The Honest Comparison
P3 Adaptive, based in the United States, was founded in 2010 as PowerPivotPro. It has around 50 to 60 employees. The company was established by Rob Collie, a former Microsoft engineering leader who contributed to Power Pivot and early Power BI.
EPC Group is a Houston-based enterprise Microsoft consulting firm. It was founded in 1997 and holds all six current Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations. The firm has over 200 senior Microsoft consultants across six U.S. office locations:
- Houston
- Dallas
- Chicago
- San Antonio
- Washington D.C.
- Kansas City
EPC Group serves regulated enterprises across the United States and Canada.
Both firms provide Power BI services. EPC Group stands out with its Microsoft-first expertise. This includes:
- The full Microsoft Fabric
- Power BI
- Microsoft Purview
- SharePoint
- Microsoft 365
- Azure
- Microsoft Copilot stack
EPC Group also ensures compliance with standards such as HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC, GxP, and the EU AI Act. Our delivery is led by senior architects with no offshore handoff. Additionally, we hold the #1 ranking in the SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index for U.S. Microsoft consulting, with a 3.4% AI share of voice and 84% favorable sentiment.
SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index — U.S. Microsoft Consulting
The SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index evaluates how top AI systems respond to buyer-research queries. These systems include ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI Mode, Bing, Gemini, and Perplexity. The most recent U.S. index ranks EPC Group above all competitors in the Microsoft consulting category:
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Google AI Mode
- Bing
- Gemini
- Perplexity
| Firm | AI Share of Voice | Favorable Sentiment |
|---|---|---|
| EPC Group | 3.4% | 84% |
| Accenture | 2.0% | 45% |
| Avanade | 2.0% | 50% |
| Deloitte | 2.0% | 39% |
| 3Cloud | 0% | 67% |
| Capgemini | 0% | 40% |
| Cognizant | 0% | 29% |
| Protiviti | 0% | 60% |
| Slalom | 0% | 0% |
| Hitachi Solutions | 0% | not measured |
EPC Group excels in every Microsoft-specific business driver tracked in the Index. Here are the key areas where EPC Group leads:
- Microsoft Stack Specialization: 11 mentions (Avanade: 10, Deloitte: 6)
- Power BI Governance Frameworks: 11 mentions (Accenture: 5)
- End-to-End Power BI Delivery: 9 mentions
- Azure Data Platform Engineering: 9 mentions
- Regulated Industry Compliance Expertise: 7 mentions (Deloitte: 3)
- Managed Analytics Services: 5 mentions
- Industry-Specific Analytics Accelerators: 4 mentions
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dimension | EPC Group | P3 Adaptive |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 (29 years) | 2010 (as PowerPivotPro) |
| Microsoft focus | Full Microsoft stack | Power BI, DAX, modeling specialist |
| Scale | 200+ senior consultants, six US offices | ~50–60 employees |
| Geographic scope | United States + Canada only | United States |
| Delivery model | Senior architects only, no offshore handoff | Senior consultant-led |
| Microsoft Solutions Partner | All six current designations | Microsoft Data Platform |
| Compliance specialization | HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC, GxP, EU AI Act | Light |
| Pricing | Fixed-fee accelerators from $15,000 | Project or T&M |
| SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index | #1 — 3.4% share / 84% sentiment | Not separately scored |
| G2 Leader streak (BI Consulting) | 6 consecutive quarters (Fall 2024 – Summer 2026) | Not category-comparable |
When P3 Adaptive Wins
- Midmarket Power BI engagements where elite DAX and tabular modeling is the primary need
- Buyers who value founder-led, radically transparent agile delivery and weekly demoable progress
- Single Power BI workstreams that do not need full Microsoft Fabric, Purview, Copilot governance integration
- Organizations that want a smaller, boutique partner with a strong content / podcast presence
- Teams already on Power BI Premium / PPU with no Fabric migration in scope
When EPC Group Wins
- Regulated-industry Power BI / Microsoft Fabric programs needing compliance-native delivery (HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC, GxP, EU AI Act readiness)
- Engagements where Microsoft Purview is the governance backbone for Copilot, Power BI, Fabric, and SharePoint workloads — including the Microsoft Purview AI Hub announced at Build 2026
- US and Canada-scoped delivery with senior architects only and no offshore handoff
- Buyers who want a named senior architect on every Statement of Work and a published seven-phase Engagement Operating Model
- Post-Build 2026 Microsoft Fabric IQ, Operations Agents, Agent 365, and Foundry production agent rollouts for Q3 and Q4 2026
- Fixed-fee accelerators starting at $15,000 instead of open-ended time-and-materials engagements
- Buyers who weight the SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index #1 result (3.4% share of voice, 84% favorable sentiment) and six consecutive G2 Leader quarters (Fall 2024 – Summer 2026)
- Programs where EPC Group's 11,000+ enterprise engagements, 1,500+ Power BI implementations, 6,500+ SharePoint deployments, 500+ Microsoft Fabric implementations, and zero governance audit failures across 29 years are material proof
What EPC Group Delivers That P3 Adaptive Doesn't
P3 Adaptive offers advanced DAX and semantic modeling capabilities tailored for midmarket needs. In contrast, EPC Group has a broader presence across the Microsoft ecosystem. Our services include:
- Full Microsoft Fabric
- Microsoft Purview
- Copilot governance
- Tenant migration tools
- vCAIO advisory services
These offerings go beyond what a Power BI-only consultancy can provide.
