Available for new projects — reply within 24 hours
Infrastructure that holds. Backups that restore. Migrations that finish.
I am an independent IT consultant. I design, migrate and run the infrastructure of small and mid-sized companies: cloud, servers, business continuity and security. One person is accountable for the outcome, and it is the person you talk to.
what usually prompts the call
Most people call me because of one of these four sentences
“The server is seven years old and nobody knows what happens if it stops.”
First step: work out what actually runs on it and what a day of downtime costs you. Then two or three routes forward with the costs side by side. The decision stays yours.
“We do run backups, we have just never tried restoring one.”
A backup nobody has ever restored is a hope, not a backup. It gets tested, the time to get you working again gets measured, and both get written down.
“Our supplier replies after three days, when they reply at all.”
Here you deal with the person doing the work. I reply within 24 hours, and when I cannot take a job on I say so straight away rather than leaving you waiting.
“We have been offered a move to the cloud and we do not understand what we are buying.”
What changes for the people doing the work, what it costs once it settles, what breaks during the move. Explained in plain language, with the numbers in front of you.
areas of work
Where I come in
Six areas that hold together: a real problem almost always touches at least two of them.
Cloud and migrations
Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, AWS. Migrations planned and run outside office hours, without losing mail or permissions.
Servers and virtualisation
Windows Server, Linux, Active Directory, Hyper-V and VMware. From sizing through to going live.
Backup and disaster recovery
Local and cloud backups with stated RTO and RPO, scheduled restore tests, and alerts when a job does not run.
Security and compliance
Vulnerability assessment, firewalls and EDR, ransomware and phishing defence, GDPR obligations and staff training.
Networks and connectivity
Routers, switches, access points, VPN and remote access. Designed, configured, and left documented.
IT project management
When a project spans several suppliers: schedule, budget, risks, and reporting you can read in five minutes.
how I work
Four stages, and each one ends with something in your hands
No stage begins before you have seen and signed off the output of the one before it.
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stage 1
Listening
A call or a visit to your site. You tell me what is not working, I ask questions and look at the state of things. Nothing is being sold at this stage.
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stage 2
Assessment
I look at the infrastructure properly: what runs, on which machines, who has access, and what happens if one of them stops. The result is a document that reads well even if you are not technical.
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stage 3
Delivery
The work itself, with a plan and a date. Anything that interrupts the business happens outside working hours. Before we start we agree how to roll back if something goes wrong.
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stage 4
Ongoing support
I stay the point of contact for that infrastructure: monitoring, preventive maintenance, and someone who answers when you call. It is optional — some clients only call me again for the next project.
one person
I am not a software house and not a call centre
I work on my own, and for a company of your size that is a practical advantage: nothing gets handed over, no ticket falls between two departments, and one person answers for the result.
I answer the phone myself
There is no switchboard routing the call and no second line to escalate to. The number at the bottom of this page is mine.
I explain things plainly
I tell you what I am about to do and why, before I do it. If it does not make sense, the explanation was mine to fix.
You know the price up front
A written quote with the estimated hours in it. If a job grows along the way, you hear about it before the invoice does.
I will also tell you no
If the problem can be solved without buying anything, I say so. If you need a bigger outfit than mine, I say that too.
side project
CeliacMap
A free worldwide map of places with gluten-free information. Every entry shows where the information came from and when it was last checked, and unconfirmed reports are kept separate from verified ones. I built it because when you have coeliac disease and you are away from home, reliable information simply does not exist.
- status
- public beta
- cost
- free, no account
- coverage
- worldwide, growing
- sources
- shown on every entry
get in touch
Better before it breaks
Tell me what is going on, three lines are enough. If I understand the problem you get an opinion back, not a quote. The first assessment is free.
- phone
- +39 351 9230545
- alessandro-montibelli
- coverage
- Lombardy on site, Italy remotely
- reply
- within 24 hours on working days