Cloud, DevSecOps, and compliance support that helps your team stay in control.

About Pilotcore

Cloud, DevSecOps, and compliance support that helps your team stay in control.

Many teams bring us in when they need stronger security and compliance practices and still want their engineers to own the outcome. We implement with your team and document the work so handoff is clear.

View Pilot Projects
  • CISSP
  • CMMC CCP
  • AWS Solutions Architect Pro
  • Ottawa-based
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Who we help

Organisations We Work Best With.

The three team shapes where our approach delivers the most. If you see yourself here, a discovery call is worth the half-hour.

i. Growth-stage

Startups

Scaling fast, with enterprise deals waiting on compliance.

You're scaling fast. Your Series B depends on SOC 2. Enterprise deals require compliance you haven't tackled. Your engineering team is firefighting infrastructure instead of shipping features. You need security architecture that keeps pace without slowing you down.

We help you get audit-ready so you can close enterprise deals with confidence.

ii. Regulated

Regulated businesses

Healthcare, fintech, and defence contractors who cannot fail an audit.

Your customers require HIPAA, CMMC, or CPCSC. Audit failures mean lost contracts. You need compliance expertise that understands both the technical controls and the regulatory frameworks.

We help you prepare for audits and build repeatable compliance operations.

iii. Engineering-led

Engineering-led teams

Teams that value technical depth over sales pitches.

You value technical depth over sales pitches. You want implementations your team can maintain and extend, not vendor lock-in to consultants. You prefer working with architects who can code, not theorists who can't.

We help you build internal capability so your team owns the infrastructure long-term.

Founder Spotlight

Nelson Ford, founder and lead strategist.

Secret-cleared, CISSP and CMMC CCP-certified technology leader with 25 years across defence, healthcare, financial services, and enterprise software.

Nelson Ford, Founder and Lead Strategist of Pilotcore

Nelson Ford

Founder & Lead Strategist

Nelson specialises in cloud architecture, security and compliance (CMMC, NIST 800-171/172, SOC 2, PCI, HIPAA), DevSecOps, and technical due diligence. He brings 25 years of hands-on practice across regulated industries and works directly with engineering teams from kickoff to handoff.

Credentials

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Professional
  • AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Professional
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
  • CMMC Certified Professional (CCP)
  • Multi-Cloud Certified Architect
  • Strategic IT Development Expert

What sets us apart

What Actually Makes Us Different.

Most consulting firms say similar things. Here is what we actually do differently, and who we are not right for.

i. What we do What we do

How we actually work alongside your team.

  • Implement alongside your team.

    We configure your pipelines, write your security policies, and implement controls while documenting everything and training your engineers. Learning by doing, not by reading reports.

  • Complete knowledge transfer.

    Runbooks, architecture decision records, team training sessions, and 30-day post-handoff support. When we leave, your team understands and can maintain everything we built.

  • Right-size for your stage.

    We build for where you are now with foundations that scale. No over-engineering for problems you don't have. No shortcuts that create technical debt you'll pay for later.

ii. Who we're not for Who we are not right for

When another firm is the better fit.

  • Purely price-driven buyers.

    If you're optimising solely for the lowest hourly rate, offshore teams will beat our pricing. We are not the cheapest option. We are the option that builds your team's capabilities.

  • Companies wanting quick patches.

    If you need someone to "just make it work" without proper architecture or documentation, we are not the right fit. We build systems designed to be maintained and extended.

  • Organisations preferring dependency.

    Some companies prefer keeping consultants around indefinitely. If you want a permanent external team rather than building internal capability, other firms will happily extend engagements forever.

Our Proven Approach

Four steps we adapt to your context.

Most engagements follow a four-step process. Here is what working with us looks like.

  1. Step 1

    Assess and scope.

    We review your current infrastructure, security posture, and compliance gaps. You get a clear picture of where you stand and what needs to change.

  2. Step 2

    Implement together.

    We build alongside your team, configuring pipelines, writing policies, implementing controls. Your engineers learn the system as it's built.

  3. Step 3

    Train and document.

    Runbooks, architecture decision records, and hands-on training sessions so your team can operate and extend everything independently.

  4. Step 4

    Handoff and support.

    Your team takes the reins with full ownership. We provide post-handoff support and remain available for strategic guidance as your needs evolve.

Ongoing support

We Stay if You Need Us.

Your team owns everything we build. When the engagement ends, your team has the documentation and context needed to run independently in most day-to-day scenarios, with optional follow-on support if useful.

i. After go-live

Post-implementation support

Flexible follow-on support after deployment.

After deployment, we offer flexible support arrangements, from occasional strategic guidance to hands-on operational assistance, so you can scale our involvement up or down as your team grows.

ii. Strategic guidance

Strategic technology guidance

CTO-level guidance without the full-time hire.

As your business evolves, we continue to provide CTO-level guidance on technology decisions, security strategies, and compliance requirements without the overhead of a full-time executive hire.

iii. Your timeline

Your choice, your timeline

Phased engagements you can pause at any milestone.

Engagements are scoped in phases with clear milestones. You decide whether to continue based on results, not because you're locked into a contract.

Results

What Our Clients Say.

Real outcomes from teams we've worked alongside.

HONK Logo

Fintech / Payments

Outcome

Infrastructure codified with IaC, DevOps pipelines automated, team enabled to extend and maintain independently.

“The cloud migration was a success and did not impact production operations. Infrastructure is now managed via code, and the internal development team was empowered to extend and add to the code base.”

Tony La, CTO, HONK Technologies

Read the case study
Collage Logo

Technology / SaaS

Outcome

Delivery included automated infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and migration support to reduce operational risk.

“The project was delivered on time, and the agreed-upon scope was implemented fully. Our app was 100% functional in the new infrastructure.”

Gregory Sparrow, Lead Software Engineering, Collage HR

Read the case study

Next step

Ready to Discuss Your Technical Challenges?

30-minute technical discussion to understand your current situation and whether we're a good fit. We'll be direct about what we can help with, and honest if we're not the right choice. No pressure to commit.

Start with a pilot project

You're free to explore other options or wait. We'd rather you be certain about fit than rush into an engagement that isn't right for either of us.