I’ve sat on both sides of the vendor table. For nearly 20 years, I worked in IT. I was the one tasked with putting out the fires, balancing the budget and trying to keep our organization secure. NetWorks Group (NWG) was actually one of my vendors. A few years ago, that relationship changed when I joined the team.

Transitioning from NWG customer to NWG team member has given me a unique perspective on what it means to build a true partnership in this industry. It’s a journey that started with a massive technical challenge, a mandate to stay out of the headlines and a vendor relationship that was anything but transactional.

How It All Began

I was introduced to NWG in 2012. I had just been hired as the first-ever Director of IT for a new hospitality company that had just split away from its sister company. That sister company had a robust, fully staffed IT department. But as our new organization grew, we knew we needed a dedicated IT team with its own resources.

The issue was that all of our systems were completely interconnected. We were sharing everything down to the email servers. My immediate core objective was a massive infrastructure separation project.

NWG was already a trusted vendor, so they were naturally brought in to help with this project. We couldn’t have gotten it done without them.

"Keep My Name Out of the Newspapers"

That transition was also my first time assuming direct responsibility for cybersecurity. Back in 2012, security was often treated as an afterthought — especially in a 24/7 hospitality environment focused primarily on the availability of technology systems.

Shortly after taking the role, I had a conversation with our owner that I will always remember. He looked at me and said, "I have one thing I need from you: Keep my name out of the newspapers."

Suddenly, security became the centerpiece of our strategy, and I needed a partner who understood that priority.

As the new guy, I inherited a large portfolio of vendors. Over the next few years, I replaced every single one of them — except NWG.

Unlike other vendors, NWG adapted to our specific situation. We needed high availability without sacrificing security. NWG understood the business context and shifted their approach to match our operational reality.

The Power of Personal Connection

When people asked me what made NWG different, the answer was Dave, Scott, Brad — the actual people who came to the office, picked up the phone and had my back.

With other vendors, my needs were prioritized strictly by my revenue size compared to their other customers. With NWG, I developed a real, personal connection.

Throughout my career — from delivering newspapers at 12 years old to managing restaurants, to climbing the IT ladder from the help desk to director — I’ve always believed in servant leadership and the power of human connection.

NWG seemed like an entire organization that saw the value in that philosophy. They believed in genuine partnership. When an opportunity arose to join the team, I snapped it up.

Bringing a Customer Perspective to the Vendor Table

Now that I’m on the other side, my time as a customer heavily influences how I interact with our customers. Having been in those trenches, I have empathy for the challenges they face each day.

When a customer cancels a meeting at the last minute, I don't get frustrated. I know it's not because they don't want to talk to me. They have fires to put out. When they tell us they want to make a technical change, they don't have to spend an hour explaining the politics or the downstream impacts to me. I get it. I already know how it will affect their business operations or their PCI compliance, and can weigh in on our recommendations with those things in mind. 

Today, the most rewarding part of my job is watching our customers — and our internal team members — succeed. Whether it's hearing our engineers receive well-deserved kudos for helping a customer navigate a crisis, or co-facilitating a cybersecurity tabletop exercise where an executive has that "Aha!" moment about their role in incident response, those wins are what get me up in the morning.

What Makes a True Partner

In our industry, it’s far too common to encounter organizations focused almost entirely on sales, contract retention and expansion of revenue. They drop off a new tool, check the implementation box and quickly move on to the next deal. With vendors like that, your priority status is often dictated strictly by your contract value, and they rarely look beyond technical success checkboxes to see how the thing you’re paying them for actually impacts your daily operations.

A true partnership looks different. It’s built on a shared commitment to improving your actual security outcomes and business goals. A real partner knows you by name, understands your unique environment and shows up when things get messy. They lead with genuine empathy because they understand all the things competing for your attention. They are invested in your long-term growth, working alongside you to ensure that the solutions you implement bring real value and peace of mind to your entire organization.

Final Thoughts

My career path wasn't traditional. I didn't go to college right out of high school; I built my foundation on real-world experience, eventually pausing to get my degree when leadership roles required it. But security and IT are ultimately defined by the people executing the strategy.

NWG gave me the gift of security and peace of mind when I was a customer. Now, I get to spend my days giving that same gift back to our customers.

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Published By: Michael Cross, VP of Operations

Publish Date: June 25, 2026