EPC Group launches senior-architect-led Microsoft cloud and analytics service

By AI, Created 4:55 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – EPC Group on May 12 launched a managed Microsoft Cloud & Analytics Service built around three retainer tiers and a lifecycle model that keeps senior architects involved after implementation. The move targets enterprise and mid-market clients that want ongoing governance, platform operations, and AI oversight under one accountable partner.

Why it matters: - EPC Group is packaging Microsoft consulting, governance, and operations into a single managed service, which could reduce the common handoff between implementation teams and ongoing support. - The model is aimed at organizations running Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Microsoft Purview that need continuous oversight, not one-time projects. - The service also gives regulated industries a more structured way to manage policy, capacity, and AI governance over time.

What happened: - EPC Group launched the Managed Microsoft Cloud & Analytics Service on May 12. - The service uses a three-tier retainer model: Managed Governance, Managed Platform, and Managed Lifecycle. - Pricing starts at $6,500 per month. - The offering is positioned as a senior-architect-led lifecycle partnership for enterprise and mid-market Microsoft programs. - The launch is from EPC Group, which describes itself as North America’s oldest Microsoft Gold Partner and a five-time G2 Leader in Business Intelligence Consulting.

The details: - Tier 1, Managed Governance, starts at $6,500 per month with a quarterly minimum. - Tier 1 includes the EPC Group Virtual Chief AI Officer retainer, monthly Microsoft Purview policy reviews, Power BI workspace certification gating, sensitivity-label drift monitoring, and a named senior architect on call. - Tier 2, Managed Platform, starts at $15,000 per month and includes all Tier 1 services. - Tier 2 adds Microsoft Fabric capacity management, Power BI Premium optimization, Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout supervision, Conditional Access policy management, a monthly executive readout, and operational ownership of Fabric, Power BI, and Copilot environments. - Tier 3, Managed Lifecycle, starts at $35,000 per month and includes all Tier 2 services. - Tier 3 adds a dedicated senior architect available 24×5, quarterly strategic platform reviews, AI roadmap ownership across the Microsoft stack, vendor-neutral evaluation of Microsoft capabilities such as Fabric, Copilot, AI Foundry, Purview, and Entra, a 4-hour first-response SLA, and full lifecycle ownership from strategy through operation. - EPC Group says the service spans assess, architect, implement, govern, and operate. - The company says it has delivered the first four stages for 29 years and is now formally extending that model into ongoing operations. - Every engagement is staffed by senior architects with an average of 15+ years of Microsoft platform experience. - EPC Group says Managed Service engagements are not staffed with junior consultants under senior oversight. - The named senior architect on a client account is the senior architect doing the work. - The service is anchored by EPC Group’s Virtual Chief AI Officer practice, described as the industry’s first fractional AI executive service. - The vCAIO owns AI strategy, the Copilot rollout plan, and the Purview governance posture as one integrated program. - The service is built for enterprise organizations of 2,500+ users, mid-market organizations of 100 to 2,500 users, organizations preparing for or running Microsoft 365 Copilot at scale, and regulated industries including financial services, healthcare, government, energy, and manufacturing. - All three tiers can be entered standalone or as a continuation of an EPC Group implementation engagement. - Clients may exit any tier at the end of any quarter with 30 days’ notice. - The service is delivered remote-first from EPC Group’s North American senior-architect bench headquartered in Texas, with optional on-site engagement reviews across the United States and Canada. - Senior consultants are assigned from day one with a single accountable program owner.

Between the lines: - EPC Group is positioning the service against the typical systems-integrator model, where senior partners sell the work and junior staff often deliver it. - The pitch suggests buyers want more continuity between strategy and operations, especially as Microsoft environments become more complex and AI governance becomes a standing requirement. - The service also turns EPC Group’s vCAIO offering into the strategic anchor for broader cloud and analytics management, which could deepen customer dependence on one vendor across both AI and platform operations.

What’s next: - EPC Group will likely use the new tiers to convert project clients into recurring managed-service customers. - Organizations that need ongoing Microsoft governance and operational ownership now have a fixed-fee option that can scale from oversight to full lifecycle management. - The company may expand adoption among regulated and mid-market customers already using EPC Group implementation services.

The bottom line: - EPC Group is betting that Microsoft customers will pay for one senior team to design, govern, and run their platforms instead of handing work off between separate consultants and managed-service providers.