Nolan Northup

Business & Technology Leader | Cloud Architect | AI Innovation Advocate

623-204-6912nolan.northup@upnorthdigital.aiWausau, Wisconsin

Mission & Vision

I'm on a mission to demystify AI transformation and help businesses embrace our new partner technology. While others race toward artificial general intelligence, I focus on practical AI applications that enrich our work lives—making us more efficient, more accurate, and achieving better work-life balance.

Through UpNorthDigital.ai, I'm democratizing innovation beyond coastal tech hubs, bringing enterprise-grade solutions to businesses everywhere. My approach? Deliver real ROI, not just cool technology. Cut costs by 50%, deliver in days instead of weeks, and iterate overnight—all while maintaining the high standards enterprise clients expect.

Why Work With Me

ROI-First Approach

I focus on solutions that directly impact your bottom line, not just implementing the latest tech trends.

AI-Powered Efficiency

50% cost reduction on development projects. Days instead of weeks to prototype. Overnight iterations to production.

Enterprise Experience

20+ years architecting solutions for Fortune 500, government, and higher education. $55M+ in managed services delivered.

Cloud Migration Expert

Led ERP migrations to AWS for AC Transit, Broward County, Boscov's, University of Akron, enabling blue/green deployments and auto-scaling.

Direct Communication

High expectations with high support. When you bring the energy, I match it. No corporate speak—just straight talk about what works.

Privacy-First Innovation

Building Avocation Domains: a privacy-first knowledge management system that keeps your data local while leveraging AI capabilities.

Recent Impact

Enterprise Cloud Transformations (2023-2025)

Led critical ERP migrations from on-premise to AWS cloud for:

  • AC Transit - Public transportation authority
  • Broward County, FL - Government services
  • Boscov's Department Store - Retail operations
  • University of Akron & Coppin State University - Higher education

Achievements: Blue/green deployments, auto-scaling, CapEx to OpEx transition

Cloud Practice Building (2017-2020)

Built and scaled cloud consulting practice from 2 to 12 certified professionals. Generated $2.5M annual revenue. Established partnerships with major cloud vendors for co-marketing and migration funding.

Enterprise Architecture Leadership

Architected solutions processing 1M+ messages per minute for major hotel brand. Achieved 99%+ SLAs during company expansion. Reduced student aid validation by 50%, increasing admission and retention by 25%.

Professional Journey

Sierra-Cedar

• Project Manager2024 - Present

Leading critical ERP cloud migrations for enterprise clients including AC Transit, Broward County, Boscov's, and universities. Delivering blue/green deployments, auto-scaling, and CapEx to OpEx transitions while building AI-powered solutions.

Technology Solutions Director

2020 - 2024

Contributed to sales support, cloud solutions architecture, pricing strategies, contract negotiations, and partner management. Architected and priced hundreds of cloud migration projects for $55M managed service organization.

Practice Manager - Cloud Consulting

2017 - 2020

Built cloud consulting group from inception. Responsible for hiring, enablement, service delivery, and partner management. Scaled team to 12 certified professionals.

Senior Consultant

2011 - 2017

Enterprise architect for Choice Hotels, Cornell University, LifeLock, and others. Led SOA implementations, middleware teams, and governance training across Fortune 500 clients.

University Experience

2001 - 2011

System Administrator roles at Grand Canyon University and University of Wisconsin-Stout. Managed Oracle, Microsoft, and Cisco infrastructure. Architected learning management and portal systems.

Technical Excellence

Certifications

  • ▸AWS AI Practitioner
  • ▸AWS Solutions Architect, SysOps Administrator, Developer
  • ▸Professional Scrum Master (Scrum.org)
  • ▸Cloud Technology & Cloud Professional (Arcitura)
  • ▸Oracle Certified WebLogic Administrator

Core Expertise

  • ▸Cloud Architecture & Migration (AWS, Multi-cloud)
  • ▸AI Integration & Automation with Claude, GPT
  • ▸Enterprise Software & Service-Oriented Architecture
  • ▸Contract Negotiation & Practice Management

Education

University of Wisconsin - Stout

• B.S. Telecommunications and Network Management2000

Let's Transform Your Business

Ready to cut costs by 50% and deliver solutions in days instead of weeks? Let's discuss how AI partnership can transform your operations.

Read My Insights