IT Leadership Consultant, New York

Louise
Radifera

I build secure, scalable IT functions from the ground up, transform support teams into high-performing organizations, and guide technology strategy for firms that demand operational excellence.

"Being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way."

Tina Fey, a guiding principle

15+
Years leading enterprise IT functions globally
$1.2M
Enterprise project delivered 18% under budget
90%
Reduction in IT offboarding processing time
4K+
Endpoints enrolled across global organizations
🏗
IT Function Build-Out
🔐
Cybersecurity and Zero Trust
☁️
Cloud and MDM Strategy
👥
Team Leadership and Mentorship
📋
Compliance and Governance

IT leader who listens
first, then builds

I partner with business and people stakeholders to understand their real needs, then empower engineers and administrators to own the implementation.

With over 15 years leading IT across global startups, enterprise media companies, financial services firms, and consulting environments, I specialize in translating complex technology challenges into structured, people-first solutions.

My career spans building IT functions from zero at Series A Start Up, leading North American IT operations for an E-commerce company's 10,000-plus person organization, managing global endpoint programs at a Leading US media company, and running helpdesk operations at a FinTech firm.

I approach every engagement with the same philosophy: listen to stakeholders, design a practical solution, and give talented people the autonomy and structure to execute it well.

01
Information Infrastructure Technology
End-to-end design, deployment, and governance of scalable global IT infrastructure across cloud, endpoint, identity, and network layers.
02
Information Security and Cybersecurity
Zero Trust architecture, compliance frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, and proactive security program leadership.
03
IT Project Management
Structured delivery of complex technology programs on time and under budget, from enterprise MDM rollouts to ERP implementations.
04
Building and Managing IT Teams
Scaling support organizations, building SME career tracks, and creating collaborative team cultures grounded in psychological safety and growth.

Measurable impact
across every engagement

90%
Offboarding time reduction
Custom app and Slack chatbot at an E-commerce company cut IT exit processing from days to same day across North America.
18%
Under budget on $1.2M project
Jamf Pro enterprise deployment at a Leading US media company, enrolling 4,000-plus Macs enterprise-wide on time.
$30K
Annual SaaS savings
Delivered from a $300K spend at Series A Start Up through vendor renegotiations and build-vs-buy analysis.
Project completion rate
Doubled throughput at an E-commerce company within 12 months by introducing Kanban frameworks and standardized SOPs.

Case studies in
IT transformation

Three engagements that demonstrate what a structured, people-first approach to IT leadership can achieve.

Case Study 01
Building IT for a Global Tech Startup from Zero
How I built a complete IT and security function at Series A Start Up, scaling from 50 to 150 employees across multiple countries with zero critical incidents.
Startup IT Zero Trust Compliance Automation
Case Study 02
Transforming Support Teams at Scale
How I turned a fragmented 21-person team at an E-commerce company and an ad-hoc helpdesk at a FinTech firm into structured, high-performing support organizations.
Team Building ITSM SLA Design Kanban
Case Study 03
Zero-Touch MDM at Startup and Enterprise Scale
Two MDM programs across two very different environments: a fully remote global startup and a 25,000-person global media company.
MDM Zero Touch Jamf Pro Intune

Sharing what
I have learned

I speak at industry conferences on macOS management, endpoint automation, and building IT cultures that scale. I also co-lead employee resource groups focused on inclusion in technology.

2025
PSU MacAdmins Conference
2020
Jamf National User Conference
Enterprise Jamf deployments and self-service catalog design
2019
PSU MacAdmins Conference
2018
Jamf National User Conference
Community
Women@Voltron, Women@Paramount, Women@HRT
Co-Lead and Founding Member of employee resource groups across three organizations

Let's build something that lasts

Whether you are a startup that needs a full IT function built from scratch, an enterprise team that needs a senior advisor, or a firm navigating compliance and security challenges, I would be glad to talk.

