An independent view, on an ongoing basis
André Blanc, over 30 years where business strategy, technical execution and cybersecurity meet. I work as a Strategic Advisor: neither a one-off consultant nor a project manager.
A one-off consultant comes in once, for an audit and a report. The Strategic Advisor holds a steering committee every month, all year, and stays available in between.
One audit, one report, then nothing. Or a steering committee every month, with availability in between.
Independent
I sell no hardware, licences or integration days. My recommendations serve one interest only: the programme's success.
Five carriers and providers to coordinate, one of them in liquidation: decisions are made in the programme's interest, not a supplier's.
Honest broker
Between leadership, telecom carriers, vendors and technical teams, I resolve disagreements before they turn into delays.
Incidents on resident call systems: settling contractual scope between providers to get the service back.
Trusted third party
The one who reassures the end client, sets up governance and makes decisions hold over time.
An incumbent provider blocking the exit and a fixed deadline: governance set up from day one, with a communication plan, service levels and a criticality matrix, so the end client knows who decides and when.
Background
“Technology should enable, not constrain. Security should protect, not block.”
Infrastructure and large-scale rollouts
Led infrastructure projects, including some of Europe's largest Windows rollouts: over 20,000 endpoints for an international luxury group, global migrations.
Building a Cloud practice
At an IT services firm: created and scaled a Cloud practice, growing the team from 5 to 80 people, Microsoft Country Partner of the Year 2017.
Transforming an established model
At a second IT services firm: internal transformation of a model built on on-premise datacentres. Redefined the strategy towards cloud and cybersecurity, aligning the two, and led the change with teams attached to the existing model. Opened a first key account along the way.
Infrastructure, security and workplace leadership
Group Infrastructure, Security and Workplace Director (CISO) of an international group: 64 offices, 34 countries, 2,700 users, 500 of them on BYOD. Leading the group's ISO 27001 certification and contributing to its ISO 27701 certification.
Speaker at the Microsoft Switzerland Security Summit 2026 in Geneva, on governing AI agents.
Areas of work
Four areas, one programme: pick the one that matters to you.
Infrastructure and network
Foundations that hold during the migration: links, firewalls and multi-site access switched over without cutting service.
- Fibre and multi-site connectivity migrations
- Firewall renewal and migration
Modern workplace
Moving off legacy environments to Microsoft 365, with managed devices and collaboration that follows the teams.
- Moving from Citrix to Microsoft 365
- Intune strategy and device management
- SharePoint and collaboration
Cybersecurity
Security designed with the architecture, not bolted on afterwards: hardened endpoints, governed identities, continuous detection.
- Endpoint security and hardening
- SOC: scoping, provider selection, rollout
- Identity governance, including AI agents
Adoption and run
What makes a migration succeed after cutover: trained users, support in place, optimised costs and contracts.
- Training and change management
- Post-migration support and stabilisation
- Optimising costs, contracts and service levels
A reference programme
Private healthcare group: a programme to move to a 100% cloud architecture, on a timeline set by the incumbent provider's exit.
Programme under way since 20269 healthcare facilities and assisted-living residences
6 sites across France
12 programme phases
5 carriers and providers coordinated
1,000+ tracked tasks
- Fibre links migrated with no service interruption
- Goal: full cutover before the incumbent provider exits
Sensitive environment: resident call systems and service continuity under constant watch.
How I work
A monthly retainer, an on-site steering committee each month and remote availability in between for decisions. A risk and decision log every month; a roadmap review every quarter.
I work alongside IT service firms and integrators, supporting their teams and their clients to secure the programmes they deliver.
Let's talk about your programme
A first thirty-minute call is enough to tell whether I can help.