01
A vendor is recommending a major purchase and you want an independent opinion before you commit.
Based in Central Florida. Working with organizations anywhere.
Technology shouldn't be this complicated.
I'm Jim Applebee. I've spent more than 30 years designing, fixing, modernizing, and running technology for businesses and large organizations.
If you're facing an expensive technology decision, dealing with outdated systems, fighting with vendors, worried about security, or simply unsure what to do next, I can help you figure it out.
Jim Applebee
Senior, hands-on technology advisor
I can help with the decision itself, the technical work behind it, and the follow-through after a direction is chosen.
- Advise
- Review decisions, vendors, architecture, budgets, security, and roadmaps.
- Fix and build
- Modernize platforms, websites, infrastructure, cloud, integrations, and workflows.
- Stay involved
- Provide ongoing technical ownership when the business needs a senior owner.
Experience
- More than 30 years working across technology strategy and delivery
- Architecture, platforms, cloud, security, and infrastructure
- Hands-on work as well as senior technical guidance
When to call
You may not need another vendor. You may need someone experienced enough to see the whole picture.
These are the kinds of situations where a practical second opinion can save money, reduce risk, or stop a bad decision before it hardens.
02
An old system, website, or platform has become fragile, expensive, or hard for anyone to own.
03
Security, backups, access, hosting, or cloud decisions are creating more uncertainty than confidence.
04
You have technical people and vendors, but nobody looking across the whole picture.
05
You need senior technology leadership, but a full-time CTO or CIO hire does not make sense right now.
06
There may be useful AI or automation opportunities, but you need someone practical to separate signal from noise.
Jim Applebee
30+ years in technology. Still hands-on.
Architecture, infrastructure, security, cloud, web platforms, Drupal, vendor guidance, and executive-level technology decisions.
Working model
Direct access. Independent recommendations. Technical depth when the situation demands it.
Why Jim
You work directly with the person doing the thinking.
I sit between business leadership and the technical mess: old systems, vendors, security worries, cloud decisions, platform choices, budgets, and the work required to make the recommendation real.
I am not only an executive advisor, and I am not only an implementer. I can review the decision, design the path, go deep technically when needed, and stay involved long enough to make sure the work is actually owned.
I do not start by selling you a platform. First I want to know what is there, what it costs, who depends on it, who owns it, what is broken, and what happens if we leave it alone.
Drupal and digital platforms
20+ years from custom development through enterprise architecture.
Drupal 6 through Drupal 11. Architecture, development, migrations, accessibility, integrations, cloud, security, performance, CI/CD and ongoing operations.
- Architecture and leadership
- Discovery, requirements, content architecture, platform governance, modernization and technical direction.
- Hands-on implementation
- Custom modules, theming, migrations, integrations, deployment automation, troubleshooting and maintenance.
- Acquia Certified Drupal Grand Master
- Now named Acquia Triple Certified Drupal Expert. Published Drupal module contributor.
Selected Work
Real work is more useful than a list of services.
A few representative engagements show the kinds of systems, constraints, and decisions I can help with. Client names and sensitive details are omitted where confidentiality applies.
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01
Enterprise Architecture
The Open Group Platform and Infrastructure Modernization
- Environment
- The Open Group's technical environment supported its standards, membership, certification programs, technical communities and internal operations.
- Work
- As Chief Systems Engineer, I designed, built and operated systems across that environment for ten years.
- Enterprise Architecture
- Drupal
- Infrastructure
- Identity & Access
- Technical Operations
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02
Enterprise Customer Support Portal Modernization
Architecture and technical discovery for replacing an on-premises SharePoint 2019 customer support portal with Drupal in Azure, including content migration, identity, search, document indexing and enterprise integrations.
- Drupal
- SharePoint Migration
- Azure
- Identity
- Search
- Content Migration
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03
Security and platform architecture
Secure Document Delivery Platform
- Environment
- Sensitive documents and large software assets needed controlled delivery to authorized users.
- Work
- I designed the authentication, entitlement, delivery, storage, and audit model.
- Security Architecture
- Identity & Access
- Cloud Storage
- Auditability
- Platform Architecture
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04
Cloud application architecture
Azure Application Architecture
- Environment
- Each containerized workload was driving separate cloud and operational decisions.
- Work
- I designed a repeatable Azure Container Apps architecture for the application workloads.
- Azure
- Cloud Architecture
- Containers
- Deployment Architecture
- Operations
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05
Open-source platform modernization
Open Source Platform Modernization
- Environment
- An organization needed less vendor dependency and more control over its web platform, data, and infrastructure choices.
- Work
- I defined an open-source architecture and modernization path, including where Drupal fit.
- Open Source
- Drupal
- Platform Modernization
- Data Portability
- Infrastructure Ownership
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06
Opportunity qualification workflow
AI Opportunity Intelligence Platform
- Environment
- A pursuit team had more government opportunity data than it could review consistently.
- Work
- I worked on the data pipeline, AI-assisted analysis, qualification workflow, and reporting.
- API Integration
- Data Workflows
- AI-Assisted Analysis
- Classification
- Reporting
How I can help
I can advise it. I can fix or build it. I can help operate it.
Most technology problems do not arrive in neat service categories. These are the three practical ways I usually help.
Technology Leadership
Fractional CTO/CIO-style guidance, technology strategy, architecture review, vendor evaluation, roadmaps, modernization decisions, and practical AI strategy.
Learn moreTechnology Projects
Hands-on modernization for applications, websites, CMS platforms, cloud, integrations, migrations, infrastructure, automation, and architecture remediation.
Learn moreManaged Technology
Ongoing technical ownership for hosting, maintenance, security oversight, platform support, vendor coordination, and systems that need someone watching them.
Learn moreInsights
Point of view, not brochure copy.
Articles on open source decisions, vendor lock-in, modernization, infrastructure, architecture, and the practical economics behind technology choices.
Business Perspectives Open Source Cost Savings
The Software Renewal Most Organizations Never Question
Open source can remove a license fee, but the useful comparison includes migration, implementation, operations, support, and the cost of keeping options open.
Business Perspectives Open Source Enterprise Architecture
When Open Source Is the Right Business Decision
A practical executive view of when open source creates business value through control, portability, transparency, and architectural flexibility, and when commercial software is the better decision.
Docker DevOps Workflow
Stop Reading Docker IDs: Make docker ps Useful Again
Put container names, status, and ports first in docker ps, then use filters and Compose commands to narrow the view.
Technology second opinion
Tell me what's going on.
Have a vendor proposal, aging platform, security concern, technology project, or expensive decision you're unsure about? Send it to me. I'll review the situation with you and tell you what I would do.