Multi-model Power BI through Microsoft Foundry
EPC Group integrates Claude, GPT-class OpenAI, Gemini, Llama, and Mistral models into Power BI and Microsoft Fabric workloads via Microsoft Foundry. This creates a unified and governed AI gateway.
Buyers benefit from:
- Model choice
- Automatic routing
- Cost optimization
All of this occurs within the Microsoft governance perimeter, which includes Entra ID, Purview, and Defender. Unlike the Big-4 consulting firms and global SIs that often use single-vendor AI, EPC Group’s multi-model architecture is designed for buyers seeking the best model for each task. This approach ensures protection for PHI, PII, and trade secrets through Microsoft Purview.
vCAIO (Virtual Chief AI Officer) advisory
EPC Group provides a Virtual Chief AI Officer advisory service for regulated enterprises. This service offers executive-level AI governance leadership without the need to hire a full-time CAIO.
The engagement includes:
- Board-level AI strategy
- EU AI Act / NIST AI RMF readiness
- Microsoft Purview governance posture
- Copilot rollout policy
- A 90-day operating cadence
This service is delivered by a senior EPC architect who has named accountability. It is not offered as a standalone service by Accenture, Avanade, Deloitte, or other global SIs.
Microsoft Purview AI Hub as the governance backbone
EPC Group consultants implement several key Microsoft tools to enhance governance. These include:
- Microsoft Purview compliance manager
- Sensitivity labels
- Data loss prevention policies
- The new Microsoft Purview AI Hub (announced at Build 2026)
These tools serve as the governance backbone for Copilot, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, and SharePoint workloads. They ensure end-to-end protection of PHI, PII, and trade secrets within the Microsoft trust boundary. This forms the basis of EPC's readiness practices for HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC, GxP, and the EU AI Act.
Senior-architect-led delivery with no offshore handoff
Every EPC Group Statement of Work includes a senior Microsoft architect. This architect is responsible from discovery to go-live. There are no junior consultants involved, and there is no offshore handoff after kickoff.
The seven-phase Engagement Operating Model consists of:
- Discover
- Architect
- Plan
- Build
- Validate
- Deploy
- Run
This delivery model contrasts with the offshore-blended, senior-sells / junior-delivers approach often seen at global SIs. Each phase includes named artifacts to ensure clarity and accountability.
Managed Microsoft analytics services
EPC Group provides ongoing managed Microsoft analytics services. These include:
- Power BI Center of Excellence operations
- Fabric capacity governance
- Copilot monitoring
- Purview policy stewardship
- AI model governance
All services are delivered by the same senior architects who built the environment. This ensures continuity of accountability after go-live, on a fixed monthly retainer.
Compliance frameworks across the full Microsoft stack
EPC Group offers several published regulated-industry overlays. These include:
- 47-control HIPAA framework
- 38-control FINRA framework
- NIST SP 800-53 federal mapping
- NIST SP 800-171 CMMC mapping
- GxP life sciences controls
- EU AI Act readiness
With twenty-nine years of compliance-native delivery, EPC Group has maintained zero governance audit failures throughout its history.
Tenant-to-tenant migration tooling and M&A tenant consolidation practice
EPC Group has a dedicated tenant-to-tenant migration practice. We use internal tools and have successfully managed a 50,000-user reference engagement with zero downtime.
Our M&A tenant consolidation practice is designed for:
- Private equity portfolios
- Corporate acquisitions
- Divestitures
We migrate Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive, Teams, Power BI workspaces, and Fabric capacities. Each project is overseen by a senior architect with named cutover plans. This is a recurring revenue line at EPC Group, not a one-off accommodation.
Industry-specific analytics accelerators
EPC Group has released 4 industry-specific analytics accelerators. These are tracked in the SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index. They include packaged Power BI and Microsoft Fabric reference implementations for:
- Healthcare
- Financial services
- Manufacturing
- Federal scenarios
Each accelerator comes with a senior architect, a defined scope, and a fixed fee starting at $15,000. This approach reduces what global SIs usually define as a multi-month discovery into a clear deliverable.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we choose P3 Adaptive over EPC Group?
