Trust & Assurance
Enterprise Credentials, Compliance Posture & Decision Toolkit for Buyers
Founded 1997 · in our 30th year11,000+ enterprise engagementsMicrosoft Press bestselling author
Enterprise Credentials, Compliance Posture & Decision Toolkit for Buyers
By Errin O'Connor, Founder & Chief AI Architect, EPC Group
Trust and Assurance — enterprise Microsoft consulting resource from EPC Group. We provide strategic guidance, implementation expertise, governance frameworks, and compliance-native delivery across the Microsoft ecosystem (Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Azure, AI Governance, Microsoft Copilot).
EPC Group is a Microsoft Solutions Partner in its 30th year of enterprise consulting and 6,500+ completed implementations. Our founding CEO is a 4x bestselling author (Microsoft Press / Sams).
When you choose a consulting partner for your organization's data, infrastructure, and AI initiatives, credentials are essential. They form the basis of every successful engagement.
Enterprise technology decisions involve considerable risk. A misconfigured SharePoint migration can expose sensitive data. A poorly governed Power BI deployment may lead to:
Furthermore, an AI implementation without proper guardrails can cause compliance violations. This may result in regulatory action.
The consulting firm you choose will manage your most vital assets, including:
This page offers clear information about EPC Group's credentials, compliance, quality assurance processes, and service level commitments. We also provide a Decision Toolkit that includes:
With these tools, you can confidently assess any Microsoft consulting firm, including us. We believe informed buyers create better partnerships and better outcomes.
Verified credentials that demonstrate ongoing investment in expertise, not just historical experience.
Microsoft Solutions Partner designations replaced the old Gold/Silver competency model in 2022. Each designation requires:
IT Consulting, Microsoft Services
IT Services, B2B Leaders
Power BI, SharePoint
How EPC Group protects client data and maintains compliance across regulated industries.
| Certification / Framework | Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|
| HIPAA / HITECH | Protected Health Information handling | Compliant |
| ISO 27001 | Information security management | Aligned |
| GDPR | EU data protection and privacy | Compliant |
| CMMC Level 2 | Defense contractor cybersecurity | Aligned |
Our Delivery Excellence Playbook ensures consistent, high-quality outcomes across every engagement.
2-week sprint cycles with client demos at the end of every sprint. No surprises — you see progress every 10 business days.
Project health reports reviewed by senior leadership every week. Budget burn, velocity, risk register, and blocker resolution tracked continuously.
Mandatory architecture review at every milestone gate. Senior architects validate security, scalability, and compliance before proceeding.
80%+ code coverage required on all custom development. Integration tests, performance tests, and security scans run in every CI/CD pipeline.
Formal User Acceptance Testing with documented sign-off required before any production deployment. No shortcuts to go-live.
4-week hypercare period after every production deployment. Dedicated team monitors performance, resolves issues, and optimizes configurations.
Practical tools to evaluate Microsoft consulting partners objectively. Use these frameworks whether you choose EPC Group or another firm — informed buyers make better decisions.
10 criteria for evaluating Microsoft consulting firms
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Weight | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft partnership tier and active designations | Critical | Ensures vendor has validated Microsoft expertise and ongoing investment in certifications. |
| 2 | Industry-specific compliance experience | Critical | HIPAA, SOC 2, or FedRAMP experience prevents costly compliance gaps post-deployment. |
| 3 | Named team certifications and average tenure | High | Confirms the actual project team (not just the firm) has relevant skills and low turnover. |
| 4 | Reference customers in your industry vertical | High | Validates real-world success with challenges similar to yours. |
| 5 | Documented project methodology and QA gates | High | Structured delivery reduces risk of scope creep, missed deadlines, and quality issues. |
| 6 | SLA commitments with financial breach remedies | Medium | Accountability mechanisms ensure the vendor stands behind their service promises. |
| 7 | IP ownership and data handling policies | Critical | Protects your intellectual property and ensures data sovereignty requirements are met. |
| 8 | Team scalability for project peaks | Medium | Confirms the vendor can ramp up resources during critical phases without quality loss. |
| 9 | Published thought leadership and industry recognition | Medium | Indicates deep expertise and active engagement with evolving Microsoft technologies. |
| 10 | Total cost of ownership including post-go-live support | High | Prevents budget surprises by accounting for training, licensing, and ongoing maintenance. |
What a 2-week proof of concept should include
Before agreeing to a large project, ask for a limited 2-week proof of concept. This template outlines what a valuable PoC should achieve:
Assess your current governance maturity across 6 dimensions
Evaluate your organization in each area to find governance gaps before working with a consulting partner. This will help you share your results with potential vendors.
