Service · IT Projects & Automation
Workflow automation and IT projects your tools should already handle.
Workflow automation starts where your tools stop doing the work they were sold to do. The CRM was supposed to talk to the accounting software. It does not, and the person who set it up is gone. Business process automation, AI automation, CRM automation, and integration consultant work all have the same test: can we prove the handoff works after the build? Phoenix Rise taught us to trust running systems, not generic AI claims. We close the gap with proof-led implementation.
Helix Stax builds and advises on IT projects, workflow automation, software integrations, AI builds, cloud migrations, and network buildouts. This is the pillar for organizations that need something built, migrated, redesigned, or automated, not ongoing managed IT, but a defined piece of work with a clear start, a clear end, and a deliverable at the finish line. The work spans n8n, Zapier, Make, and Power Automate on the automation side; cloud platform migrations on the infrastructure side; software integrations and custom builds on the application side; and AI implementations, RAG pipelines, agent workflows, and Copilot rollouts, on the intelligence side.
We run the same tools in production for our own operations: an n8n workflow platform handling production pipelines, more than twenty AI agents orchestrated through a custom agent framework, RAG against a Postgres-pgvector knowledge base, and cloud infrastructure on K3s. When we recommend a tool or an architecture, the reason is that we run it ourselves and know where it breaks. The work we do for clients is the work we do for our own firm.
Key service areas
What the work looks like.
- Workflow automation with n8n, Zapier, Make, or Power Automate, we map the process, pick the right tool, build the flow, and ride the rollout until the team actually uses it
- Software integrations, CRM-to-accounting, ERP-to-operations, practice-management-to-billing: the quiet integration breaks named and repaired
- Custom software and application builds, scoped builds where off-the-shelf tools do not fit and a custom integration or lightweight application is the right answer
- AI builds, RAG pipelines against your documents and knowledge base, AI agent workflows, n8n AI automation, and Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout planning
- Cloud migrations, on-prem to Azure, AWS, or GCP, with a workload assessment, cost model, migration sequence, and tested cutover plan
- Network buildouts for new locations, site survey, design, hardware selection (vendor-agnostic), configuration, and handoff documentation so the next person can maintain what was built
Named engagements inside this capability
How this shows up as a scoped engagement.
Workflow Automation
The work of making your tools do what they were sold to do, and connecting the ones that never talked to each other. We map the revenue-critical process, name where it breaks, select the right automation platform, build the flow, and ride the cutover until the workflow runs without a human pushing it through every step. This is the engagement that absorbs what was formerly called Operations Advisory.
- A workflow map of one revenue-critical process, quote-to-cash, lead-to-close, service-ticket-to-invoice, with every handoff, every gap, and every integration point named in writing
- Automation platform selection: n8n, Zapier, Make, or Power Automate scored against your scenario, your IT environment, and the three-year cost, not just the monthly fee
- Built automation with a documented runbook, the flow, the error handling, the rollback plan, and the person who owns it after we leave
- A 90-day adoption check: usage data reviewed, drift called out, and a written verdict on whether the automation is holding or needs adjustment
Software & Integrations
Most small and mid-market businesses have four to eight core software tools that were never properly integrated. Data gets re-entered by hand. Reports are assembled from three different exports. One person knows where everything lives. We map the connections that should exist, build or configure them, and document the data flows so the next person who joins your team inherits a system, not a mystery.
- Integration map: every tool, every data flow, every manual step that should be automated, laid out before a single line of configuration is written
- Native integration configuration: Zapier, Make, n8n, or built-in connector for platforms that support it, use the platform's integration layer before writing custom code
- Custom API integration where native connectors do not exist: lightweight webhook endpoints, data transformation layers, and error notification so silent failures get caught
- Post-build data quality check: sample records traced end-to-end through the integration to verify the data arrived correctly and the edge cases were handled
AI Builds
AI implementation is the work between "the leadership team agrees we should be using AI somewhere" and "the AI is running in production, the team uses it, and the math says it paid off." Most organizations are not asking whether AI is real. They are asking whether the seat-of-the-pants ChatGPT habit should be formalized, whether Copilot is worth the per-seat upgrade, and whether customer data should ever touch a vendor model. We run the math, name the answer that fits, and build the thing. Helix Stax runs AI in production for our own back office, the same plumbing we install for clients.