Current Availability
Open to consulting engagements and full-time senior IT leadership roles
I work with organizations that are serious about IT maturity, whether that means building a function from zero, scaling a team, or navigating a complex technology transformation.
Start a Conversation
Case Study 01 · Series A Start Up · 2022 to 2024

Building IT for a
Global Tech Startup
from Zero

What I can do for a tech startup that has outgrown its informal IT setup and needs a real, secure, scalable function to match its ambitions.

Organization
Series A Start Up
Scale
50 to 150 employees, global, fully remote
Role
Head of IT and Information Security, first IT hire
Duration
2 years

A fast-growing startup with no IT foundation

Series A Start Up was a hyper-growth, venture-backed data startup scaling rapidly across the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. When I joined as the first IT hire, there was no formal IT function, no security program, no onboarding process, no asset management, and no compliance posture. The company was growing fast and needed everything built at once.

The challenge was not just technical. It was about building trust with a highly technical team of engineers who had been doing their own IT, convincing leadership to invest in infrastructure they could not yet see, and moving fast enough to keep pace with hiring without sacrificing security.

Build in layers, automate everything, govern from day one

Phase 1 · Foundation
Identity, access, and device trust
Deployed JumpCloud for SSO, SAML, OAuth, SCIM provisioning, and conditional access policies with device posture enforcement. Established identity as the security perimeter for a fully remote, globally distributed workforce. Set macOS as the default endpoint, integrated zero-touch MDM enrollment, and automated device provisioning so every new hire was operational from Day 1.
Phase 2 · Security
Zero Trust architecture and cybersecurity program
Designed and deployed a Zero Trust security architecture including CrowdStrike for endpoint protection, Cloudflare for network security, DNS filtering, VPN configuration, and network segmentation on AWS and Azure. Rebuilt the security program from reactive to proactive, delivering company-wide security awareness training covering phishing, access controls, and data handling.
Phase 3 · Automation
Helpdesk automation and AI tooling
Deployed Jira Service Management as the ITSM platform. Built Slack-based AI bots, Zapier automation workflows, and iPaaS integrations to deflect Tier 1 tickets, automate onboarding and offboarding, and handle routine HR and IT requests. Piloted ChatGPT, Gemini, and Autopilot for note-taking, code review assistance, and helpdesk triage.
Phase 4 · Compliance
SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, NIST, and CCPA
Automated compliance evidence collection and task assignment across all frameworks using Vanta API integrations. Built automated review workflows for responsible parties across the organization. Designed, tested, and continuously improved disaster recovery and business continuity plans. Delivered measurable improvement in compliance posture scores across all frameworks.
Phase 5 · Governance
SaaS governance and vendor strategy
Managed 30-plus business applications including CRM, HRIS, and financial systems. Deployed Torii as the SaaS management layer with automated offboarding workflows via API integrations with identity providers. Delivered $30K in annual savings from a $300K spend through vendor renegotiations and build-vs-buy analysis.
What this means for your startup

If you are a tech startup between 30 and 300 employees with informal IT, no security program, and compliance pressure on the horizon, this is exactly the kind of engagement I specialize in. I come in as the founding IT leader, build the function end-to-end, automate the routine, secure the environment, and hand you a governance framework that scales with your growth. You get Day 1 readiness for every new hire, a defensible security posture, and an IT team that operates like a business partner, not a help desk.

Measurable outcomes

0
Critical security incidents
Zero critical security incidents during a period of rapid hypergrowth across multiple international jurisdictions.
$30K
Annual SaaS savings
Delivered from a $300K spend through renegotiations, license compliance enforcement, and build-vs-buy analysis.
Day 1
New hire readiness
Every new hire globally was fully operational from Day 1, with all accounts, access, and devices provisioned automatically.

Tools deployed

JumpCloudCrowdStrikeVanta Jira Service ManagementToriiZapier Slack BotsAWSAzure GCPMosyle MDMSnipeIt CloudflareOktaGoogle Workspace ChatGPTNotionConfluence
Case Study 02 · E-commerce company and FinTech firm · 2020 to 2022

Transforming Support
Teams into High-Performing
Organizations

How I took fragmented, reactive support teams at two very different organizations and built structured, metrics-driven IT organizations that delivered measurable results.