By doing this, vendors can customize their proposals based on your actual maturity level instead of relying on assumptions.
| Governance Area | Beginner (1-2) | Intermediate (3-4) | Advanced (5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Quality & Lineage | No documentation | Partial lineage maps | Automated lineage tracking, data quality scores |
| Access Controls | Shared credentials | Role-based access | Zero-trust, MFA, JIT access, audit trails |
| Compliance Monitoring | Manual audits | Scheduled reports | Real-time compliance dashboards, automated alerts |
| Change Management | No formal process | Approval workflows | CI/CD with automated testing and rollback |
| Incident Response | Ad-hoc firefighting | Documented playbooks | Automated detection, response, and post-mortem reviews |
| AI/ML Governance | No AI policy | Usage guidelines exist | Model registry, bias testing, explainability framework |
Comparison framework for partner selection
Choosing the right partner involves three important factors: your project scope, compliance requirements, and budget. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. This framework helps you find the best partner for your specific needs.
| Factor | Boutique Specialist (e.g., EPC Group) | Global Systems Integrator |
|---|---|---|
| Team Seniority | Senior consultants on every engagement | Mixed; juniors often staff delivery |
| Microsoft Depth | Deep specialization, certified team | Broad but may lack depth in specific areas |
| Rate Structure | 30-50% lower blended rates | Premium rates, offshore leverage model |
| Decision Speed | Direct access to leadership | Multiple approval layers |
| Compliance Expertise | Industry-specific, hands-on | Framework-level, compliance team separate |
| Scale Capacity | Right-sized for focused enterprise projects | Can staff 100+ person teams |
| Accountability | CEO-level ownership of outcomes | Account manager interface |
| Best Fit | Microsoft-specific projects, regulated industries | Multi-vendor programs, global rollouts |
Verified reviews from enterprise clients across healthcare, finance, government, and education.
Verified enterprise client reviews
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Common questions about EPC Group's credentials, compliance, and engagement model.
EPC Group holds Microsoft Solutions Partner designations across all six solution areas: Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation, Infrastructure, Modern Work, Security, and Business Applications. Our founder Errin O'Connor is the author of four books — three published by Microsoft Press and one by Sams (Pearson).
EPC Group implements HIPAA compliance through a multi-layered approach: (1) Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) executed before any PHI access, (2) encryption at rest and in transit for all protected health information, (3) role-based access controls with least-privilege principles, (4) comprehensive audit logging of all data access, (5) annual HIPAA security risk assessments, (6) staff training with documented completion records, and (7) incident response procedures with breach notification protocols aligned to the HITECH Act 60-day notification requirement.
Evaluate firms across 10 criteria: (1) Microsoft partnership tier and active designations, (2) industry-specific compliance experience (HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP), (3) team certifications and tenure, (4) reference customers in your industry, (5) project methodology and QA processes, (6) SLA commitments with breach remedies, (7) IP ownership and data handling policies, (8) scalability of the team for your project size, (9) thought leadership and published expertise, (10) total cost of ownership including post-go-live support. Require a 2-week proof of concept before committing to a full engagement.
EPC Group follows a Delivery Excellence Playbook that includes: 2-week sprint cycles with client demos, weekly project health checks reviewed by senior leadership, mandatory code reviews and architecture reviews at every milestone, automated testing with 80%+ coverage requirements, UAT sign-off gates before production deployment, post-go-live hypercare periods (typically 4 weeks), and monthly client satisfaction surveys.
Boutique firms like EPC Group offer senior-level consultants on every engagement (no bench-staffing with juniors), faster decision-making, and deeper Microsoft specialization. GSIs (Accenture, Deloitte, Infosys) offer broader geographic reach, larger team scaling, and brand recognition with procurement departments. For Microsoft-specific projects, a boutique specialist staffs the engagement with certified Microsoft practitioners rather than generalists reassigned from another technology stack.
Schedule a 30-minute discovery call with a senior architect. There will be no sales pitch. Please bring your requirements, your RFP checklist, and your toughest questions.
We will demonstrate how we would approach your project.
Tell us about your project requirements and compliance needs. A senior architect will respond within 4 business hours.
Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 7 PM CT
We respond to all inquiries within one business day
EPC Group has a history in Microsoft consulting that reaches back to 1997. This experience is crucial because today's Microsoft platform choices build on 25 years of architectural decisions. For example:
Microsoft Solutions Partner status includes six designations: Data & AI, Modern Work, Infrastructure, Security, Digital & App Innovation, and Business Applications. This status replaced the Microsoft Gold Partner program in 2022.
EPC Group held Microsoft Gold Partner status from 2000 until Microsoft retired the program in 2022. We now hold the core Solutions Partner designations.
Microsoft field teams use the designation as a vetting tool for:
See related EPC Group services at /services or schedule a discovery call at /contact.
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