Your Strategic IT & Security Partner
Bastion Advisory was founded on a simple premise: small and mid-sized businesses deserve the same caliber of IT and cybersecurity leadership as the enterprise, without the enterprise overhead.
Protecting What You've Built
Most SMBs face a difficult reality: the threat landscape has never been more complex, yet the resources available to address it are limited. Enterprise-grade security teams, fractional CIOs, and dedicated compliance officers are out of reach for most growing businesses.
Bastion Advisory was built to close that gap. We bring executive-level technology and security expertise directly to business owners and leadership teams, translating complex IT and cybersecurity challenges into clear, actionable strategies that protect operations and support growth.
Whether you engage us on retainer for ongoing strategic leadership or bring us in for a specific project, the goal is the same: give your business the security posture and technology foundation it needs to operate with confidence.
Principles That Guide Our Work
Clarity Over Complexity
We translate technical risk into business language. Leadership should understand their security posture without needing an IT background.
Vendor-Neutral Guidance
We have no financial incentive to recommend any specific product or vendor. Our advice is driven by what's right for your business.
Accountability
We don't just deliver reports and walk away. We own outcomes alongside you, from strategy through implementation.
Practical Over Perfect
Security and IT programs that work in the real world matter more than theoretical frameworks. We build what your team can actually operate and sustain.
Built for the Way SMBs Actually Work
We work with business owners, operations leaders, and executive teams, not just IT staff. Our engagements are structured to fit your budget, timeline, and internal capacity.
Retainer clients get dedicated advisory hours each month, priority access during incidents, and a consistent strategic partner who knows their environment. Project clients get scoped, deliverable-driven engagements with clear outcomes.
Joe DeClerk
Founder & Principal Advisor
IT Infrastructure · Cybersecurity · Cloud · Technology Strategy
10 years of experience
Cloud, infrastructure, security, and IT operations
Public & private sector
Experience across regulated and fast-moving environments
Practical, business-focused
Solutions that reduce risk, control costs, and support growth
"Technology should make your business stronger, not harder to run."
The person behind Bastion Advisory
I'm Joe DeClerk, founder of Bastion Advisory. I've spent 10 years working in IT infrastructure, cloud systems, and cybersecurity across the private and public sectors, helping organizations build technology environments that are secure, reliable, and practical to run.
My background covers cloud infrastructure and security, Microsoft 365, Linux systems, networking, security monitoring, disaster recovery, and IT operations. I've worked extensively with AWS environments, managed large server fleets, supported security and compliance initiatives, and helped organizations modernize the systems their teams depend on every day.
Working across both sectors has given me experience with very different operational realities. Some organizations prioritize agility and cost control. Others are driven by security, compliance, and risk management. Both require the same thing: technology decisions grounded in the actual needs of the business.
I started Bastion Advisory to bring that experience to businesses that need senior-level technology guidance but don't need a full-time CIO, CISO, or dedicated IT leadership team on staff.
My approach is straightforward: understand the business first, identify the risks and problems that actually matter, and recommend solutions that fit. That means practical improvements over unnecessary complexity, and no pushing technology for its own sake.
Whether I'm helping a company tighten its security, get more out of Microsoft 365, improve its infrastructure, prepare for an incident, or make better technology decisions overall, the goal is the same: leave the organization in a stronger position than when I arrived.
Bastion Advisory exists to give businesses experienced, independent technology guidance they can trust, without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Let's Start a Conversation
Whether you have a specific challenge in mind or just want to understand where your business stands, we're ready to help.