Organizations
E-commerce company, FinTech firm
Scale
10,000-plus and 600-person global teams
Team Size
7 to 21 direct and indirect reports
Duration
2 years across both engagements

Two teams, two different problems, the same root cause

E-commerce company: A 21-person North American IT support team that was non-collaborative, lacked standardized processes, had no shared accountability framework, and was falling behind on project delivery. CSAT scores were inconsistent and the team had no clear development path.

The team had talent but no structure. Without clear ownership, shared procedures, or a delivery framework, individual effort was not translating into organizational output.

FinTech firm: A 7-person ad-hoc support team at a global high-frequency trading firm with no formal structure, no escalation paths, no SLA accountability, and no knowledge base. The team was reactive by default and could not scale.

In a regulated financial services environment, an unstructured IT support function is not just inefficient. It is a compliance and operational risk.

Structure, frameworks, and automation

  • Implemented standardized project briefs, SOPs, and the Kanban delivery framework to align team priorities and create shared accountability
  • Built internal SLAs, KPIs, and a knowledge base structure so the team could measure and improve its own performance
  • Deployed a custom offboarding app and Slack chatbot to auto-route non-urgent requests away from the live queue, freeing the team for complex work
  • Created SME designation tracks and clear promotion criteria, giving every team member a visible development path
  • Mentored and trained staff, building a culture where knowledge-sharing was the norm and junior technicians had a path to senior roles
Project completion rate
Doubled within 12 months of introducing Kanban and standardized briefs.
90%
Offboarding time cut
IT exit processing reduced from days to same day through automation.

From ad-hoc to structured in one quarter

  • Restructured the 7-person team into 5 specialist groups with dedicated SME leads and defined escalation paths
  • Scaled the team from 7 to 16 globally in a single quarter, hiring, onboarding, and integrating new team members into the structure without disrupting service
  • Implemented Freshservice as the ticketing platform, establishing queue management, SLA enforcement, and knowledge base standards from scratch
  • Defined escalation protocols and root cause documentation practices that reduced repeat escalations and improved knowledge base quality
  • Deployed and managed Zoom Rooms and Cisco conferencing equipment across all office locations during a new office build-out
7→16
Team growth
Scaled globally in a single quarter with no service disruption.
5
Specialist groups
Clear ownership, escalation paths, and SME accountability built from scratch.
What this means for your organization

Whether you have a reactive, underperforming support team, a newly formed IT group that lacks structure, or a fast-growing organization that needs its IT function to scale at pace, this is the kind of transformation I deliver. I come in, diagnose the structural and cultural issues, design a practical operating model, and build the people, processes, and tools that make sustainable high performance possible. The result is a team that can grow, measure itself, and improve without constant intervention from leadership.

Tools and methodologies used

FreshserviceJiraKanban ITILSlack Zoom RoomsCisco Conferencing SLA ManagementKPI Frameworks Knowledge Base DesignSME Career Tracks
Case Study 03 · Tech Start Up and Leading US media company · 2016 to 2024

Zero-Touch MDM at
Startup and Enterprise
Scale

Two MDM programs, two completely different environments, one consistent outcome: every employee fully provisioned and operational from Day 1 with zero manual intervention.

Organizations
Tech Start Up, Leading US media company
Devices Managed
150-plus remote, 4,000-plus enterprise
Platforms
Jamf Pro, Intune, Mosyle, Workspace ONE
OS Environments
macOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Manual device management does not scale

Every organization reaches a point where manual device setup becomes a bottleneck. Laptops arrive unconfigured. New hires wait days for access. Security policies are inconsistent across endpoints. Asset tracking is a spreadsheet nobody trusts. The cost is not just operational: it is a security risk and a first-impression failure for every new employee.

