Matthew Rousseaux | IT and security consultant, southwest Saskatchewan

Why people get in touch

Most people who call me have a specific thing in hand. It's usually one of these.

A cyber insurance renewal The questionnaire asks about backups, multi-factor authentication and monitoring, and nobody in the office is sure what the honest answer is.
A prime-contractor security questionnaire ISNetworld, Avetta or ComplyWorks wants proof of your IT security before the next job, and the deadline is close.
A bad experience with a distant provider Tickets that sit for days, a different technician every time, and nobody who has ever set foot in your shop.
An IT setup nobody has looked at in years The computers, the Wi-Fi and the backups were set up a long time ago, and you'd like someone to check whether they still hold up.

What I do

Nine things, in three groups. If what you need isn't on this list, ask anyway. If it's not something I do, I'll say so and point you to someone who does.

Microsoft 365 and cloud

Email, files, and the accounts your staff sign in with every morning.

Microsoft 365 management: Licensing, mailboxes, new hires and departures, and day-to-day support. I hold and manage the tenant so you don't have to think about it.
Backup for Microsoft 365: Microsoft doesn't back up your email and files the way most people assume. I do, so a deleted mailbox or an encrypted file share can be put back.
Email security and staff training: Filtering ahead of the inbox, plus phishing simulations and short training sessions so your people can spot the bad ones before they click.

Security and compliance

What insurers and prime contractors ask about, done properly rather than just on paper.

Cyber insurance and contractor readiness: I go through the questionnaire with you, tell you where you actually stand, and fix the gaps. That covers insurance renewals and prime-contractor systems like ISNetworld, Avetta and ComplyWorks.
Computer security and monitoring: Managed antivirus and threat detection on every machine, watched rather than installed and forgotten.
Web filtering: Blocks malicious and unwanted sites across the whole network, with a plain-English report each month.

Networks, hosting and planning

The connection to the outside world, the website on it, and what to budget for next year.

Rural connectivity and networks: Starlink with cellular backup, wireless links between the yard, shop and outbuildings, cameras and remote monitoring. I farm here; I know what the distances and the weather do to a network.
Website hosting and maintenance: Hosting, updates, backups and certificates for small business websites, with someone to call when it breaks.
Fractional IT director: A quarterly sit-down on budget, renewals, aging equipment and what's coming. For companies that need someone thinking about IT but don't need a full-time hire.

How I work

This is a one-person practice. I've set it up so that's the reason to hire me, rather than something you have to work around.

A short client list, on purpose
I take on a limited number of clients so that each one gets the same person every time: the one who built the setup and knows why it's the way it is. When I'm full, I say so.
Pricing you can put in a budget
Ongoing work is a flat monthly rate per user. Anything outside that, like a project or a one-off fix, is billed hourly. You'll know which is which before I start.
Business hours, and after hours when it matters
I answer during business hours. After-hours support is available, and I'll set out with you in advance what counts as urgent so there's no guessing at 9 p.m.
Everything written down, and it belongs to you
Every setup is documented, and every password and credential lives in a vault that you own, not me. Nothing about your business is locked up in my head.
A named backup if I'm ever unavailable
I have an arrangement with another consultant who can step in if I'm sick, away or out of reach. You'll know their name before you ever need it. Between that and the documentation, your business never hangs on one phone being answered.

About

I've spent nineteen years in infrastructure and security. During the day I manage infrastructure across 33 sites for a public sector organization, which means the systems I put in place for a ten-person office are the same ones I'm accountable for at a much larger scale. Private clients are a small, deliberate part of what I do.

I hold CompTIA certifications, and my security training covers the Certified Ethical Hacker program and Palo Alto Networks firewall engineering. That's the security side of the work: knowing how systems get broken into so I can set yours up so they don't.

I also farm in the area. That's why I understand what a wireless link across a yard actually has to survive, why a Starlink dish needs a backup, and what a February wind does to a camera mount. It's also why I'm not going anywhere. I live and work in southwest Saskatchewan and I intend to keep doing both.

Get in touch

Tell me what's pushed you to look, whether that's a questionnaire on your desk or a general worry.

Email: matthew@rousseaux.ca
Where: Southwest Saskatchewan. On site or remote, depending on the job.
When: Business hours, Monday to Friday. After hours by arrangement.