Pattern Recognition
Finds coupling, dependencies, and failure modes that don't show up in documentation. Correlates data across disconnected systems to surface what's actually happening vs. what people think is happening.
Mike Stafford
Converged Security & Technology Leader
Security Leadership | CMMC | IT/OT | M&A Due Diligence
CISSP | CISM | GCFA | CMMC CCP | Secret-Eligible
Holland, Michigan | Remote-First
"I find the million-dollar risks hiding in plain sight - whether they're buried in systems, processes, or the things people aren't saying."
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15+
Years Enterprise Experience
Manufacturing, automotive, defense-adjacent, PE portfolio companies, tribal enterprises. Scale-agnostic.
$50K→20hrs
Entra Migration
Vendor quoted $50K; scripted it in ~20 hours with automation tooling.
$300K/yr
Savings Identified
Business case for IT internalization across portfolio IT spend documented three years running.
Days→Real-Time
Quality Transformation
Paper-based tracking to real-time MES. Still in production 10+ years later.
Multi-Domain
Data Correlation
Frameworks connecting HR, production, quality, machine, and financial data.
Shop→Boardroom
Trusted Advisor
Equally comfortable troubleshooting with technicians or presenting to PE partners.
The Engine Underneath
Here's why I operate differently - the cognitive architecture that enables the outcomes you just saw.
Perceptual Reasoning
96th percentile
Working Memory
77th percentile
Verbal Comprehension
58th percentile
Processing Speed
77th percentile
"The asymmetry is the asset. Rapid holistic pattern detection rather than sequential verbal processing."
96th percentile perceptual reasoning (PRI: 127)
Processes complex systems in parallel, not sequentially
Finds root causes while others chase symptoms
Decision hygiene: explicit assumptions, pre-mortems, second-order risk checks - catches biases in real-time
Assessment: WAIS-IV cognitive battery, September 2025, Dr. Shannon Connell (licensed neuropsychologist)
What This Actually Means
Bridging from "interesting cognitive profile" to "here's what I do for your business" - both analytical AND human capabilities.
Systems Thinking
Holds IT, OT, operations, and organizational dynamics in one mental model - sees how changes cascade across technical and human systems.
Data Correlation & Integration
Bridges systems that don't talk to each other. Work tickets to invoices, production data to quality metrics, CRM to operations. Finds the gaps and the money left on the table.
Stakeholder Alignment & Org Dynamics
Detects unvoiced concerns, misalignment, and organizational dynamics before they surface as problems. Figures out what's not being said. Trusted advisor across all levels.
Influence-Based Leadership
Drives outcomes through trust, expertise, and stakeholder alignment rather than hierarchical authority. Navigates from shop floor to boardroom with equal fluency.
Trusted Stabilizer
High emotional intelligence applied to organizational dynamics. The person executives bring in when things get tense. Stays clear on priorities while creating space where people can be honest without fear. Incident command mindset.
Strategic Foresight
Identifies risks and opportunities 6-18 months before they surface. Runs scenarios, spots second-order effects.
Cross-Domain Fluency
Walks into unfamiliar territory, gets productive fast, adapts to what's actually needed. Manufacturing, defense-adjacent, PE, tribal enterprises - different contexts, same rapid orientation.
Behavioral Threat Assessment
Reads micro-expressions, detects deception, and identifies behavioral threat indicators in real-time. Applies structured assessment frameworks to personnel risk, insider threat, and organizational dynamics, where security meets human psychology.
Where I Create Value
Highest Leverage
M&A Technology Due Diligence
Find the hidden technical debt, integration risks, and organizational landmines before you close. Deliver investment-committee-ready reports with quantified risk and 100-day action plans.
CMMC Compliance & Assessment
CMMC readiness assessments, gap analysis, and compliance architecture for defense contractors and their supply chains. CCP-certified with federal Tier 3 adjudication. Supporting C3PAOs, RPOs, and organizations directly through readiness preparation and remediation.
Fractional CIO/CISO
Strategic technology leadership without the full-time overhead. Roadmapping, vendor evaluation, risk oversight, board-ready reporting. A few hours a week, high-impact decisions.
IT/OT Convergence Strategy
Bridge the gap between automotive/manufacturing operational systems (OT) and IT infrastructure. Most consultants know one side - I speak both languages fluently.
Converged Security Assessment
Evaluate physical, cyber, OT, and organizational security posture in a single engagement. Facility vulnerability assessments, behavioral threat analysis, and protective intelligence across domains that most consultants treat as separate specialties.
Incident Response & Digital Forensics
When systems fail and nobody knows what happened - incident command, triage, recovery coordination, and forensic analysis. GCFA-certified. From initial containment through evidence preservation, root cause analysis, and lessons-learned documentation.
