What Sparkhound does

Sparkhound is a privately held U.S. IT consulting and managed services firm, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with additional offices in Birmingham, Alabama, Dallas, Texas, and Houston, Texas. The company serves mid-market businesses (typically 25-5,000 employees), as well as state and local government entities, across verticals including healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, energy, insurance, and SLED. Its service portfolio is organized into three solution areas: Data & AI (data analytics, AI preparedness assessments, generative AI/LLM consulting), App Innovation (custom and low-code application development, Microsoft 365 consulting, data integration), and Managed Services (managed IT, security, infrastructure/cloud, and service desk).

The underlying technology stack is Microsoft-centric and includes Azure, Microsoft 365, the Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio), Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Cognitive Services, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Purview, and SharePoint Premium. Sparkhound is a Microsoft Gold Partner with eight Gold Competencies and three Silver Competencies, plus Microsoft Catalyst Accredited Partner status. Proprietary IP includes the AI Preparedness Methodology (a consulting framework for AI readiness) and the SPARK Transcriber audio transcription product. Complementary technology partnerships span Arctic Wolf (security), Cisco Meraki/Umbrella, Fortinet, DUO, AWS, and others.

Revenue is generated through two streams: project-based and time-and-materials professional services engagements (IT consulting, AI consulting, custom development, digital transformation) and recurring managed services (managed IT, security, cloud, help desk) billed monthly via subscription. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to scope, complexity, and service level. The company employs a sales-led, consultative go-to-market executed through its four regional offices, the company website, direct phone outreach, and the Microsoft partner ecosystem. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors are disclosed; Sparkhound is founder-controlled by Shawn Usher.

Name

Sparkhound

Legal name

Sparkhound LLC

Website

https://sparkhound.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sparkhound is a privately held IT consulting and managed services firm serving mid-market businesses and state/local government, specializing in Microsoft-based digital transformation, AI consulting, managed IT, and cybersecurity across the Gulf South and Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Consulting and Managed Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Process & Digital Transformation Consulting (BPAEAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF), AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services (BPAEAHAF), Workplace Migration & Refresh Programs (Win11/M365 migrations, device refresh/IMAC) (BPAEAIAL)

Keywords

• IT consulting services
• Managed IT services
• Cloud infrastructure services
• AI consulting services
• Application development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - IT Consulting: Revenue generated from IT consulting engagements including AI consulting, data analytics services, custom app development, and digital transformation projects. These are typically project-based or time-and-materials engagements.
2. Managed Services: Recurring revenue from ongoing managed IT, security, cloud, and help desk services provided on a subscription basis. Offers dedicated specialists, 24/7 support, and comprehensive IT management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sparkhound is an IT consulting and managed services firm delivering project-based digital transformation, AI consulting, and custom application development alongside recurring managed IT, managed security, managed cloud, and 24/7 help desk services. Offerings are built primarily on the Microsoft technology stack (Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Fabric) and target mid-market businesses and SLED government clients seeking enterprise-class IT capabilities without building large internal IT departments. The firm also develops proprietary AI tools such as SPARK Transcriber for audio transcription and an AI-driven Proposal/RFP Response Generator.

