Trust & Assurance
Enterprise Credentials, Compliance Posture & Decision Toolkit for Buyers
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).
Key Facts
- 29 years of Microsoft enterprise consulting; 6,500+ SharePoint and 1,500+ Power BI deployments.
- Compliance-native delivery across HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, FINRA, CMMC, and GxP environments.
- Microsoft Solutions Partner with experience across all six current designations.
- Senior architect named on every engagement Statement of Work.
- Engagement Operating Model: published seven-phase Microsoft project management methodology.
- Free initial consultation; fixed-fee scoped Statements of Work.
Why Trust Matters in Microsoft Consulting
EPC Group is a Microsoft Solutions Partner with 29 years of enterprise consulting experience, 6,500+ completed implementations, and a founding CEO who is a 4x Microsoft Press bestselling author. When you entrust your organization's data, infrastructure, and AI initiatives to a consulting partner, credentials are not optional — they are the foundation of every successful engagement.
Enterprise technology decisions carry significant risk. A misconfigured SharePoint migration can expose sensitive data. A poorly governed Power BI deployment can produce misleading analytics that drive bad business decisions. An AI implementation without proper guardrails can create compliance violations that trigger regulatory action. The consulting firm you select becomes a steward of your most critical assets: your data, your intellectual property, and your organization's reputation.
This page provides full transparency into EPC Group's credentials, compliance posture, quality assurance processes, and service level commitments. We also provide a Decision Toolkit — including RFP evaluation checklists, proof-of-concept scope templates, and governance scorecards — so you can evaluate any Microsoft consulting firm (including us) with confidence. We believe that informed buyers make better partners, and better partnerships deliver better outcomes.
Certifications & Partnerships
Verified credentials that demonstrate ongoing investment in expertise, not just historical experience.
Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations
Microsoft Solutions Partner designations replaced the legacy Gold/Silver competency model in 2022. Each designation requires demonstrated customer success, certified individuals, and sustained performance metrics. EPC Group has maintained partner status continuously since 2003.
G2 Leader 2026
IT Consulting, Microsoft Services
Clutch Top Company
IT Services, B2B Leaders
4x Microsoft Press Author
Power BI, SharePoint, Azure, Migrations
Team Certification Summary
Compliance & Security Posture
How EPC Group protects client data and maintains compliance across regulated industries.
| Certification / Framework | Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type II | Security, Availability, Confidentiality | Compliant |
| HIPAA / HITECH | Protected Health Information handling | Compliant |
| FedRAMP | Federal cloud security (via Azure Gov) | Authorized |
| ISO 27001 | Information security management | Aligned |
| GDPR | EU data protection and privacy | Compliant |
| CMMC Level 2 | Defense contractor cybersecurity | Aligned |
How We Handle Client Data
- All client data encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3)
- No client data stored on EPC devices — all work performed in client-owned environments
- Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) executed for healthcare engagements
- Annual penetration testing and vulnerability assessments
- Background checks required for all consultants
- Data retention policies aligned to client requirements and regulatory mandates
Security Controls in Every Engagement
- Multi-factor authentication enforced for all team members
- Privileged access management with just-in-time (JIT) elevation
- Comprehensive audit logging of all administrative actions
- Incident response plan with 1-hour notification SLA for security events
- Quarterly security awareness training for all consultants
- Secure development lifecycle (SDL) practices for custom code
Service Level Agreements
Clear commitments with measurable response times, resolution targets, and financial remedies for SLA breaches.
P1 - Critical
Production system down, data loss risk, security breach
P2 - Major
Major feature unavailable, significant performance degradation
P3 - Moderate
Non-critical feature impacted, workaround available
P4 - Low
Enhancement request, cosmetic issue, documentation update
Uptime Guarantee
99.9% uptime for managed services. Calculated monthly excluding planned maintenance windows communicated 72 hours in advance.
Escalation Path
3-tier escalation: Lead Consultant (immediate) → Practice Director (30 min) → CEO / Errin O'Connor (1 hour). Direct CEO access for P1 issues.
Breach Remedies
5% service credit per SLA breach, up to 25% of monthly fees. Consecutive P1 breaches trigger executive review and remediation plan within 48 hours.
Quality Assurance Process
Our Delivery Excellence Playbook ensures consistent, high-quality outcomes across every engagement.
Sprint Cadence
2-week sprint cycles with client demos at the end of every sprint. No surprises — you see progress every 10 business days.
Weekly Health Checks
Project health reports reviewed by senior leadership every week. Budget burn, velocity, risk register, and blocker resolution tracked continuously.
Architecture Reviews
Mandatory architecture review at every milestone gate. Senior architects validate security, scalability, and compliance before proceeding.
Automated Testing
80%+ code coverage required on all custom development. Integration tests, performance tests, and security scans run in every CI/CD pipeline.