Strong Fit
Post-Acquisition Integration
Stabilize the tech environment, identify quick wins, build the 90-day integration roadmap. Been the steady hand during chaotic transitions.
Data Correlation & Process Analysis
Bridge disconnected systems to find revenue leakage, process gaps, and operational blind spots. Turn messy data into actionable insight.
Technology Strategy & Roadmapping
Current state assessment, business-IT alignment, prioritized initiative planning.
Security Program Development
Build, mature, and operationalize security programs - policy frameworks, governance structures, and risk management processes that actually work instead of collecting dust on a shelf.
Engagement Models
Full-Time / Dedicated Roles
Available for the right full-time opportunity
Retainer-Based Advisory
8-20 hours/month of strategic guidance
Project-Based Engagements
Defined scope with clear deliverables
Interim Leadership
Stability during transitions
Professional Track Record
Founder & Principal Consultant
HAIDEN Technologies
Founded HAIDEN Technologies to deliver strategic technology and security leadership for organizations that need executive-level guidance without the full-time overhead.
The problems I get called in for don't fit in one lane. A manufacturer's cybersecurity gap connects to their OT systems, which connects to physical access control, which connects to the organizational dynamics of who owns what and who's not talking to whom. I work across all of it simultaneously because that's how these problems actually exist.
What engagements look like:
- Fractional CIO/CISO: strategic technology and security leadership on your cadence
- CMMC readiness and compliance architecture for defense manufacturers (NIST 800-171, DFARS)
- M&A technology due diligence: finding hidden technical debt, integration risks, and organizational landmines before close
- Incident response: building IR capability, runbooks, tabletop exercises, and forensic readiness
- Converged security assessments: cybersecurity, physical security, OT/ICS, and organizational risk evaluated as one connected picture
- IT/OT convergence strategy for manufacturers bridging production floor systems and enterprise IT
On the product side, modernizing a manufacturing execution system I built as CTO that's still in production 10+ years later, and architecting platforms applying AI and edge computing to industrial operations and compliance.
The thread through everything is cross-functional leadership and cross-domain fluency. I drive outcomes through influence, not org chart authority. I mentor and develop people, navigate stakeholder dynamics, detect what's not being said, and build trust that makes hard conversations productive.
I also read people and organizational dynamics with the same rigor I apply to technical systems. Behavioral pattern recognition applied professionally for 15+ years across incident investigation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder alignment.
Growth partner, not break-fix. Remote-first. Available for fractional, contract, interim, or the right full-time engagement.
IT Operations & Cybersecurity Manager (CISO-Equivalent Scope)
Waséyabek Development Company, LLC
Managed IT operations and cybersecurity across a tribal enterprise portfolio with multiple subsidiaries, each with different industries and compliance requirements. Reported to VP of IT; functionally served as CISO across the entire portfolio
- Coordinated MSP/MSSP partners and SOC providers to deliver security operations at scale with a lean internal team - managed vendor relationships end-to-end including third-party risk
- Built incident response capability from zero: runbooks, triage processes, escalation paths, forensic procedures. Led investigations and coordinated response. Built disaster recovery and business continuity plans
- Built and managed compliance programs around NIST 800-171, CMMC, and DFARS for government contracting operations. Aligned security controls across subsidiaries with varying technical maturity and maintained audit readiness
- Portfolio included subsidiaries with HIPAA and PCI requirements - provided architectural guidance and compliance direction across those frameworks
- Led IT and cybersecurity due diligence for M&A activity, assessing targets and managing post-close integration. Developed security awareness training. Managed IT budgets across the portfolio
- Drove all initiatives through influence without authority, working across subsidiary leadership teams with different cultures and building trust to advance security improvements
Director of Information Technology
RSI Manufacturing
Operated as ownership's #2 for a decade with hybrid IT Director/COO influence across technology, production, logistics, finance, and HR. The person people came to when ownership wasn't available - and the person people came to with problems they couldn't take to ownership
- Scaled infrastructure to 3x capacity while reducing unplanned downtime. Architected ERP and real-time analytics platform that moved decision-making from gut feel to data-driven operations
- Functionally served as HR advisor for much of tenure: complaints, concerns, conflict resolution, mentoring, team development across technical and non-technical roles. Built trust-based relationships where people could be honest
- Managed IT/OT convergence across the manufacturing environment: PLCs, SCADA interfaces, machine monitoring, and quality tracking systems connected to enterprise IT infrastructure. Programmed PLCs and integrated equipment at serial, relay, and sensor levels
- Took on increasing information security responsibilities: network hardening, endpoint protection, access control policies, and security awareness. Managed physical building security including surveillance, access control hardware, perimeter monitoring, and facility assessments
- Negotiated vendor contracts generating significant annual savings. Became the go-to resource for cross-departmental problem-solving, process improvement, and strategic planning across the organization
Chief Technology Officer
Production Software Integrated, LLC
Led product development of a SaaS manufacturing execution system (MES) from concept through production deployment, addressing operational challenges observed on manufacturing floors
- Built real-time production visibility through touchscreen interfaces, visual work instructions, and machine monitoring. Replaced paper-based quality tracking. System still in production 10+ years later
- Applied enterprise architecture thinking to startup context, designing for long-term sustainability. Bridged development, sales, and implementation, translating customer needs into effective solutions
- Led 2-4 person engineering team through full product lifecycle. Bridged development, sales, and implementation, translating customer requirements into durable architectural decisions
- Designed and implemented security architecture for the SaaS platform: authentication, access controls, data protection, and secure multi-tenant infrastructure. Deepened a broader shift into information security that carried forward across subsequent roles
Credentials
Industry certifications and demonstrated outcomes over academic credentials. 15 years of continuous learning in a field that reinvents itself every few years.
