engagement as a multi-project program with shared documentation and a single point of contact. Reduces the friction of starting each new engagement from scratch.
The first scoping conversation is always free. We will tell you whether project consulting is the right shape for your question or whether the answer is a different engagement type. The conversation is the conversation; the proposal is what gets signed.
Why NetSafe for the project work.
Plenty of consulting firms will write you a deck. Far fewer will own the recommendation, defend it under pushback, and stay reachable when the implementation runs into the question we did not foresee.
Vendor-neutral by structure
We are a managed services provider, but the consulting practice does not carry reseller commissions or implementation revenue tied to the recommendations. The advice is not bent toward a particular vendor because the firm is paid to deliver the answer regardless of which vendor wins the request for proposal.
Twenty-two years of Charlotte context
Most consulting engagements have a local-market layer that pure national firms miss. Vendor relationships in the region, hiring patterns, what other Charlotte businesses in your industry have actually deployed, what the local Microsoft and security partner ecosystem looks like. We have been in the market since 2003.
Reachable after the engagement closes
Most consulting firms hand over the deck and disappear. We stay reachable for follow-on questions for thirty days after delivery at no charge. After that, follow-on time is billed against the same hourly rate, but the relationship continues. The deliverable does not have a half-life of the day it shipped.
Engineering-grade documentation
The deliverable is meant to be implemented by someone, eventually. Our project documentation is detailed enough that a competent engineer (your internal team, your other managed services provider, or us if asked) can pick it up and build from it without coming back to us for clarification on every section.
Frequently asked questions.
How is this different from your vCIO services?
vCIO is the recurring shape. A regular seat at your leadership table on a monthly or quarterly cadence, ongoing roadmap ownership, ongoing spend management. IT consulting is the project shape. A scoped engagement with a defined deliverable, paid for as a one-time fixed-fee or hourly project. Most clients eventually use both. The vCIO retainer covers the recurring strategic work; the project engagements cover the specific decisions that need their own dedicated focus.
Do we need to be a managed services client to engage you for consulting?
No. The project consulting practice runs independently of any managed services engagement. Many clients engage us for consulting first, decide they like working with us, and convert to managed later. Others stay project-only indefinitely. Both are fine. The consulting fee is the consulting fee.
Will you implement the recommendations or do we have to find someone else?
Either path works. We can implement the recommendations as a follow-on engagement, hand them to your existing managed services provider, hand them to your internal team, or stay available for questions while someone else builds. The deliverable is documented in enough detail that any competent implementer can run with it. Most clients ask us to lead implementation; some prefer a different shop. We will not push one way.
How long is a typical engagement?
Most fixed-fee projects run two to six weeks from kickoff to delivered output. Vendor request for proposal cycles tend toward the longer end because the response window is set by the vendors. Architecture and infrastructure design engagements typically run three to four weeks. Due diligence engagements compress to whatever the diligence window allows, often one to three weeks.
What does the first conversation cost?
Nothing. We use the first call to understand what decision is in front of you, what the deadline looks like, and what your environment is doing today. Then we tell you whether project consulting is the right engagement shape for the question or whether the answer is something else. If we are the right fit, we will write a proposal in a few days. If we are not, we will tell you that and recommend an alternative.
Can you sign a non-disclosure agreement before the first conversation?
Yes, particularly for due diligence engagements where the scope of the conversation is itself sensitive. We have a standard mutual non-disclosure agreement we can countersign before the call, or we can work from your standard agreement if your legal team prefers.
Let’s scope your engagement.
Tell us what decision you are working through and what the deadline looks like. The first conversation is free; we will tell you whether project consulting is the right shape for what you need or whether the question fits a different engagement type. If we are the right fit, we will write a fixed-fee or hourly proposal in a few days.
Or call us:
(704) 333-0404
What our clients say
NetSafe is responsive, knowledgeable, and professional. Each person we deal with has the expertise to handle our IT needs. Great!!LeighAnn P. Feb 2025 · Google
Netsafe Solutions has provided fast and courteous help on a regular basis. I have been pleased with the promptness of their service.Michael T. Jun 2025 · Google
Yesterday's service was punctual, effective, and Professional - just like every time I need help. Good listeners, easy to talk to (and understand), and always pleasant.Drake S. Sep 2025 · Google
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