About Athencia
IT that stays out of your way.
Built for small and mid-sized businesses with 5-75 people who want to know their IT is okay without having to think about it.
Named after Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy. And my dog.
The Founder
Jeremy Phillips
I've spent 30+ years building and running IT systems. Started in the 90s with Exchange and network infrastructure. Ran operations at enterprise scale—environments with over 16 million mailboxes. Led teams, managed multi-million dollar P&Ls, ran technology strategy for growing organizations.
Across all of it, I kept seeing the same problem: IT that demanded constant attention from people who had better things to do. Reactive fixes. Configuration drift. Vendors who only showed up when something broke.
I started Athencia because professional services firms deserve better than that. I wrote The SMB IT Playbook to share what I've learned about getting technology under control.
Right now I'm building out Athencia's AI practice. That means hands-on work with Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Purview for firms that want to use AI without losing control of their data. I'm also building internal tooling with AI agents that handle the repetitive work so we can focus on the stuff that actually requires thinking. It's the same principle as everything else we do: get the technology right so people can focus on their real work.
Network infrastructure, Exchange, and the foundational technologies that still underpin business IT today.
Enterprise-scale Exchange operations. Learned what operational discipline looks like across 16 million mailboxes.
Managing teams, multi-million dollar P&Ls, and technology strategy for growing organizations.
Built the IT operating model I wished existed for smaller firms.
The Problem
Most IT relationships feel like a mystery.
Something breaks. You call someone. They fix it. Between those calls, you have no idea whether things are okay or slowly drifting into trouble.
You end up with five dashboards, three vendors, and still can't answer a simple question: is our IT actually secure?
We built Athencia to answer that question. Simply. All the time.
Our Approach
Three ways to work with us.
See everything in one dashboard. When something needs fixing, escalate it directly. We fix it and bill for the time. You stay in control but never in the dark.
We run your IT so you don't have to. Same visibility, but we handle everything: day-to-day operations, security, user support. One flat fee. You never think about IT again.
Project-based expertise for specific needs: migrations, assessments, security audits, network redesigns, or AI workshops. Hourly, fixed-fee, or retainer. 30+ years of hands-on Microsoft experience, applied to your challenge.
We serve professional services firms across Greater Seattle, including the Eastside and South Snohomish County.
How We Work
Our principles.
These aren't marketing slogans. They're how we actually operate.
Visibility First
You should know if your IT is healthy without having to call someone and ask.
Security by Design
Security is built in from the start. Not added later. Not sold as an extra.
Prevention Over Firefighting
We fix problems before they become emergencies. Less drama, fewer late nights.
Grows With You
Add people, open offices, change tools. Your IT can handle it.
No Upselling
We recommend what you actually need. Not whatever has the best margin.
Our Focus
Built for small and mid-sized businesses.
We work with SMBs across industries. We specialize in professional services: law firms, accountants, consultancies, healthcare, architecture firms, financial services, and maritime and logistics—where security and reliability aren't optional.
If you have 5 to 75 people and you're tired of wondering whether your IT is okay, we built this for you.
Ownership
Independent by Design
Athencia isn't backed by private equity. We're not on a growth-at-all-costs acquisition spree. No one's pushing me to hit metrics for an investor report.
I'm building a business I want to run for a long time. That means doing right by clients, not chasing exits.
Local ownership. Local accountability.
Our Platform
Built on Microsoft 365.
We standardize on Microsoft 365 because it's what most professional services firms already use, and because 30+ years of Microsoft experience means we know it inside and out.
One platform. One architecture. Maintained with discipline, secured by design. Not a patchwork of disconnected tools that nobody fully understands.
You shouldn't have to wonder whether your IT is okay.
With Athencia, you'll know.
Want to know if we're the right fit?
Let's talk. We'll tell you honestly whether our approach makes sense for your firm.
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