How a Solo IT Manager Covers 100 Users & Two Companies with RADICL

When Jacob Evans took on the role of IT Security and Compliance Manager, he wasn't just signing up to support one company, he was taking on two. As the sole IT professional overseeing both Onyx Aerospace and sister company Archem, Jacob manages roughly 100 users, government contracts, SOC requirements, and CMMC compliance, often at the same time and frequently on the same call.

Finding the right cybersecurity partner was essential, and in RADICL he's been able to rest easy and accelerate compliance momentum.

In this testimonial, Jacob covers:

• How he discovered RADICL and why they stood out from the competition
• What it's like managing compliance for two sister companies with one trusted partner
• What it actually looks like to have a compliance partner that does the work instead of just selling a template
• His advice for any organization looking for a compliance or cybersecurity partner

Full Onyx Aerospace & Archem Testimonial Transcript

Interviewer: Could you say your name, your title, and explain what Onyx Aerospace does?

Jacob: Yeah, so I actually work for two clients of yours. I work for Onyx Aerospace. My name is Jacob Evans. I'm the IT Security and Compliance Manager for both Onyx Aerospace and Archem, which are both clients of RADICL. We do aerospace engineering. We have contracts with different organizations and government agencies, and same for Archem as well. They're like sister companies, so we do a lot of combo work together.

Interviewer: Got it. Okay. Yeah, I wasn't clear on how the two were related, so it sounds like shared staff a lot between them.

Jacob: Yes, a lot of shared staff, shared projects. There are strict walls, but in the end they do a lot of cross-project work and stuff.

Interviewer: Got it. Okay, cool. And how did you first find RADICL?

Jacob: So I saw them initially at a conference. I think it was the National Cyber Summit — one of those cybersecurity summits here in Huntsville, Alabama. And then one of our partners had recommended them. And so we were in the process of talking to a few different solutions. Once we figured out what we needed, Bill was just absolutely amazing in helping us. We worked closely with him — he was really nice and helpful. And since we had two companies, he was very considerate in being able to work in that dual-environment setup that I'm always having to deal with. So that was really nice that you guys were working with us on that. Made my life easier.

Interviewer: Are you the only IT person?

Jacob: Up until the other day, I was. I have an IT intern now, but yes, I am the only IT person for the 80 users at Onyx and the 20 users at Archem — so about 100 people.

Interviewer: You're busy.

Jacob: Yeah. I try to set things up so that there's not a lot of support tickets and issues, but with the complexity of compliance — meeting the SOC standards, the vulnerabilities, the compliance perspective, and all that — it's getting pretty crazy, especially when people want me to do additional IT stuff on top of it. New projects internally plus all the compliance work. And with the November deadline coming up, it's just been absolutely crazy.

Interviewer: I can only imagine. So it sounds like you were actively looking for a solution — you shopped RADICL against some others?

Jacob: Yes. We looked at RADICL against one other company. We had a couple others to look at, but with the timing and how quickly we needed to move, it was like we had to make a decision sooner than later. Price point — you guys were about the same, maybe a little less, but it was pretty comparable. So it wasn't really a money thing. It was more about personality and fit. I want to have trusted partners that I feel confident in. Bill and Jake were probably instrumental in getting us to come on board. Bill really worked hard to help us get a good deal, especially for Onyx. After we had signed up Archem — the smaller organization — we needed to get them going quickly, and then Onyx right behind. We worked hard to make sure our president and CEO was happy and that the price point was good. Overall it was just a really smooth process — no hiccups. Everyone I've worked with at RADICL has been above and beyond helpful.

I've been doing IT for almost 24 years — I've been doing this since I was about 14. I've worked with so many different people, agencies, and companies. I've had my own business. I pride myself on knowing when I find good partners, and I've only been burned once.

Interviewer: Can you talk a little about the fact that you work with two companies? It's kind of unusual. Can you talk about how that's affected working with RADICL, especially with CMMC?

Jacob: Yeah, it's pretty interesting. Both companies are on kind of the same track, which makes it easier in some ways — like, well, we did it over here, let's just do it over there too. But at the same time, that makes it more complicated because we have to do twice as much. Keeping that wall up between them, and then with people working on both sides, it's like — okay, you can't have access over here, but you can have a little access there, and we have to make sure that stays in line because they technically still are an external collaboration company.