UAT & Sign-Off Gates
Formal User Acceptance Testing with documented sign-off required before any production deployment. No shortcuts to go-live.
Post-Go-Live Hypercare
4-week hypercare period after every production deployment. Dedicated team monitors performance, resolves issues, and optimizes configurations.
Client Satisfaction Metrics
Decision Toolkit for Enterprise Buyers
Practical tools to evaluate Microsoft consulting partners objectively. Use these frameworks whether you choose EPC Group or another firm — informed buyers make better decisions.
RFP Evaluation Checklist
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. |
Proof of Concept (PoC) Scope Template
What a 2-week proof of concept should include
Before committing to engagements over $100K, require a bounded 2-week proof of concept. This template defines what a meaningful PoC should deliver — not a canned demo, but production-grade validation of the vendor's capabilities against your specific requirements.
Analytics Governance Maturity Scorecard
Assess your current governance maturity across 6 dimensions
Rate your organization in each area to identify governance gaps before engaging a consulting partner. Share results with prospective vendors so they can tailor their proposals to your actual maturity level rather than making 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 |
Boutique Specialist vs. Global Systems Integrator
Comparison framework for partner selection
The right partner type depends on your project scope, compliance requirements, and budget. Neither model is universally superior — this framework helps you match the right partner to your specific situation.
| 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 projects under $5M | 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 |
Client Reviews & Testimonials
Verified reviews from enterprise clients across healthcare, finance, government, and education.
Clutch Reviews
Verified enterprise client reviews
View ReviewsG2 Reviews
Leader in IT Consulting, 2026
View ReviewsGoogle Business
Google Business Profile reviews
View Reviews“EPC Group transformed our Power BI environment from an ungoverned mess into a secure, scalable analytics platform. Their HIPAA expertise meant we never had to compromise between compliance and usability.”
“We evaluated three GSIs and two boutique firms. EPC was the only firm that put senior architects on our project from day one. The difference in quality and speed was dramatic.”
“The governance scorecard EPC provided during our evaluation process was more valuable than some vendors' entire proposals. It showed they understood our maturity level before we even signed a contract.”
“What impressed us most was the post-go-live support. Four weeks of hypercare, weekly check-ins, and proactive performance tuning. Most consultants disappear after deployment.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about EPC Group's credentials, compliance, and engagement model.
1What Microsoft partner certifications does EPC Group hold?
EPC Group holds Microsoft Solutions Partner designations for Data & AI (Azure), Digital & App Innovation (Azure), Infrastructure (Azure), Modern Work, and Security. We have maintained Microsoft Gold/Solutions Partner status continuously since 2003. Our founder Errin O'Connor is a 4x Microsoft Press bestselling author, and our team collectively holds 85+ active Microsoft certifications across Azure, Power Platform, Microsoft 365, and Security.
2How does EPC Group handle HIPAA compliance in consulting engagements?
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.
3What are EPC Group's SLA response times for critical issues?
EPC Group offers four priority tiers: P1 (Critical/System Down) with a 15-minute response and 4-hour resolution target, P2 (Major Impact) with a 1-hour response and 8-hour resolution target, P3 (Moderate Impact) with a 4-hour response and 24-hour resolution target, and P4 (Low Impact/Enhancement) with an 8-hour response and 5-business-day resolution target. All P1 and P2 issues include direct access to a senior architect. SLA breach remedies include service credits and escalation to the CEO.
4How should we evaluate Microsoft consulting firms for enterprise projects?
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 full engagements over $100K.
5What quality assurance processes does EPC Group follow?
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. Our client satisfaction rating is 4.9 out of 5.0 across 6,500+ completed engagements, with a Net Promoter Score of 72.
6What is the difference between boutique Microsoft consultancies and Global Systems Integrators?
Boutique firms like EPC Group offer senior-level consultants on every engagement (no bench-staffing with juniors), faster decision-making, deeper Microsoft specialization, and typically 30-50% lower rates than GSIs. GSIs (Accenture, Deloitte, Infosys) offer broader geographic reach, larger team scaling, and brand recognition with procurement departments. For Microsoft-specific projects under $5M, boutique specialists consistently deliver better outcomes because every team member is a certified Microsoft expert rather than a generalist reassigned from another technology stack.
Ready to Evaluate EPC Group for Your Next Project?
Schedule a 30-minute discovery call with a senior architect. No sales pitch — bring your requirements, your RFP checklist, and your toughest questions. We will show you exactly how we would approach your project.
Start Your Evaluation
Tell us about your project requirements and compliance needs. A senior architect will respond within 4 business hours.