- AI strategy memo: what to build, what to skip, what to pilot first, with the cost, the expected return, and the data-safety call on what may touch a vendor model
- LLM selection: Claude, GPT, Gemini, or open-source scored against your use case and your data environment, we do not resell any model and we are not affiliated with any vendor
- RAG pipeline build: retrieval-augmented generation against your documents, runbooks, or knowledge base, with a tested deployment and a written runbook
- n8n AI workflow and agent build: production-grade AI workflows and agent orchestration that actually run and handle error cases
- Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout: licensing math, security configuration, team enablement plan, and an adoption check at 90 days so the investment actually lands
Cloud Migrations
Cloud migrations go wrong when they are sequenced wrong. You move the application before the network is ready. You lift-and-shift a workload that should have been re-architected. You cut over before the backup is validated. We plan the sequence, validate the architecture, test the cutover, and do not call it done until the old environment is confirmed off and the new one is confirmed running.
- Workload assessment: every server and application catalogued, cloud-readiness scored, and a lift-and-shift vs re-architect recommendation written per workload
- Cost model: three-year TCO for the proposed cloud architecture versus the on-prem status quo, the math your CFO needs before the decision is made
- Migration sequence: the order that reduces risk, including network connectivity first, non-critical workloads before critical, and a tested rollback plan before each cutover
- Post-migration validation: every workload confirmed running, backup confirmed operational, access confirmed correct, and a 30-day performance baseline collected before the engagement closes
Network Buildouts
A new location, a facility expansion, or a full network replacement needs a design before it needs a purchase order. We survey the site, design the topology, select the hardware vendor-agnostically, and produce the configuration documentation the installer needs. The design works in the audit room, not just on opening day.
- Site survey and RF assessment for wireless environments, coverage maps, interference sources, and an access point placement plan before equipment is ordered
- Topology design: diagram, VLAN plan, firewall ruleset, and IP address scheme documented before the first cable is run
- Hardware selection: Cisco, Meraki, Fortinet, Ubiquiti, or OPNsense scored against your scenario, your budget, and your support requirements, we do not take referral fees from any vendor
- Configuration documentation and installer handoff: the settings package an installer can follow, with a post-install verification checklist so you know the work matched the design
How we engage
Project-shaped work at every tier.
IT projects and automation runs at every engagement level. The free call names the work; the Engagement builds it; the Operate tier runs and evolves it.
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vCIO Retainer
Quarterly advisory on automation opportunities, integration strategy, and the AI decisions your team is wrestling with. The "what should we build next and in what order" conversation, with a written answer. We advise; your team or a contractor builds.
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Helix Engagement
We come in as your build squad. One defined project per engagement cycle: a workflow automation, a software integration, an AI build, a cloud migration, or a network buildout. Scoped, built, tested, documented, and handed off.
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Helix Operate
Continuous build and operations for organizations running multiple automation stacks, active AI workflows, or an ongoing cloud or integration program. New workflows as the business evolves, error monitoring on existing automation, and the quarterly re-score that tells you whether the build portfolio is paying off.
What you walk out with
Concrete deliverables.
- A workflow map of one revenue-critical process, with every handoff, gap, and integration point named in writing
- A built and documented automation, the flow, the error handling, the rollback plan, and the named owner after we leave
- An integration map: every tool, every data flow, and a post-build data quality check confirming records moved correctly
- An AI strategy memo: what to build, what to skip, the LLM selection rationale, and the data-safety call
- A cloud migration plan: workload assessment, three-year cost model, migration sequence, and post-migration validation report
- A network buildout package: site survey, topology design, hardware selection rationale, and installer configuration documentation
Honest scope
What we do not do.
We do not write industrial automation code or PLC programs, that is a different buyer with a different cluster of firms. We do not build large custom software applications from scratch; we scope automation and integration builds, not full development projects. We do not fine-tune foundation AI models or guarantee model performance, nobody can do that honestly. We do not run the ongoing operations of what we build at the advisory tiers: the free call and Engagement deliver the build and the handoff; the Operate tier is where ongoing operation lives. We do not resell cloud platform licenses or collect referral fees from AWS, Azure, or any software vendor.
Industries we apply this to
Where this service shows up most.
- Legal Practice management, a document portal, and the spreadsheet your senior partner will not give up.
- Hospitality POS, online ordering, a loyalty app, and a scheduling tool the kitchen never opens. The assistant GM is the integration layer.
- Distribution A WMS that only talks to the ERP through a nightly export that breaks every other Friday.
- Healthcare EHR, billing, scheduling, and patient comms in four systems that almost talk to each other.
You can have the number by Friday.
The free call is free, and the only thing you walk out with is your CTGA score and the three gaps that cost you the most. If we are not the right fit, you keep the score and we both move on.