Zero-touch MDM solves all of this. A device ships directly to an employee anywhere in the world. They turn it on. It enrolls automatically, installs required software, applies security policies, and joins the directory. The employee is productive within an hour. IT never touches the device.

I have delivered this outcome at two very different scales and environments: a fully remote global startup with no office and a 25,000-person global media company with physical offices across three continents.

Zero-touch at a fully remote global startup

The environment: Fully remote, globally distributed workforce across the US, Europe, and Asia. No physical offices. No IT staff before my arrival. New hires joining across multiple time zones who needed to be productive immediately.

What I built: Integrated an IT logistics vendor to ship and recover equipment globally. Configured Mosyle and JumpCloud for zero-touch macOS enrollment, automating MDM enrollment, software installation, security policy application, and directory join. Built identity provisioning via JumpCloud SSO and SCIM so all SaaS accounts were created automatically at enrollment.

The outcome: Every new hire globally was fully operational from Day 1. Devices shipped directly to employees worldwide. IT never touched a device manually. Hardware was recovered automatically at offboarding through the logistics vendor integration.

  • Mosyle MDM for zero-touch macOS enrollment and policy enforcement
  • JumpCloud for device trust, directory, and SCIM-based identity provisioning
  • IT logistics vendor integration for global shipping and recovery
  • Automated software deployment and security policy application at enrollment
  • SnipeIt for asset inventory and lifecycle tracking across all global endpoints
  • CrowdStrike deployed automatically at enrollment for endpoint protection
  • Automated offboarding: device recovery, account deprovisioning, and license reclamation
MosyleJumpCloud SnipeItCrowdStrike ZapierTorii

Enterprise MDM across a 25,000-person global organization

The environment: A 25,000-person global media company with physical offices across the US, Canada, and UK. Mixed Windows and macOS estate. Thousands of managed mobile devices including iOS, iPadOS, and Android. Complex InfoSec requirements and a large team of endpoint engineers to coordinate.

What I delivered: Led the Jamf Pro enterprise deployment on time and 18% under budget on a $1.2M project, enrolling 4,000-plus Macs enterprise-wide with standardized configurations and a self-service catalog with automated approval workflows. Deployed Workspace ONE for 2,000-plus BYOD and corporate mobile devices. Partnered with InfoSec to deploy BigFix for Windows endpoint management including Windows Server environments, Active Directory group policy management, and zero-touch provisioning, replacing LANDesk.

Windows 10 migration: Led the Desktop 2020 roadmap including the Windows 10 migration project, delivered on time and under budget with the highest CSAT scores across all corporate IT projects that year.

  • Jamf Pro deployment: 4,000-plus Macs, standardized configs, self-service catalog with automated approval workflows
  • Workspace ONE: 2,000-plus BYOD and corporate mobile devices across iOS, iPadOS, and Android
  • BigFix for Windows endpoint management and zero-touch provisioning, replacing LANDesk
  • Active Directory and group policy management integrated into the endpoint lifecycle
  • Microsoft 365 and SharePoint administration across the global enterprise
  • Business continuity planning for endpoint infrastructure across a 25,000-person organization
  • $1.2M project delivered 18% under budget with highest CSAT scores
Jamf ProWorkspace ONE BigFixActive Directory Microsoft 365SharePoint Intune
What this means for your organization

Whether you are a startup that needs zero-touch MDM built from scratch so remote employees are productive from Day 1, or an enterprise organization managing thousands of endpoints across multiple platforms and needing a structured deployment program, I have delivered both. I bring the technical depth to design the right MDM architecture for your environment, the project management discipline to deliver on time and on budget, and the experience to navigate the organizational complexity of a global rollout.

Measurable outcomes

4K+
Macs enrolled
Enterprise-wide Jamf Pro deployment at a Leading US media company, standardized configurations across all devices.
18%
Under budget
$1.2M Jamf Pro project delivered under budget with highest CSAT scores across all corporate IT projects.
Day 1
Global new hire readiness
Every new hire at the Tech Start Up was fully operational from Day 1, with zero manual device provisioning by IT.