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About

I’m Ross Wickman.

I’m an AWS cloud architect based in Sioux Falls. I help founders take a vibe-coded app from “it works” to something they can share with confidence.

I’ve been doing enterprise IT since 2003. More than twenty years later, I still start with the same questions a launch depends on: who can get in, where the data lives, and who is responsible when something breaks.

On AWS that work has been compliance-grade. GovCloud and FedRAMP environments. PCI and SOC audits. I’ve worked on AWS since 2014. A vibe-coded app can look finished while the permissions, the secrets, and the recovery plan are still open. That is the gap I help founders close.

You can stop when you have what you need. Start with the free Launch Check. The next step is often the $299 Launch Readiness Review: a written report and a prioritized fix list. After that, a Fix & Harden Sprint starts at $1,500, and a Secure AWS Deployment starts at $2,500. The review fee is credited toward a sprint booked within 30 days. You and I agree the scope and price before any of that work starts.

Ross Wickman

Experience

The work behind a review.

This is the experience I bring when an app is about to meet real users. It is the part that matters for a launch, not a full résumé.

  1. 2002

    South Dakota Air National Guard

    I enlisted in December 2002 with the 114th Fighter Wing. As a cyber systems operator I worked on servers, secure communications, data retention, and disaster recovery. In September 2013 I deployed to Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan for Operation Eager Lion. In June 2020 I was promoted to Master Sergeant and served as Network Control Center supervisor. Awards from that service include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Achievement Medal.

  2. 12 years

    Federal employee, DoD and USGS

    I spent nearly 12 years as a federal employee with the Department of Defense and the U.S. Geological Survey. That work was cloud operations and design: compliant infrastructure, security, and automation.

  3. Contractor

    U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Space Force

    As a federal contractor I supported the U.S. Navy and the Air Force and Space Force. The work was compliance, architecture, and monitoring in GovCloud and FedRAMP environments.

  4. 2020–2022

    Senior Cloud Architect and SRE, Effectual

    From August 2020 to July 2022, in Sioux Falls, I designed, automated, and secured AWS architectures across dozens of customer environments.

  5. 2022–2025

    Manager, Cloud Services and Enablement, Edgio

    From July 2022 to July 2025 I governed 9 AWS Organizations and more than 300 accounts. The work included Control Tower and service control policies, Account Factory for Terraform, and networking with Direct Connect, Transit Gateway, and VPN. I used CloudFormation and Service Catalog for infrastructure as code, supported PCI and SOC audits, set up SCIM with Azure Entra, and worked on cost optimization.

  6. Now

    Cloud services and enablement

    I currently lead cloud services and enablement in my day role. Small Launch is where I help founders who are ready to put a real app in front of real users.

50+AWS Organizations governed

500+accounts under governance

Those figures are the broader total, including more than 1,000 resources deployed and managed. At Edgio the estate was 9 AWS Organizations and 300+ accounts.

Certifications

What I hold, and where to verify it.

Five AWS certifications from Amazon Web Services Training and Certification, plus CompTIA Security+, Network+, and A+ (ce). Each card opens my Credly profile.

Community

Still in the room with other builders.

LinkedIn rosswickman.com GitHub Credly

When you’re ready

Start with a check. Book a review when you want me in the details.

The Launch Check is free. The Launch Readiness Review is $299.

Start the free Launch Check Book the $299 Review