Product overview

Sparkhound is an IT consulting and managed services firm offering a portfolio of technology services organized across three solution areas: Data & AI (Data & Analytics, AI Preparedness, Gen AI & LLM), App Innovation (Custom App Development, Low Code Development, Data Integration & Warehousing, Microsoft 365 Consulting, App Development Support), and Managed Services (Managed IT, Security & Data Protection, Infrastructure & Cloud, Managed Service Desk). The company operates as a Microsoft Gold Partner with deep expertise in Microsoft technologies including Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Azure OpenAI Service. Solutions include both human-delivered consulting services and technology products like SPARK Transcriber for audio transcription and the Proposal/RFP Response Generator for automated proposal creation. The firm serves mid-market businesses across Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Managed IT Comprehensive managed IT infrastructure service providing network design, operation, monitoring, and cybersecurity delivered at a fraction of the cost of building IT internally; targets mid-market businesses that need enterprise-class IT without large in-house teams.
• Security & Data Protection Managed security services providing 24/7 threat detection, identity management, and cyber defense through partnerships with Arctic Wolf, Microsoft, and other security technology providers; designed for organizations needing continuous security operations.
• Infrastructure & Cloud Managed cloud services delivered through Microsoft Azure that provide scalable infrastructure, resource management, and cloud optimization to support business growth.
• Managed Service Desk 24/7 IT help desk and service desk support with onshore specialists providing rapid incident management and continuous business operations support.
• Custom App Development Custom software development service that creates scalable applications including mobile apps, websites, and legacy system modernizations tailored to client digital operations.
• Low Code Development Low-code application development service using Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio) for rapid deployment and reduced development costs.
• Data Integration & Warehousing Data warehousing and integration service using Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, and SQL Server to deliver seamless data access, ETL processes, and business intelligence.
• Microsoft 365 Consulting Microsoft 365 optimization service covering licensing management, migration, user adoption training, and change management to maximize ROI on Microsoft 365 investments.
• App Development Support Proactive application support and maintenance service that ensures peak performance, minimal downtime, security updates, and continuous monitoring for business-critical applications.
• Data & Analytics Data analytics service that helps organizations gain business performance insights through organization, maintenance, analysis, and visualization of diverse data sources.
• AI Preparedness AI readiness assessment and consulting service using Sparkhound's proprietary AI Preparedness methodology to evaluate data infrastructure, governance, and Copilot readiness for AI adoption.
• Gen AI & LLM Consulting Generative AI and large language model consulting service leveraging Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Copilot, and custom LLM implementations including RAG models for enterprise knowledge retrieval.
• SPARK Transcriber Sparkhound's proprietary AI-powered audio transcription product that leverages Azure Cognitive Services to automatically transcribe depositions and interviews with speaker identification and metadata capture, achieving near 95% reduction in transcription time.
• Proposal/RFP Response Generator Sparkhound's proprietary AI product that extracts questions from RFP documents using Azure Document Intelligence, generates responses using Azure OpenAI ChatGPT-4o grounded to past proposals via Azure AI Search, and enables efficient compliance questionnaire completion.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27.4% reduction in call center operating costs for LCMC Health
• +14 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability15 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Microsoft Gold Partner since 2002 with eight Gold Competencies and three Silver Competencies. Member of Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, Microsoft Catalyst Accredited Partner, and Microsoft Content Services Partner Program (CSPP) Associate Member. Specializations include Azure DevOps, Identity and Access Management, Microsoft Power Platform, and Azure Synapse/Data Factory/Purview. Provides expert deployment of Microsoft 365 stack, Azure services, and Power Platform solutions.
• Arctic WolfcoreTechnology or IntegrationSecurity partnership for managed security services. Arctic Wolf provides advanced threat detection and security operations capabilities that complement Sparkhound's managed security offerings, enabling comprehensive cyber defense for clients.
• AWSsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationTechnology alliance partner for cloud infrastructure and services. AWS capabilities complement Microsoft Azure offerings to provide flexible cloud solutions based on client requirements.
• Cisco MerakisecondaryTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for network infrastructure solutions including cloud-managed IT, security, and SD-WAN capabilities.
• Cisco UmbrellasecondaryTechnology or IntegrationSecurity technology partner providing cloud-delivered security and secure web gateway solutions.
• DUO SecuritysecondaryTechnology or IntegrationSecurity technology partner providing multi-factor authentication and secure access solutions.
• FortinetsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationSecurity technology partner providing network security, firewall, and unified threat management solutions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Avanade: Avanade is the largest pure-play Microsoft-focused IT consultancy (joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft). It is comparable to Sparkhound as a Microsoft Gold Partner delivering Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Copilot consulting, but operates at much larger scale and global footprint.
• Insight Enterprises: Insight is a large global IT solutions and services provider delivering cloud, data, AI, and managed services through partnerships with Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, and others. It overlaps with Sparkhound in Microsoft/Azure solutions delivery but at materially greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• Slalom: Slalom is a mid-market-focused technology and business consulting firm with deep Microsoft partnership and regional offices delivering cloud, data, AI, and managed services. It is a near-direct competitor to Sparkhound with comparable Microsoft Gold credentials, hybrid project-plus-managed services model, and mid-market customer profile.
• Perficient: Perficient (now part of EQT) is a digital consultancy delivering Microsoft, data/analytics, and managed services to mid-market and enterprise clients. It competes directly with Sparkhound in Microsoft-centric digital transformation and data engineering engagements.
• Datavail: Datavail is a database, data integration, and managed services specialist focused on Microsoft SQL Server, Azure data platform, and Power BI. It is comparable to Sparkhound's Data & AI and managed services lines and shares a similar mid-market customer base.
• JourneyTEAM: JourneyTEAM is a Microsoft Gold Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure, and AI consulting for mid-market clients. It is highly comparable to Sparkhound in Microsoft-ecosystem focus, mid-market targeting, and hybrid consulting-plus-managed-services delivery.
• Strive Consulting: Strive Consulting is a Microsoft-focused management and technology consultancy offering data analytics, CRM/ERP, and digital transformation services. It overlaps with Sparkhound's consulting practice for Microsoft-centric mid-market transformation work.
• BKD Technologies: BKD Technologies provides managed IT, cybersecurity, and cloud services to mid-market clients, often in conjunction with BKD CPA firm relationships. It is comparable to Sparkhound's managed services practice for similarly sized organizations seeking outsourced IT leadership.

Regional players

• NetSmart Technologies: NetSmart is a US-based healthcare IT consultancy delivering Microsoft/Azure-based managed services and application development to healthcare and human services organizations. It is comparable to Sparkhound's healthcare vertical engagements and managed services model.

Others

• Cofense: Cofense (formerly PhishMe) is a cybersecurity solutions provider specializing in phishing defense and email security operations. While not a direct competitor, it is comparable to Sparkhound's Security & Data Protection managed services offering and shares common Microsoft/Azure-aligned delivery environments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sparkhound
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sparkhound
• Facebookfacebook.com/sparkhoundllc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sparkhound

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sparkhound