Phone
(888) 381-9725Business Hours
Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 7 PM CT
Quick Response Guarantee
We respond to all inquiries within one business day
Microsoft Strategy: 2026 Considerations for Trust And Assurance
EPC Group 29-year Microsoft consulting heritage matters specifically because Microsoft platform decisions today are layered on top of 25 years of architectural choices: Active Directory schema decisions from 2005 affect Microsoft Entra ID Conditional Access policy design in 2026; SharePoint 2003 information architecture decisions affect Copilot grounding quality in 2026. The firms that can navigate that depth (fewer than a dozen Microsoft Solutions Partners in North America) have a structural advantage on enterprise Microsoft migrations.
Microsoft Solutions Partner status (six designations: Data & AI, Modern Work, Infrastructure, Security, Digital & App Innovation, Business Applications) replaced the legacy Microsoft Gold Partner program in 2022. EPC Group held Gold Partner status from 2003 to 2022 (the oldest continuous Gold Partner in North America) and currently holds all six Solutions Partner designations; a credentialing footprint shared by fewer than 50 firms globally and typically used by Microsoft field teams as a vetting gate for enterprise Customer 0 nominations and named-account engagements.
Decision factors EPC Group evaluates
- Microsoft platform capability assessment
- Vendor consolidation analysis
- Compliance and governance posture review
- Enterprise architecture roadmap
- Cost optimization and licensing audit
See related EPC Group services at /services or schedule a discovery call at /contact.
Enterprise Trust and Assurance from EPC Group
EPC Group delivers Trust and Assurance as a core practice within the Microsoft consulting portfolio. Engagements are led by senior architects with hands-on Fortune 500 delivery experience and a bench of hundreds of Microsoft-certified consultants spanning SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Power BI, Azure, Microsoft Copilot, and Microsoft Purview.
Every Trust and Assurance engagement is engineered for the regulatory and operational environment it serves. Healthcare deployments carry HIPAA controls from day one; financial services deployments meet SOC 2 and FINRA retention requirements; government deployments map to FedRAMP and CMMC controls with audit-ready evidence.
Manufacturing and energy
For multi-plant manufacturers and energy operators, EPC Group integrates Microsoft 365 with operational technology, protects intellectual property through Purview labels and Endpoint DLP, and provisions frontline workers with F1 and F3 licensing patterns. Multi-region rollouts include data residency planning and offline-capable Power Platform apps for shop-floor environments.
How EPC Group engages
Six-phase methodology applied to every engagement, compressed for fixed-fee accelerators and extended for full programs.
- Discovery — two-week assessment of the current estate, gap analysis, risk register, target architecture, costed remediation roadmap.
- Design — senior architect produces the target topology, identity framework, Conditional Access, Purview, governance model, and security posture, reviewed by client leads.
- Pilot — 25 to 100 user pilot in a real business unit. Migrate, apply baselines, test integrations, capture feedback.
- Wave rollout — migrate in waves of 500 to 2,500 users with communications, training, hypercare, and a per-wave retrospective.
- Adoption — role-based training, Champions network, executive sponsor enablement, metrics tracked against a measured baseline.
- Operate — optional managed-services retainer for license optimization, governance reviews, security monitoring, and quarterly business reviews.
Microsoft-only since 1997
29 years of Microsoft-exclusive consulting. Microsoft Solutions Partner with core designations across Modern Work, Security, and Data & AI.
EPC Group was the oldest continuous Microsoft Gold Partner in North America from 2016 until program retirement in 2022. Errin O'Connor authored four Microsoft Press bestsellers covering Power BI, SharePoint, Azure, and large-scale migrations.
Financial services
For banks, asset managers, and broker-dealers, EPC Group engineers SOC 2 audit trails, FINRA Rule 4511 and SEC 17a-4 retention, MNPI containment, and Communication Compliance for trading floors. Microsoft Purview Audit Premium with seven-year tamper-evident retention is the standard baseline; Defender for Cloud Apps detects shadow-AI exfiltration before it reaches a compliance event.
Engagement models
Three engagement models cover most enterprise needs. Most clients start with a fixed-fee accelerator and grow into a full program or a managed-services retainer.
- Fixed-fee accelerators — Copilot Readiness, Security Hardening, Tenant Health Check, SharePoint Migration, Teams Governance. Defined scope and price. Typical range $25,000 to $150,000 over four to twelve weeks.
- Project engagements — full migration or governance program with milestone-based billing. Discovery through hypercare. Typical range $150,000 to $750,000-plus over three to nine months.
- Managed services — tiered retainer for ongoing operations. Named senior architect on the account. From $3,500 per month with a twelve-month minimum.
Senior-architect-led delivery
Every engagement is led and staffed by 15 to 20 year veterans. No rotating juniors learning on your tenant. The bench includes hundreds of Microsoft-certified consultants who have shipped real production environments for Fortune 500 customers across SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Power BI, Azure, and Microsoft Copilot.
Talk to a senior architect
30-minute discovery call. No pitch deck. Call (888) 381-9725 or schedule a discovery call and a senior architect responds within one business day.