Who's Behind This

Jim Fischer

I spent two decades building and securing enterprise infrastructure before AI was a buzzword. Now I help small businesses get the same capabilities without the cloud exposure.

The Background

My career started in enterprise network and security infrastructure — the kind of work where a misconfigured firewall meant a front-page incident. I worked with DEC and Compaq Professional Services deploying and hardening infrastructure for organizations that couldn't afford mistakes.

In 1999 I completed a residency at Microsoft's data centers, deploying AltaVista Firewalls in high-availability configurations. That era taught me something that still holds: the most dangerous assumption in security is that someone else is handling it.

After that I spent years in ISP network operations, then transitioned into precision CNC manufacturing — 5-axis programming, GD&T, fixture design. That background matters here: I think in systems, tolerances, and failure modes. I don't deploy AI for the sake of deploying AI.

When large language models matured enough to run locally on affordable hardware, I built my own private AI infrastructure from the ground up. RAG pipelines, vector databases, local model serving, network-segmented deployment. I know exactly what it takes to make this work in a real environment.

Why Local-First

Every major cloud AI provider's terms of service contains language that should concern any business owner handling sensitive data. Your prompts train their models. Your data lives on their servers. Their uptime SLA is their problem to define.

Local-first AI eliminates that surface area entirely. The model runs on your hardware. The data never leaves your network. You control the updates, the access, and the audit trail.

This isn't paranoia — it's the same logic that drives on-premise ERP systems, air-gapped networks, and private data centers. Some data is too sensitive to hand to a third party, no matter how good their marketing is.

Experience

  • DEC / Compaq Professional Services
  • Microsoft Data Center Residency (1999)
  • AltaVista Firewall HA Deployments
  • ISP Network Operations
  • 5-Axis CNC Programming & Setup
  • Local-First AI Infrastructure

Location

Milford, Connecticut

On-site available throughout CT.
Remote available anywhere.

Ideal Client

  • Handles sensitive data
  • Repetitive knowledge work
  • Mission that benefits people
  • Not weapons or defense
Work With Me

How I Work

Scope First

I won't recommend hardware or software until I understand your actual workflows. The audit exists so we both know what we're building before anyone spends money.

Fixed Price

Every engagement is scoped and priced before work begins. No hourly billing, no scope creep invoices, no surprises.

You Own It

Everything I build is yours. No proprietary platforms, no ongoing licensing fees, no dependency on me to keep the lights on.

Direct Communication

I tell you what I find, including the things that are inconvenient. If something won't work, I say so before you've paid for it.