Brian Friedopfer
Experience on both sides of the table.
Brian Friedopfer has sat on both sides of the technology table: as the customer accountable for systems, budgets and business operations, and as an executive building technology practices and working with providers and partners. He moved to the partner side for one reason: to build the practice he had always wanted as a frustrated customer. That was his approach throughout his partner career. He founded StrategIQ IT to put the same principle to work for clients, without a primary vendor to sell.
On the customer side, he experienced the practical consequences of a technology decision: whether it fits the business, whether people can use it, who supports it and what it costs to operate. On the partner side, he gained a close understanding of how solutions are positioned, proposals are structured, commercial terms are negotiated and delivery responsibilities are organized.
That experience shapes how he advises. Brian helps clients look beyond a product demonstration or an attractive rate to examine business fit, technical dependencies, provider incentives, total cost and accountability. A sound decision may mean buying something new, improving an existing system, renegotiating a commitment or leaving a working approach in place.
Experience behind the advice
- Thomson ReutersLead Contact Center Engineer, 2009–2012
Led the global contact center engineering team for one of the world’s largest information companies, supporting operations across every time zone for 16,000 agents and 60,000 users.
Managed a team of more than 20 engineers responsible for all change control, support and implementation, and led the global migration to a new Cisco UCCE platform. The role also spanned enterprise architecture, escalation and technical operations.
- The Bradford GroupManager, IT Infrastructure & Customer Experience Technology, 2012–2018
Owned infrastructure, telecommunications and CX technology strategy for a large direct-to-consumer and retail enterprise, managing a $5M technology budget and vendor relationships.
On the customer side of the table, he delivered $500K+ in annual savings, increased contact-center capacity 30% and reduced operating costs 40% through modernization, contract optimization and operating-model improvements.
- LaSalle Solutions, then Trace3Vice President, Head of Contact Center & Collaboration, 2018–2025
Built one continuous business: from $0 to $50M+ at LaSalle Solutions, then, after Trace3’s 2022 acquisition, scaled the national business unit beyond $100M in under three years.
Owned the full business-unit P&L, including pricing, investment priorities, organizational design and operating plans. Reported to the CTO and joined Trace3’s Operational Leadership Team within a year of the acquisition, contributing to roughly six further acquisitions.
Grew the team to 28 people led by five directors, developing all five original engineers into director-level leaders. Grew services revenue from about $1M to more than $16M in three years at roughly 40% margin, and advised Fortune 100 CIOs and CTOs on CX modernization, cloud migration and vendor selection.
- Quandary Consulting GroupPresident and Chief Growth Officer, 2026
Led growth strategy, market positioning, partnerships, customer success and alignment between commercial and delivery teams. His work included shaping enterprise advisory offerings, AI-enabled workflows and automation and integration opportunities across the Quickbase, Workato and Dialpad ecosystems.
- StrategIQ ITFounder
Clients work directly with Brian. CX, AI and automation are core strengths, alongside broader advice and solution sourcing across communications, connectivity, cloud, colocation, security and managed services through StrategIQ’s partnerships with more than 200 providers.
Recognition
Brian
- Cisco Partner Advisory Board member, 2019–2025
- President’s Club recognition from Avant, Sandler (Champions Circle), Trace3 and NICE
Teams he led
- Cisco US CX Partner of the Year, 2024 (Trace3)
- Trace3 Business Unit of the Year, 2024 (Contact Center & Collaboration)
- Cisco Newcomer Partner of the Year, 2019 (LaSalle Solutions)
- Multiple Cisco regional partner awards
AI credentials
- Anthropic certifications, including AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations
- Anthropic: Deploying Claude Enterprise with Confidence
What this means for clients
Brian combines that technical foundation with experience leading businesses, developing teams and sponsoring complex enterprise opportunities. He connects technology decisions with financial priorities, operating constraints and the people responsible for making change work.
StrategIQ IT helps business and technology leaders cut through complex choices, reduce unnecessary spending and connect technology investments to business priorities. We start with your goals and current environment, compare practical options and make costs, tradeoffs and responsibilities clear before you commit.
Advisory scope, commercial arrangements, specialist involvement, implementation and ongoing support responsibilities are defined for each opportunity.
What decision are you working through?
Bring one technology challenge, renewal or upcoming decision to a complimentary 20-minute conversation.
Prefer to share details first? Email brian@strategiqit.com. Include your company, the decision and your timing, and leave out confidential information.