Enterprise-grade IT leadership, without the enterprise overhead.
Cloud Spartan is a one-person consultancy led by a senior IT leader with enterprise experience across infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud, and AI. I embed directly into your business as your IT Partner — owning strategy, security, and operations so you can focus on growth.
Need help growing — structurally?
You've built something that's working. Now the business is moving faster than the systems underneath it. That's not a failure — it's a milestone. And it's the exact moment the right IT partner creates the most leverage.
A strategy that scales with you
Move from reactive tool purchases to a roadmap aligned with where the business is actually going — so IT becomes a growth lever, not a cost center.
Security that grows up with you
A proactive security posture that matures as you do — from MFA and identity to incident readiness — built on CIS Controls your customers, partners, and auditors will recognize.
A tech stack that actually fits
Consolidate overlapping SaaS, renegotiate vendor sprawl, and build a lean, intentional stack that supports the company today and flexes for tomorrow.
A senior voice in the room
Someone accountable for IT as a system — translating technology into business outcomes, sitting in leadership meetings, and owning the long view alongside you.
What I deliver.
Six practice areas built from years of hands-on IT leadership across multi-site organizations — from the server room to the boardroom. Every engagement is delivered personally.
IT Strategy & Governance
I build the IT operating model your company doesn't have yet — multi-year roadmaps, budgets, policies, and executive reporting frameworks aligned to ITIL v4. The kind of structure that turns IT from a cost center into a growth lever.
Cybersecurity & Risk
MDR implementation, zero-trust architecture, endpoint compliance, firewall redesigns, and audit readiness. I've led incident response on live compromises and built security programs from the ground up — grounded in CIS Controls and real-world risk, not checkbox compliance.
Cloud & Identity
Azure, AWS, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune — I migrate, consolidate, and architect cloud platforms so your identity, access, and productivity stack works as one system. From hybrid Exchange migrations to full cloud-native transformations.
Infrastructure & Networking
Server modernization, VMware and Hyper-V environments, SAN/NAS storage, backup architecture, and disaster recovery built on real RTO/RPO targets. Network redesigns across FortiGate and SonicWall with zero-trust segmentation for multi-site environments.
Vendor & Budget Optimization
Contract negotiation, SaaS rationalization, license optimization, and MSP oversight. I've delivered six-figure annual savings by cutting redundant tooling and renegotiating vendor agreements — while improving service quality, not degrading it.
AI Enablement & Governance
Copilot licensing, OpenAI integrations, Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry — deployed with compliance guardrails and governance frameworks that leadership can defend. I bring AI into the business safely, not experimentally.
Platforms I've deployed, migrated, and managed in production.
Not theoretical knowledge or lab certifications. Hands-on experience architecting and operating these platforms across multi-site enterprise environments.
I'd rather under-promise and over-deliver than win work I can't stand behind. If a project is outside my lane, I'll tell you — and point you to someone who can help.
Discipline over heroics.
Every engagement follows the same structured path — grounded in ITIL v4 and CIS Controls, not guesswork.
Listen
Conversations with leadership, operations, and the people doing the work. I map the business objectives before I touch a single system.
Assess
A structured review against CIS Controls and ITIL v4 — infrastructure, identity, security posture, vendor contracts, and compliance gaps. Risk-ranked with dollar impact.
Plan
A prioritized roadmap with budget projections, timelines, and accountability — written in language leadership and investors can act on.
Execute
Hands-on delivery from architecture to implementation. I stay in the trenches until the team can run it without me and the documentation proves it.
Three kinds of leaders I work with.
Most engagements fall into one of these three shapes. If you recognize yourself in any of them, we should talk.
The Scale-Up
You've outgrown the IT setup that got you here.
The company has grown past its original systems. Tools were chosen in a hurry, processes were built around whoever was available, and the stack no longer matches the ambition. You need a senior voice to bring structure before something breaks.
- 1–200 employees, moving fast
- Facing a cloud, audit, or security milestone
- Ready to build AI into the business responsibly
The Builder
You're bringing IT in-house for the first time.
You're done renting your technology function. You want a real IT department — one that understands your business, owns the roadmap, and isn't billing you by the ticket. I help you plan it, hire it, build it, and transition cleanly off the MSP that got you here.
- Building an internal IT function from the ground up
- Offboarding an MSP without dropping the ball
- Hiring and mentoring your first IT leaders
The Translator
You're keeping your MSP — but need a partner in your corner.
Your MSP is fine. What's missing is someone who represents your interests, cuts through the jargon, and makes sure every technology decision maps to a business outcome. I sit between you and your providers so you stop feeling outnumbered in technical conversations.
- Trusted liaison between leadership and the MSP
- Vendor & contract oversight on your side of the table
- Clarity on what you're paying for — and why
One operator. Full accountability.
"Most IT problems aren't technical. They're structural — and they get solved in the room where the business decisions are being made."
I'm Cristian Balderrama — a senior IT leader with years of hands-on experience building and running IT for fast-growing organizations, from the server room to the boardroom.
I've delivered end-to-end compliance programs, driven cost savings through vendor optimization, and stood up AI initiatives with governance frameworks that leadership could defend. My work is grounded in established frameworks — ITIL for service discipline, CIS Controls for security — and translated into outcomes that founders and operators can act on.
Every engagement is delivered personally. There is no junior consultant, no offshore team, no bait-and-switch. The person you meet in the first conversation is the person architecting your identity platform, sitting in your leadership meeting, and owning the outcome alongside you. Bilingual in English and Spanish.
The first conversation is free. The clarity is the point.
If any of this sounds like your company, reach out. No deck, no pitch — just a straight conversation about where you are and whether I can help.
Get in Touch