Independent
Independent IT consulting means we don't resell licences or hit vendor targets. Recommendations are based on what fits your environment and budget, full stop.
Solution
IT strategy & architecture.
Work out what to build before you spend the money.
IT strategy consulting with nothing to sell you at the end. Senior consultants map what you're running now, then give you a costed roadmap built around your goals rather than around a product.
When the people designing your architecture also profit from what you buy, the advice bends. Onel separates the two. We model the options honestly, and hand you a roadmap you own, whoever ends up delivering it.
Most people arrive here via a referral. If that's you, here's who to call.
Stance
Vendor-neutral
No product agenda · No quota
Depth
20+ years
Infra · cloud · data · security
Panel member
MAV · DPC
+ Procure Australasia
Deliverable
Costed roadmap
Board-ready business case
Cadence
Weeks, not months
Discover → Assess → Design → Roadmap
Why Onel
Advice you can actually act on.
Three principles behind every Onel advisory project, designed to produce a recommendation your board will trust, not a slide deck that sits on a shelf.
Senior-led
You work directly with consultants who have spent two decades in IT infrastructure consulting across enterprise infrastructure, cloud and data platforms, not a graduate billing senior rates.
Ends in a plan
Every advisory project ends with a clear, costed roadmap and a defensible business case, something you can take to your board.
The difference
Independent advisory, not a sales motion in disguise.
When the people designing your architecture also profit from what you buy, the advice bends. Onel separates the two. We assess your real environment, model the options honestly, and hand you a roadmap you own, whoever ends up delivering it.
If the right answer is "do less", we'll tell you that too.
What you get
Onel advisory vs. vendor-led technology consulting.
"Free architecture" from a reseller is a sales tool. Independent advisory is a deliverable you own. Here's what each typically includes.
| Capability | Onel | Vendor-led |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor-neutral recommendations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Current-state assessment | ✓ | Partial |
| Independent cost modelling / TCO | ✓ | ✗ |
| Roadmap you own outright | ✓ | Tied to vendor |
| Freedom to choose delivery partner | ✓ | ✗ |
| Architect-level involvement | ✓ | Varies |
What we deliver
What you actually walk away with.
Six capabilities, sequenced for the kind of decision you're making, sometimes you need the whole picture, sometimes just one piece sharpened.
Current-state Assessment
The honest baseline
An honest read of what you are running now, what depends on what, and which parts everyone quietly works around. Every good decision after this one rests on getting that picture right.
- →Infrastructure & cloud review
- →Dependency mapping
- →Risk & technical-debt analysis
- →Gap identification
Target Architecture
Built for your workloads
Enterprise architecture shaped by your actual workloads and constraints, documented well enough that someone else could build from it - including someone who is not us. Where the answer is dedicated infrastructure, that is our managed private cloud.
- →Reference architecture
- →Cloud / hybrid / on-prem fit
- →Security & resilience by design
- →Scalability planning
Technology Roadmap
In an order that works
A sequenced, phased plan that shows what to do, in what order, and why, aligned to your business priorities.
- →Phased delivery plan
- →Prioritised initiatives
- →Dependencies & milestones
- →Quick wins vs long-term
Cost Modelling & TCO
Numbers that hold up
Costs modelled properly, capital and operating, with no vendor rebate quietly shaping the recommendation. The business case has to survive a finance committee, not just a meeting with you.
- →Total cost of ownership
- →CapEx vs OpEx comparison
- →Option modelling
- →Board-ready business case
Risk & Security Review
Where you're exposed
Where you're exposed, what it would cost you, and how the target architecture closes the gaps. Remediation is delivered through our IT security services.
- →Security posture review
- →Resilience & DR assessment
- →Compliance alignment
- →Remediation priorities
Migration Strategy
Current → target
A route from here to there, in an order that works, with the risky steps identified and a way back from each one. Delivery is handled by our cloud migration services team.
- →Migration approach & waves
- →Cutover & rollback planning
- →Disruption minimisation
- →Delivery-partner options
Our process
Four steps to a decision you can defend.
A structured project that moves from understanding to a costed, actionable roadmap, typically over a few weeks, not months.
Discover
A workshop to understand your business goals, constraints, budget and the pressures driving the decision.
Assess
We map your current environment, dependencies and risks, building an accurate picture of where you stand.
Design
We model the options, design the target architecture, and cost each path honestly and independently.
Roadmap
You receive a clear, phased, costed roadmap and business case, yours to act on, with any partner you choose.
Typical deliverables
Current-state report
Target architecture
Costed roadmap
TCO & business case
Risk register
Executive summary
Ideal for
When it's worth a second opinion.
IT strategy consulting is most valuable before a big spend or a directional change, the kind of call you'd want a second, independent view on before signing.
Cloud direction
Organisations weighing a cloud, hybrid or on-premises strategy and wanting an independent view first.
Infrastructure refresh
Councils and enterprises facing a major infrastructure refresh or end-of-life platform decision. See our work in local government.
Board approval
Leadership teams that need a defensible, costed business case to take to the board.
Mid-programme reset
Businesses mid-programme that have lost the thread and need a clear roadmap to realign.
Burned by vendor advice
Teams burned by vendor-led advice who want recommendations with no product agenda attached.
Outgrown architecture
Fast-growing organisations that have outgrown their architecture and need to plan the next stage.
Roadmap is yours
You own the roadmap. Pick any delivery partner.
The current-state report, target architecture, costed roadmap and business case all transfer to you. If you choose Onel to deliver, great. If you take it to a different partner (or run it in-house) the work still stands. We separate advice from delivery for a reason.
FAQ
Questions we get before first call.
If your question isn't answered here, the fastest way to a clear answer is a 15-minute phone call. No sales pitch, no obligation.
1300 609 101 →How is this different from the "free architecture" my reseller offers?
A reseller's free architecture exists to justify the gear they're selling - the conclusions are usually written before the assessment starts. Onel doesn't resell products, so the recommendation can land on "stay where you are", "consolidate to less", or "move to a different vendor" without our revenue depending on the answer. You're paying for the independence - that's the whole point.
How long does a typical project run, and what does it cost?
Most advisory projects run four to eight weeks, fixed-fee, scoped to the decision you're trying to make. Smaller, single-domain reviews can complete in two weeks. We agree the scope, deliverables and fee in writing before any work starts - no hourly drift, no scope expansion mid-flight.
Will the roadmap actually be vendor-neutral if Onel can also deliver it?
Yes - and the test is in the deliverables. The roadmap and business case are written so any competent partner can deliver them, with no Onel-specific assumptions baked in. If we're a good fit for delivery, that's an option you can take. If a different partner is better positioned (price, location, capability), the document holds up regardless. The independence is the product.
Get started
Get the independent view before you commit the budget.
Talk to one of our senior consultants about a Strategy & Architecture project tailored to your decision, no obligation, no sales pitch.