Industries & Regulatory Experience
Direct Compliance Implementation
NIST 800-171, CMMC, DFARS
Advisory/Architectural Exposure
HIPAA, PCI DSS
Technical Proficiencies
Security & GRC
SIEM, EDR, SOC Operations, Vulnerability Management, Incident Response, Digital Forensics, Threat Detection & Modeling, NIST 800-171, CMMC, DFARS, Risk Assessment, GRC, Behavioral Threat Assessment, Physical Security Assessment, Access Control, OSINT
Infrastructure & Cloud
Microsoft Azure, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Active Directory, Windows Server, Network Architecture, Virtualization, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity
OT / Industrial
PLC Programming, SCADA/HMI, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), IT/OT Convergence, Machine Monitoring, Industrial IoT, Production Analytics
Development & Architecture
Python, PowerShell, JavaScript, SaaS Architecture, API Integration, AI/ML Pipelines, Edge Computing, Microservices, Enterprise Architecture, ERP Systems
Leadership & Strategy
M&A Due Diligence, Post-Acquisition Integration, Vendor & Third-Party Risk Management, Budget Management, Cross-Functional Leadership, Stakeholder Alignment, Security Awareness Training, Change Management
Where I'm Most Valuable
- Complex environments with multiple moving parts and competing priorities
- Situations requiring rapid orientation and adaptation - walking into chaos and making sense of it
- Strategic decisions with technical implications where someone needs to translate across domains
- M&A, integration, transformation - anything with ambiguity and stakes
- Organizations that value outcomes over process theater
- Teams that want honesty, even when it's uncomfortable
- Operational challenges where systems thinking applies beyond technology - process improvement, organizational dynamics, efficiency optimization
How I Work
Growth Partner, Not Break-Fix
I'm not here to get calls at 3am when things break. I want to work alongside you to build systems, improve processes, and make your business more profitable and efficient. Where should we spend effort? What moves the needle? That's the conversation I want to be in.
Remote-First
Based in Holland, MI. Available for travel when it makes sense, especially for initial relationship-building or critical moments.
Async-Preferred
Complex insights come out clearer in writing. I do my best thinking with time to process and articulate. Happy to jump on calls when real-time is needed, but don't expect me to be the fastest talker in the room - expect me to be the most thoughtful.
Direct But Not Harsh
I tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. But I do it in a way that lands. Honesty with empathy. You'll never wonder where you stand with me.
The Quiet Stabilizer
I've been called this more than once. When things get sideways, I'm the person who shows up and somehow makes people feel like it's going to be okay. Not through cheerleading - through competence and calm.
Trust is the Foundation
I create space where people can be honest without fear of it backfiring. If someone's frustrated or struggling, I hear that as information, not as a problem to escalate. That's how you actually fix things.
Strategic Scope
I map the system, identify the risks, design the architecture. Your team handles execution, or I can help coordinate resources. I stay involved for decision points, not status meetings.
Engagement Through
Direct Engagement
W-2 or 1099 - full-time roles, advisory, and consulting
HAIDEN Technologies
For larger projects and ongoing partnerships
Where This Goes
These are the functional roles this experience and capability set points toward - whether as full-time positions, dedicated engagements, or fractional advisory work.
CIO / CISO / CTO
PE Operating Partner (Technology)
IT/OT & Integration Advisor
Digital Resilience Lead
Converged Security Consultant
CMMC Compliance Lead
Critical Infrastructure Security Advisor
M&A Technology Integration Lead
Delivering strategic technology leadership where it creates the most impact - whether embedded full-time in a single organization or across a portfolio of advisory relationships. High trust, high impact, sustainable engagement.
Let's Talk
CMMC compliance, security leadership, converged security assessment, M&A due diligence, critical infrastructure, or something I haven't listed yet. Reach out. I read everything.
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