The IT expertise your business needs, without the overhead
Most small businesses don't need a full-time IT hire. They need someone with the right experience showing up when it matters, asking the right questions, and keeping technology from becoming a liability.
© 2026 Rainier IT Consulting
ryan@rainieritconsulting.comAreas of focus
Every business is in a different place with technology. Here's a breakdown of the areas covered and what that looks like in practice.
Technology planning
Most small businesses make technology decisions on the fly. Something breaks, something gets added, costs climb, and nobody has a clear picture of where things stand. Over time that adds up to wasted money and systems that don't work well together.
We step back, look at what you have, identify what's working and what isn't, and put together a practical plan that matches where your business is headed.
- Assessment of your current technology setup
- Identification of gaps, risks, and quick wins
- A clear 12-24 month plan with priorities
- Ongoing reviews as your business changes
Vendor and software oversight
Subscriptions auto-renew. Contracts get signed without much scrutiny. Tools pile up that nobody uses anymore. It's one of the most common ways small businesses quietly lose money on technology.
We audit what you're paying for, identify what's actually being used, and work through your vendor relationships to make sure you're getting fair value.
- Review of all active software and vendor contracts
- Identification of unused or redundant tools
- Support through renewals and negotiations
- Ongoing oversight so nothing slips through the cracks
Security and risk
Small businesses are targeted more often than most people realize, and the damage from a single incident, whether it's a data breach, ransomware, or a simple phishing email, can be serious. The good news is that most of the risk comes from straightforward things that are fixable.
We take a plain-language look at where your business is exposed, prioritize what to address first, and put practical measures in place without disrupting how you operate.
- Review of your current security practices
- Clear summary of your risk exposure
- Prioritized action plan
- Review of backups and recovery processes
IT budget and spending
Without someone keeping an eye on IT costs, spending tends to grow without anyone noticing. No plan for upcoming purchases, no visibility into what's being spent or why, and no way to make a case for investment when it's needed.
We bring structure to your technology spending so you know where every dollar is going, what's coming up, and how to make smarter decisions about what to invest in next.
- Full review of current IT spending
- Identification of waste and savings opportunities
- Annual budget planning support
- Ongoing spend tracking and reporting
Cloud and infrastructure guidance
Moving to the cloud, switching providers, or figuring out why your technology costs keep climbing are decisions that are easy to get wrong and expensive to undo. These choices deserve careful consideration before you commit.
With extensive experience managing cloud environments across major platforms, the focus is on helping you think through the options, understand the tradeoffs, and make decisions that actually fit your business.
- Assessment of your current setup and readiness
- Evaluation of options and providers
- Planning and oversight for major transitions
- Review of cloud costs and where to optimize
People and team support
As businesses grow, IT responsibilities often land on whoever happens to be available rather than whoever is best positioned to handle them. That leads to burnout, gaps in coverage, and decisions being made without the right experience behind them.
We help you figure out the right structure for your IT function, support the people already in those roles, and make better hiring decisions when the time comes.
- Review of how IT responsibilities are currently structured
- Support and direction for existing IT staff
- Guidance on hiring and role definition
- Review of onboarding and offboarding processes
MSP and support vendor review
Many small businesses pay a monthly fee to an IT support company and assume they're covered. In reality, contracts often have gaps in coverage, services that aren't being used, or pricing that made sense at signing but hasn't been revisited since.
This is a clear-eyed review of your current MSP relationship, what you're paying, what you're actually getting, and whether the arrangement still makes sense for where your business is today.
- Review of your current MSP contract and scope
- Assessment of coverage gaps and service quality
- Benchmarking of pricing against market rates
- Recommendations on renegotiation or alternatives
- Support through any vendor transition if needed
Every engagement is scoped around what actually makes sense for your business. Three options are available depending on what you need and how you prefer to work.
Hourly
Good for a specific question, a quick review, or a second opinion before a major decision.
- No ongoing commitment
- Pay only for time used
- A natural starting point for new clients
Monthly retainer
Consistent oversight on an ongoing basis. Predictable cost, predictable access, and a relationship that builds over time.
- Agreed hours per month
- Regular check-ins and updates
- Priority availability
- Adjusts as your needs change
Project-based
Defined scope, defined price. Best for specific projects with a clear beginning and end.
- Clear deliverables from the start
- No open-ended billing
- Fixed timeline and scope
At its core, it's about having someone experienced in your corner who can help you make better decisions about technology. That means looking at what you're spending, what you're using, where you're exposed, and where you're headed, and helping you put a plan together that actually makes sense for your business.
Most small business owners didn't get into business to manage technology. The goal is to take that weight off your plate and make sure the decisions being made are the right ones.
IT support companies handle the day-to-day hands-on work, fixing computers, managing your network, and responding when something breaks. That's not what Rainier IT Consulting does.
The focus here is on strategy and decisions. If you already have an IT support company or someone handling the day-to-day, that relationship stays in place. We work alongside them at a higher level.
It starts with a short conversation, typically around 30 minutes, to understand your business, your current situation, and what you're trying to solve. There's no charge for that call.
From there, if it makes sense to move forward, a simple proposal gets put together outlining the scope, engagement model, and cost. Most engagements start with an initial assessment so both sides have a clear picture before any recommendations are made.
Typically small to mid-sized businesses in the 10 to 100 employee range. These are businesses with real technology needs, real vendors, and real decisions to make, but not the size or budget to justify a full-time IT hire.
Rainier IT Consulting is based in the South Sound area and primarily works with businesses across Pierce and South King counties, with remote engagements available as well.
No. The work here is consulting and strategy, not hands-on technical support. That means no configuring systems, no fixing computers, and no helpdesk. If hands-on support is needed, the right vendors or providers to handle it can be identified and evaluated.
Yes, and that's a common path. Many engagements start with a specific project like a technology review or vendor audit, and grow into an ongoing relationship once there's a sense of the value. There's no pressure to commit to more than what makes sense at the start.
Have a question about a specific situation? The first conversation is free.
The person behind the work
Over 25 years working in IT across a range of industries, environments, and challenges.
Rainier IT Consulting was built on 25+ years of hands-on experience managing technology across manufacturing, logistics, and hospitality organizations, ranging from regional operations to global enterprises with teams across multiple countries.
That experience covers a lot of ground: moving businesses to the cloud without disrupting operations, bringing structure to IT budgets that had grown without oversight, improving security practices at organizations that didn't know where to start, and helping leadership teams make better decisions about technology investments.
The common thread in all of it is that most technology problems aren't really technology problems. They're planning problems, communication problems, or resource problems. Getting to the right answer usually means understanding the business first.
Rainier IT Consulting serves small and mid-sized businesses across Pierce and South King counties. Remote engagements are available as well.
- Budget and vendor managementManaged multimillion-dollar IT budgets across multiple organizations, consistently keeping spend on target while finding ways to do more with less.
- Security and risk reductionDesigned and implemented security programs that reduced incidents by up to 70%, with a focus on practical measures that fit how small and mid-sized businesses actually operate.
- Reliability and continuityBuilt disaster recovery programs that achieved 99.99% uptime and cut unplanned downtime by 40%, ensuring businesses could keep running when things went wrong.
- Cloud and infrastructure transitionsManaged full cloud migrations across major platforms with no operational disruption, supporting businesses through significant technology transitions while keeping day-to-day operations running.
- Team building and leadershipBuilt and led IT teams of up to 12 people across infrastructure, security, and support functions, with a focus on developing people and building teams that last.
Questions about a specific situation? Let's talk through it.
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