I find what's broken. I fix it.
I came to security from engineering, not from compliance — and that’s the difference.
Technology leadership for companies where getting it wrong has real consequences — medical devices, health software, legal, financial services. Architecture, cloud, and the security work most technology leaders can’t do themselves. You get me, not a junior.
How I Work
Two ways to work together. Both have clear scope and no surprise invoices.
Fixed-Price Projects
Assessment, remediation, migration. Fixed scope, fixed price, defined end date.
Fractional Technology Leadership
Ongoing technical ownership for companies too small for a full-time CTO and too regulated to go without one.
Case Studies
Real problems, real solutions. Here's what it looks like when I get involved.
FDA 510(k) Cybersecurity Remediation
Cybersecurity remediation carried through to 510(k) submission. Audited submission security claims against the shipped product and reconciled the documentation to as-built behavior.
Read the case study →Business Email Compromise — Investigation and Containment
Compromise contained and scope established. Identity infrastructure hardened against the attack path that was used.
Read the case study →EMR Platform Migration from Legacy Java to Azure
Fully modernized EMR platform running on Azure with automated deployments, HL7/FHIR integrations, and a scalable architecture the team could maintain independently.
Read the case study →Replacing a Failed Search Platform with a Solution That Actually Works
Replaced a failing search platform with a system recruiters actually use. Cleaned and structured 80,000+ contact records.
Read the case study →Digital Banking Migration for 130,000+ Members
Successful migration for 130K+ members with near-zero disruption. 60% cost reduction in statement generation.
Read the case study →Performance Crisis to Acquisition: Saving a Key Customer Relationship
Saved the customer relationship. The turnaround directly contributed to the company’s acquisition.
Read the case study →ML-Driven Routing Engine Saving $2.4M/Year in Telecom Costs
$2.4M per year in telecom cost savings. Fully automated — no human in the loop for daily routing decisions.
Read the case study →Built a SaaS Platform from Zero to Acquisition by NTT
Acquired by NTT. Stayed on as VP of Information Systems for 6 years, managing a $33M budget and 225+ people across 8 countries.
Read the case study →Bill Barksdale
I've been doing this for over 20 years. I co-founded AccuConference, grew it to 10,000+ customers, and sold it to NTT. I was VP of Technology at a healthcare workforce startup through its acquisition. Two successful exits. I've managed $33M budgets and teams of 225+ people across 8 countries.
Then I figured out something about myself — I'm not a sit-in-meetings guy. I'm a get-in-the-code, fix-the-architecture, ship-the-thing guy.
I have a pattern: I walk into companies with outdated platforms, mounting technical debt, and teams that need unblocking — and I fix what's wrong. At that healthcare startup, I came in as employee #5, rebuilt the engineering organization to 40+, and helped lead the company to acquisition. At AccuConference, I built the technology from nothing and grew it to an exit. The common thread is taking something that isn't working and making it work.
Now I run a boutique consulting practice, and most of what I do is security work in places where getting it wrong is expensive. A medical device heading into an FDA submission that needs a cybersecurity package. A penetration test report full of findings and nobody who can close them. A breach that needs investigating and an environment that needs rebuilding afterward. Healthcare, medical devices, legal, financial services — regulated industries, where the consequences are real.
I can read the finding, write the fix, and produce documentation that holds up for a regulator — rather than hand you a report and a list of recommendations someone else has to implement. CISSP certified.
I don't sell hours. I sell outcomes. Every engagement has a defined scope, defined milestones, and a fixed price. I assess the problem, I scope the fix, and I deliver it. No open-ended billing, no surprise invoices.
Have a system that needs fixing?
Tell me what's not working. No pitch deck, no sales call — I'll give you straight advice whether we work together or not.
Rather skip the form? bill@bato.com reaches me directly.
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