Professional / Advisory Services

Managed & Professional Services / Guide Your Strategy

Professional / Advisory Services

Project-based consulting and advisory — strategy, assessments, virtual CISO, design work, special projects. Distinct from ongoing managed services: PS engagements have a defined scope, deliverable, and end date.

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28
providers vetted

vCISO
and vCIO options available

3–4
shortlist candidates

$0
cost for our guidance

When should you be evaluating Professional / Advisory Services?

Rubber Duck has worked extensively with our Professional / Advisory Services providers to understand where they have seen the most success and the biggest ROI for clients adopting the solution. Here is what the data reflects.

  • You’re evaluating a major technology change and want outside expertise to inform the decision
  • You need a virtual CISO or CIO to provide leadership without a full-time hire
  • You’re conducting a security, network, or cloud assessment to identify gaps and priorities
  • You’re tackling a one-time project (M&A integration, office move, compliance audit prep) requiring expertise you don’t have on staff
  • You want vendor-neutral advisory before committing to a specific platform or vendor

Providers delivering advisory services

Every provider below has been vetted for practitioner depth, vendor neutrality, and post-sale accountability. Want the three best fits for your project? That’s one conversation.

Browse the full directory → · Or get matched in 10 minutes →

Products & platforms

Deep-dives on the specific platforms our partners deliver in this category.

Product deep-dives for this category are on their way. In the meantime, we keep current datasheets and comparison matrices on file — ask an advisor.

Proof in the field

Shortlist the right advisory partner in one conversation

28 vetted options, three that fit you, zero cost for the guidance. Bring your questions.

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The Process

How your Professional / Advisory Services engagement runs

The same disciplined path every time — so you always know what happens next and who is accountable for it.

1

Day 1

Assess

We map your environment, contracts, and goals. No pitch — an honest read on where you stand and what it should cost.

2

Week 1

Shortlist

You get 3–4 fits from 475 vetted providers, with the reasoning attached — capabilities, pricing leverage, trade-offs.

3

Weeks 2–3

Evaluate

We run the demos, reference checks, and side-by-side pricing benchmarks so your team doesn't have to.

4

Weeks 3–4

Negotiate

Terms, SLAs, and pricing negotiated with portfolio-level leverage — anchored to real market rates, not list price.

5

Ongoing

Manage

We oversee implementation and stay your escalation point for the life of the service, through every renewal.

Typical timeline for mid-market engagements. Complex builds — colocation, dark fiber, custom AI deployments — carry longer evaluation and delivery windows, and we set that expectation on day one.

The Economics

Why source Professional / Advisory Services through Rubber Duck

No retainers, no hourly billing, no markup on your contract. Here is how that works:

Same or better pricing

Your contract is signed directly with the provider at rates we benchmark against comparable deals — you pay the same or less than going direct.

$0 advisory fee

Providers fund our advisory through their partner programs, and every provider compensates us the same way — so recommendations are based on fit, never commission.

One escalation point

After go-live we stay accountable: implementation oversight, billing disputes, outage escalations, and renewal strategy all route through your advisor.

Common Questions

What buyers ask before their first call

Does the guidance really cost nothing?

Yes. Our advisory is supplier-funded: providers pay us through the same partner programs they fund for all technology advisors, and every provider compensates us the same way. You pay the provider directly, at rates we benchmark — the same or less than going direct.

How are you different from a reseller or an MSP?

We don't carry inventory, quotas, or a house brand to protect. A reseller earns more when you buy what they stock; we earn the same regardless of which vetted provider you choose — so the recommendation is driven by fit. Where a managed service is the right answer, we source and oversee it rather than sell you our own.

Do we keep a direct relationship with the provider?

Yes. Your contract, billing, and SLAs sit directly with the provider you select. We sit on your side of that relationship — running the evaluation and negotiation up front, then acting as your escalation point after go-live.

What if we're already under contract?

That's the most common starting point. We benchmark your current rates now, flag billing errors worth disputing immediately, and build the renegotiation plan around your renewal window — including co-terming services so future decisions happen on your schedule, not the vendors'.

How fast do we get to a shortlist?

For most categories you'll have a reasoned shortlist of three or four providers within a week of the first assessment call. Complex infrastructure — colocation, dark fiber, large contact-center builds — takes longer, and we tell you that up front.