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Kwes Michael Quist

@kwesmichaelquist

Lead Security Engineer consulting independently on Zero Trust, NIST-aligned security, and enterprise infrastructure.

United States
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In my independent consulting practice, I work with enterprise and institutional clients on cybersecurity architecture, cloud infrastructure, and strategic IT advisory. At Asperitas Consulting, I design and implement Zero Trust controls, assess vulnerabilities, and support incident response aligned with NIST CSF and ISO 27001.

Through Q7AI Consulting / Kohl Children's Museum, I serve as lead technology advisor and engineer Cisco Meraki wireless infrastructure across a public campus, coordinating a phased rollout without disrupting daily operations. I also use Azure Log Analytics to audit configurations and assess lateral movement risk for enterprise clients.

At Q3 Consulting Services, I founded and led a technology consulting firm, closed 27 enterprise clients, and generated $1.27M in revenue. I migrated 10+ clients from on-premise data centers to AWS and Azure cloud VPCs, and designed multi-site network and security environments.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

AS

Virtual CIO & Strategic Technology Advisor

Astound Business Solutions

Jan 2020 - Dec 2024 (4 years 11 months)

Served as embedded virtual CIO for mid-market enterprise clients, owning technology strategy, vendor relationships, and security roadmaps across multi-site environments aligned with NIST CSF. Directed contract negotiations and right-sizing of telecom and managed service agreements, delivering significant recurring savings.

IN

Virtual CIO & IT Infrastructure Advisor

Impact Networking

Jan 2018 - Dec 2018 (11 months)

Acted as virtual CIO for enterprise clients, directing server farm upgrades and migrations from on-premise infrastructure to outsourced managed services. Reduced a flagship client's quarterly IT spend by 27% through vendor contract audits and deployed remote network monitoring systems.

QS

Chief Information Officer / Founder & Managing Principal

Q3 Consulting Services

Jan 2010 - Dec 2016 (6 years 11 months)

Founded, staffed, and led a technology consulting firm, recruiting and managing a team of 4 engineers and consultants, building a sales pipeline from zero, and closing 27 enterprise clients. Generated $1.27M in total revenue over six years and migrated 10+ enterprise clients to cloud VPCs on AWS and Azure.

CS

Senior Sales Account Executive

Comcast Business Services

May 2012 - Jul 2014 (2 years 2 months)

Designed 17-location MPLS network solutions and sold metro ethernet Data Center connectivity to enterprise clients across the Midwest.

XS

Senior Sales Engineer

XO Communications (Verizon Carrier Services)

Jul 2007 - Apr 2012 (4 years 9 months)

Designed carrier-grade WAN/MAN connectivity solutions for CLEC, IXC, ISP, and content provider clients. Led rollout of MPLS connectivity for Diesel across 28 national locations and presented technical solutions to C-suite stakeholders.

PC

Regional Sales Engineer

Paetec Communications

Earned 'Best Salesperson of 2005' by achieving 110% of annual sales quota, increasing profitability 38% through strategic WAN/MAN/LAN/VoIP solution design.

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

II

ITT Technical Institute

Professional Education, Information Technology

Continued professional education through 25+ active industry certifications in cloud architecture, cybersecurity, and network engineering.

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