With RADICL in mind, being able to have two of the same service — we don't have everything with Onyx, but we have everything with Archem — understanding what we can get and what we need, and focusing on one company for one area and the other for another. And I really like that it's easy to switch between the organizations — just go into Onyx, go into Archem. Abe has been really great with that. He's been our project manager over at RADICL, and being able to distinguish between two companies, he's worked really well with that. It just makes life easier when I can work with one agency to cover both companies and don't have to talk to three different people to do the same thing.

I have Tyler on the compliance side with Archem — super helpful — and then I have Abe on the SOC side. They understand the organizational setup. I don't have to re-explain it every time. I can just say, "Hey, let's talk about Onyx right now," and we handle Archem in the same call. Not on three different calls in one day. That's probably one of the big reasons we went with RADICL — from the get-go, I laid out how it all works, and Bill was like, "Hey, we can do this, let's do this." And you guys have always been upfront: "Here's a new thing coming up, be aware." Or Abe found some issues and flagged them before I even knew they were there. That proactive work is really helpful — things I don't have to find or deal with later.

Interviewer: That's awesome. So glad to hear that. Do you have your assessment scheduled yet?

Jacob: Not yet. Bill had put me in contact with one of the companies you guys work with — A-LIGN, I think. And we've been working with the guy over there — it's been great too. It's nice to have a partner that trusts another partner. I don't have to go searching and looking.

And actually, I take a step back — you guys actually reached out to me when there was a whole issue with a previous partner. I'd already had RADICL on my list, but I didn't have to reach out — you guys just called. I think it was Nathaniel who reached out and said, "Hey, I heard you guys need some help — here's what we do, would you like to meet?" That led to the intro with Bill and Jake. I really appreciated that because I hate having to search. You don't want to be constantly bombarded by salespeople, but it's still kind of nice when I don't have to do all the research myself. And I already had background knowledge on RADICL, so it wasn't out of the blue. But yeah — it's been amazing. It really has.

Interviewer: I love that. What would you say is your favorite part of working with RADICL?

Jacob: The personality of everyone there is great. I'm a people person, so that really matters. We're always laughing, always having a great time. I feel like I have a real relationship there — with Bill, we'll text if something comes up. He knows I'm running basically two IT departments, and everyone at RADICL gets that. They're not pushing me. It's just, "Hey, you need some help? Where are you at? What do you need?" That's been really nice. That's probably my favorite part — the people have just been really great and personable.

Interviewer: Great. This next question might feel a little redundant, but I want a clean answer — would you recommend RADICL, and why?

Jacob: Yeah, absolutely. I have told people about RADICL and highly recommended them. It goes back to the people. The tool is also great — easy to use. I've had a couple of confusing moments, but the moment I mentioned it on a call, they immediately walked me through it. And any time I have a question and email it in, it's usually replied to within the day. You guys are just awesome. The people are awesome. It's made my life easier, and the tool is really solid — there's a lot of great information in there.

Interviewer: All right. Last question — do you have any advice for organizations like yours that are looking for compliance or cybersecurity help?

Jacob: Find good, trusted partners. Sometimes it feels like you're spending a lot of money, but if you've got the right people, it's worth it — always worth it, honestly. I've dealt with situations where money was burned with the wrong partners. In the compliance world especially, there are a lot of what I'd call "bait and switch" or template-based providers out there.

What I've come to appreciate with RADICL on the compliance side is that you're very thorough — you cover all the areas. Sometimes I'm like, "That's more than I need," but it's what the company actually needs. You push back to make sure. And when I push back on something, the comply side pushes back with me and says, "Yeah, you're right — you don't actually need that." That kind of two-way dynamic is really important. It's not like you think you know everything, and it's not like I know everything either — but having that trusted partner is so key in the compliance world. RADICL is definitely not a bait and switch. You guys are delivering on what we're paying for and have gone well above and beyond.

Interviewer: Excellent. That's awesome. Well, Jacob, is there anything else you feel like I didn't cover?

Jacob: I think that's it, man. I definitely enjoy working with you guys.

Ready to start your own RADICL journey? Let's talk.