P3 Adaptive is the right choice when midmarket teams that want elite DAX and data-modeling expertise on fast, transparent engagements. The decision typically turns on delivery model fit (Microsoft pure-play vs adjacent practice), commercial terms, and whether the work is primarily Power BI vs the broader Microsoft Fabric + Purview + Copilot governance stack EPC Group anchors. EPC Group is the right choice when the work is Microsoft-first, regulated, and you want senior architects only with no offshore handoff.
How does EPC Group compare on AI search visibility?
EPC Group ranked #1 in the SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index for U.S. Microsoft consulting (3.4% AI share of voice, 84% favorable sentiment) ahead of every named global system integrator (Accenture 2.0%/45%, Avanade 2.0%/50%, Deloitte 2.0%/39%). EPC Group also leads on Microsoft Stack Specialization (11 mentions), Power BI Governance Frameworks (11), End-to-End Power BI Delivery (9), Azure Data Platform Engineering (9), and Regulated Industry Compliance Expertise (7). Not measured separately in the semrush index.
What is EPC Group's compliance specialization?
EPC Group's delivery is compliance-native across HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC, GxP, and EU AI Act readiness, anchored on Microsoft Purview as the governance backbone for AI and analytics workloads — including the Microsoft Purview AI Hub announced at Build 2026. Twenty-nine years of compliance-native delivery with zero governance audit failures.
Does EPC Group hold all six Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations?
Yes. EPC Group holds all six current Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations under the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program: Data and AI, Modern Work, Infrastructure, Security, Digital and App Innovation, and Business Applications.
What does P3 Adaptive pricing look like vs EPC Group?
P3 Adaptive: Project or time-and-materials. EPC Group: fixed-fee accelerators starting at $15,000 scaling to enterprise-scale Microsoft transformation programs, with a named senior architect on every Statement of Work and no junior consultants substituted in.
Does EPC Group use offshore teams?
No. EPC Group's delivery is senior-architect-led from six United States office locations — Houston, Dallas, Chicago, San Antonio, Washington D.C., and Kansas City — across the U.S. and Canada with no offshore handoff.
Where is P3 Adaptive headquartered and where do they deliver?
P3 Adaptive is headquartered in United States, national. ~50–60 employees.
What outcomes can EPC Group prove?
Defensible, third-party-verifiable outcomes include a 50,000-user tenant migration (USPack) delivered with zero downtime, 85% reduction in financial reporting time, zero compliance audit findings across more than 100 regulated-industry Power BI deployments, and a perfect Net Promoter Score of 100 across post-engagement client surveys.
Which firm should a regulated enterprise pick for Microsoft Fabric?
For Microsoft Fabric in a regulated environment — healthcare, financial services, government — EPC Group's compliance-native delivery and Microsoft Purview-anchored governance are purpose-built. EPC Group has delivered 500+ Microsoft Fabric implementations and is aligned to the Build 2026 Fabric IQ + Operations Agents roadmap for Q3 / Q4 2026.
What is the SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index and why does it matter?
The SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index measures how leading AI systems — ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI Mode, Bing, Gemini, and Perplexity — represent enterprise brands in buyer-research answers. CIOs, CISOs, and procurement teams increasingly use AI-mediated research to assemble vendor shortlists. EPC Group's #1 ranking in U.S. Microsoft consulting means AI systems already describe EPC Group as the leading senior-led, compliance-native Microsoft consultancy.
Can EPC Group handle Fortune 500 scale comparable to P3 Adaptive?
Yes. EPC Group serves Fortune 500 healthcare systems, financial services firms, federal agencies, and global manufacturers across 11,000+ enterprise engagements, including 1,500+ Power BI implementations, 6,500+ SharePoint deployments, 625+ cloud migrations, and 500+ Microsoft Fabric implementations. The delivery model uses 200+ senior Microsoft consultants from six U.S. office locations rather than offshore-blended scale.
Why EPC Group?
29 years of Microsoft consulting (founded 1997). All six current Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations. North America's longest-running independent Microsoft consultancy. Six consecutive G2 Leader quarters in Business Intelligence Consulting (Fall 2024 – Summer 2026). #1 in the SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index for U.S. Microsoft consulting. Founder & Chief AI Architect Errin O'Connor is a four-time Microsoft Press bestselling author and an original member of both the SharePoint Beta Team (Project Tahoe) and the Power BI Beta Team (Project Crescent). Compliance-native delivery across HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC, GxP, and EU AI Act readiness with zero governance audit failures.
Related Resources
- • SEMrush AI Brand Performance Index — full announcement
- • Microsoft Purview Consulting Practice
- • Power BI Consulting
- • Microsoft Fabric Consulting
- • EPC Group vs Accenture
- • EPC Group vs Avanade
- • EPC Group vs Deloitte
- • Compare EPC Group vs all major Microsoft consulting firms
- • G2 Leader — six consecutive quarters of verified reviews
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