The Modernization Partnership
Five practices.
One partnership.
Most companies treat IT, security, AI, compliance, and offensive testing as five separate vendors. We treat them as one operating picture. Each layer informs the next; the same senior team works across all of them.
The stack
Read top to bottom.
Each layer rests on the one below it.
AI sits on a clean MSP substrate or it sits on sand. Security operations succeed on a well-managed estate or fight it. Compliance is captured as evidence inside operations or grafted on at audit time. Offensive testing finds gaps that the defensive layer codifies into permanent detections.
Layer 06
MSP
Managed ITThe substrate.
Identity, endpoints, network, cloud, SaaS, backup, helpdesk. Run end-to-end by senior practitioners. The foundation everything else sits on.
- ·Identity + Access (Entra / Okta)
- ·Endpoint Management (Intune, Jamf, EDR)
- ·Network + ZTNA
- ·Cloud Infrastructure (AWS / Azure / GCP)
- ·SaaS Portfolio Management
- ·Backup + Disaster Recovery
- ·Helpdesk (senior, US-based)
- ·Vendor Consolidation
- ·M&A IT Integration
Layer 05
MSSP
Managed SecurityThe defense.
24/7 SOC, MDR across endpoint+cloud+identity+SaaS, detection engineering, threat hunting, IR retainer, vCISO. Senior on every alert. Containment authority pre-negotiated.
- ·24/7 SOC + Monitoring
- ·MDR (Endpoint, Cloud, Identity, SaaS)
- ·SIEM + Detection Engineering
- ·Threat Hunting (hypothesis-driven)
- ·Threat Intelligence
- ·Vulnerability Management
- ·Incident Response Retainer
- ·vCISO + Governance
- ·Compliance Evidence Collection
- ·Cyber Insurance Liaison
Layer 04
AI
AIThe new surface.
Two service lines: AI Product Development (we build AI products with you) and AI Security & Governance (we make sure they don't become the cautionary tale).
- ·AI Strategy + Roadmap
- ·AI Product Development (Discovery → Production)
- ·AI Threat Modeling
- ·AI Red Team
- ·AI Governance Program
- ·AI Inventory + Risk Register
- ·Runtime AI Security Monitoring
- ·LLM Operations + Observability
- ·AI Compliance Crosswalks (NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, EU AI Act)
Layer 03
GRC
ComplianceThe audit-ready posture.
HIPAA, SOC 2 Type 2, CMMC 2.0, NIST 800-171, ITAR, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, FedRAMP. Operationalized as evidence collected during work, not template kits at audit time.
- ·HIPAA Security Rule + NIST 800-66
- ·SOC 2 Type 2 (TSC scoping → audit)
- ·CMMC 2.0 (L1, L2, L3) + C3PAO coordination
- ·NIST 800-171 + DFARS
- ·ITAR (22 CFR §120-130)
- ·ISO 27001:2022
- ·ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management System)
- ·FedRAMP Moderate / High
- ·Continuous compliance via GRC tooling
Layer 02
OffSec
Offensive SecurityThe pressure test.
OSCP-led penetration testing, MITRE ATT&CK-aligned red team simulation, role-targeted phishing campaigns. Findings become detections in the MSSP layer.
- ·Penetration Testing (Web, Network, Cloud, API)
- ·Red Team / Adversary Simulation
- ·Purple Team (coordinated)
- ·Phishing Simulation Campaigns
- ·Security Awareness Program
Layer 01
Federal
Federal ModernizationThe cross-cutting practice.
The full stack delivered to federal, DIB, and SLED customers under FedRAMP, CMMC, ITAR, FAR/DFARS, FISMA, and OMB AI guidance. WOSB-positioned, GSA Schedule path active.
- ·FedRAMP Moderate / High Implementation
- ·CMMC 2.0 (L2/L3) + C3PAO coordination
- ·NIST 800-171 + DFARS 7012/7019/7020/7021
- ·ITAR + GCC High / GovCloud
- ·OMB M-25-21/M-25-22 AI guidance
- ·NIST AI 600-1 (GenAI profile)
- ·ATO support for AI systems
- ·GSA MAS Schedule (Cyber + IT SINs)
How the layers compose
Each layer is
stronger because of the others.
MSP feeds MSSP. The EDR is deployed by MSP and tuned by MSSP. The identity provider is run by MSP and monitored for threat by MSSP. Same telemetry, two layers of value.
MSSP feeds AI security. The same SOC monitoring your endpoints monitors your AI workloads. The same IR retainer that responds to ransomware responds to deepfake-driven wire fraud. Same playbook, AI-extended.
AI Product Development feeds AI Security. Threat models happen at design, not after release. Red team feedback loops back into product roadmap. The team that ships the AI is the team that breaks it during the red team.
