Five anonymized briefs you can read end to end
Real decision shapes for mid-market and SMB IT leaders. Every brief uses the same seven-section format.
This library is a permanent reference. Each brief is anonymized but realistic, taken from the kinds of questions Heartwood gets asked: ERP selection, cybersecurity sequencing, cloud cost cuts, AI strategy, and MSP renewals. Each one runs about a thousand words and follows the seven-section Decision Brief structure documented at /methodology. The briefs live at stable permalinks under /b/{slug} so they can be linked, quoted, and cited.
ERP migration: NetSuite vs Acumatica vs staying on Sage
A $40M industrial distributor at end-of-life on Sage, with a founder retiring and a new GM coming in
End-of-life Sage, founder transition, new GM in 60 days. Pick Acumatica, sequence the cutover behind the GM's first 100 days, and renegotiate the Sage support window so you control the calendar.
Cybersecurity sequencing for a HIPAA audit plus a SOC 2 payor RFP
A $25M healthcare services group with both a regulator and a customer asking for proof in the same quarter
MFA and EDR first, then policy and evidence collection, then MDR and SOC 2 controls. A 16-week sequence that lands HIPAA defensibility before the audit and SOC 2 Type I before the RFP deadline.
Cutting AWS spend 25% in 90 days without breaking the product
An $80M SaaS company on AWS, with a new CFO and a runaway monthly bill
Three pulls in the right order get you 22 to 28% off the AWS bill in 90 days: storage tiering and dead-environment cleanup first, then Savings Plans, then right-sizing. None require a product freeze.
AI strategy for a $150M professional services firm
Partners want to know if AI replaces them, threatens them, or amplifies them, and what to fund this year
Fund document-heavy workflow AI now, defer client-facing generative tools by a year, and treat partner economics as a separate conversation. The shape of the firm changes, but slower than the headlines say.
MSP renewal: stay, switch, or hybrid for a $60M financial services firm
Incumbent at +12% renewal, three proposals on the table, FINRA / SEC oversight in the background
Switch to the regulated-industries specialist, but keep the incumbent on a 90-day transition contract for the regulated workloads. The 12% increase is real; the cost of a clean audit trail is higher.
To run your own question through Heartwood, start at heartwood.sevenrootsconsulting.com. For the methodology behind every brief, see /methodology.