Where to Start
Start with a decision,
not a project.
Most RKON relationships begin with a structured advisory engagement. Clear scope, clear timeline, clear next step. You will leave the first meeting with a real plan and a real next move, not a proposal.
Four ways to begin.
The one you run before someone else runs it against you.
Who it is for: PE partners, operating partners, CFOs, and CEOs of PE-backed companies.
When it fits: Pre-close, post-close, or pre-exit. Any moment when a deal is on the table and the technology risk in it is unclear.
What you get: A defensible view of the technology risk and value in the deal, a 100-day plan you can execute against, and clarity on what protects or threatens valuation.
Typical timeline: 4 to 6 weeks · Fixed scope · Fixed price envelope
Get your cloud economics back in your hands.
Who it is for: CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and CFOs of mid-market and PE-backed companies.
When it fits: Cloud costs are unpredictable. Cloud posture is unclear. On-premise is not going away, and the mix is not working.
What you get: A rebalanced cloud footprint that costs less, moves faster, and holds up under audit. A sequenced plan you can execute against, with the FinOps guardrails to keep costs from creeping back.
Typical timeline: 2 to 4 weeks · Fixed scope · Fixed price envelope
The most important six weeks you will spend before you touch AI.
Who it is for: CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and CISOs preparing for AI, modernization, or a maturity step in identity and access.
When it fits: Identity is the foundation for AI, security, and modernization. Yours is not ready to carry the weight of what is coming next.
What you get: A sequenced plan to modernize identity, with the maturity model, the roadmap, and the practitioner recommendations to move confidently into what comes next.
Typical timeline: 3 to 5 weeks · Fixed scope · Fixed price envelope
From AI pilot to AI at work.
Who it is for: PE operating partners, COOs, CIOs, and CISOs of mid-market and PE-backed companies.
When it fits: The board wants AI results, pilots have stalled, or a platform is live without clear governance.
What you get: AI that is governed, deployed, and in daily use, with trained Champions who keep adoption growing after we step back.
13 to 18 weeks · Three phases · Fixed fee per phase
Other ways to start
Need leadership or operations first?
Not every relationship begins with a fixed engagement. Sometimes you need a senior security leader now, or a capability your team cannot run. Both start with a scoping call.
The Security Leadership Program
Senior security leadership, without the full-time hire.
For companies without a full-time CISO, or CISOs and boards who need more senior leadership.
Rolling · 12-month minimum · Board reporting included
Managed Services
Security and operations that simply work. Run by us.
For companies who need to go fast, whose teams are carrying more than they should, or whose current provider is not working.
Priced by service level · 12-month minimum
Find your situation by the moment that set it off
Critical
moments.
Sometimes the trigger is what defines the moment. Deals close. Boards mandate. Audits loom. Cloud economics stop working. If one of these is where you are today, start here.
M&A + Carve-outs
A deal just closed, is closing, or is on the horizon. Integration, separation, or exit readiness is on the table.
AI Mandate
The board wants a strategy. The team knows the foundations are not ready.
Hybrid Cloud Rebalance
Cloud-only is too expensive. On-premise is too slow. The mix is not working.
Compliance & Security
Audit deadline, ransomware near-miss, insurer requirement, or board mandate.
How we engage across the whole lifecycle
Start or finish anywhere.
Most relationships begin with one of our four advisory engagements. Some begin mid-stream, with security leadership or managed operations. Either way, it is the front door to a five-phase lifecycle. Some clients start with us at Advise and stay through Accelerate. Others come to us mid-build, mid-run, or mid-mandate. Wherever you are, we can pick up the story.
Advise
We understand where you are, where you need to be, and the shortest path between the two.
Design
We architect the technology, security, and operational model that gets you there.
Build
We implement, migrate, and integrate with practitioners who have done this before.
Manage
We operate the environment day-to-day, so your team focuses on the business.
Accelerate
We keep optimizing, so the technology keeps compounding value.
Not sure which one is yours?
That is normal. Most situations do not map cleanly to one offer on day one. Book a strategy call and we will help you find the fit. Or start with any of the four engagements, and we will adjust from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How much does an advisory engagement cost?
Nearly every engagement has a fixed scope and a defined price envelope. We aim to share it on the first call and finalize it as we scope. No open-ended hourly billing.
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How long does a typical engagement take?
Between two and eighteen weeks, depending on the offer and the scope. Assessments run 2 to 8 weeks, and AI@WORK runs 13 to 18. The Security Leadership Program and Managed Services are rolling, with a 12-month minimum.
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Do you deliver the plan and disappear?
No. Assessments end with a plan and a next step, and AI@WORK ends with AI deployed and in use. If the next step is to design, build, manage, or accelerate, we can do that too.
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Do we need to know which engagement is right for us?
No. Book a strategy call and we will help you find the fit.
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Can we engage you on a specific platform or technology question without a full advisory assessment?
Yes, but we usually recommend starting with an engagement that names the whole picture first. It saves time, money, and rework.
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Can we start with The Security Leadership Program or Managed Services instead?
Yes. Many clients start with security leadership or a managed capability, and add advisory work when the next decision comes up.