Compliance is captured, not constructed. Evidence for SOC 2, HIPAA, CMMC, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, and FedRAMP collects automatically as the work happens. Audits are paperwork checks, not firefighting.
Offensive Security closes the loop. Quarterly pentests find what defensive operations missed. Findings become permanent detections. The MSSP layer learns from the OffSec layer.
Partial transformations
Already partway through? We pick up where you are.
Most companies don’t start modernization at zero. The MSP relationship is fine but the security posture is thin. The cloud migration is done but the identity provider isn’t. Compliance is in flight under another firm but the AI work hasn’t been scoped yet. We’re built for that.
Pick up the layers you need
Take MSSP + AI without disturbing your existing MSP. Take Compliance without touching the SOC. Each practice composes, but doesn't require the rest.
Inherit work-in-progress
We absorb existing tooling, evidence packages, vendor contracts, and partial implementations. The diagnostic maps what's there before we re-architect anything.
Coexist with incumbents
We've integrated alongside Big-4 GRC firms, in-house security teams, and external MSPs. Clear lanes, written escalation paths, no turf war.
Custom-scoped, fixed-fee
No annual minimum on partials. Diagnostic first ($25K-$60K, 3-6 weeks). Fixed-fee on the scoped intervention. Convert to full partnership only if both sides want it.
How custom scope works
- Discovery call — 30 minutes with Quinn. We map what’s already in place, what’s not, and where the real gap is.
- Scoped diagnostic — 3 to 6 weeks, fixed-fee. We assess only the layers in scope, document the integration surface with your existing vendors, and produce a custom statement of work.
- Targeted engagement — fixed-fee, milestone-based, with explicit boundaries where your existing team or other vendors retain ownership. No scope creep, no inherited blame.
- Optional expansion — if it’s working, we can fold the rest of the stack into the partnership at any point. If not, we hand off cleanly with documentation.
Pricing posture
One partnership. Stated openly.
Floor
$500K
per year
Typical
$1M-$3M
per year, multi-year
Quarterly cap
4-6
max new partnerships, to keep bench senior
Stated minimums on a public site is unusual. We do it on purpose: they filter cost-shoppers out before the first call so the conversations we have are with serious buyers. Engagements scale up from the $500K floor based on environment size, complexity, and the specific practice mix.
Scoped engagements
For partners not ready for the full annual.
Three named entry points that often lead to the partnership. Each is scoped, fixed-fee, with a clear deliverable.
Modernization Diagnostic
$50K-$150K
4-8 weeks
Audit of IT, security, and AI posture. Roadmap, gap report, prioritized investments.
AI Modernization Sprint
$250K
90 days
AI strategy, threat model, governance framework, one red team, eval suite stand-up, runtime guardrails, executive training.
Cybersecurity Modernization Sprint
$150K-$300K
90 days
Security program assessment, MDR stand-up, IR readiness, compliance gap close.
Partial Transformation (custom scope)
Custom
Scoped
For partners already mid-modernization. Pick up only the layers you need, coexist with incumbents, fixed-fee on the targeted intervention. Diagnostic-first ($25K-$60K) before SOW.
Who you’ll work with
Quinnlan Varcoe
CEO and Founder · OSCP · GIAC × 10 · 17 credentials across the practice
Five practice areas, one accountable principal. Senior-led across the entire partnership.
Every partnership begins with me. Not a sales rep, not an account executive, not a junior. The first call, the diagnostic, the strategy work — that’s mine.
See if the partnership fits.
Schedule a callTrusted by partners across the practice
Reviews
From the senior people
who’ve worked alongside Quinn.
The named companies beside each reviewer are their employers — not Varcoe partnerships. Each quote is a professional reference from someone who’s shipped work alongside Quinn directly.
“The partnership model isn't marketing language with Quinn — it's how she actually works. Senior judgment, single accountable contact, and the rigor to integrate across IT, security, and AI under one roof.”
Aaron Birnbaum
Managing Partner
“Quinnlan brings more than expertise — she brings strategic alignment. The ability to scale operations without sacrificing depth is exactly what serious organizations need from a modernization partner.”
Caroline Lombard
Threat Specialist
“I've worked with Quinnlan on incidents most teams couldn't navigate — Log4j among them. The technical depth and the calm under fire are real, and they're rare.”
Justin Cox
Senior AWS Security Analyst
“One of the most seamless collaborations I've had in this industry. Composure under pressure, technical precision, and the kind of credibility that compounds — exactly the senior bench a modernization partnership needs.”
Soufiane Jihadi
Senior Incident Response Consultant
Original references collected on the legacy Varcoe site · LinkedIn endorsements available on request