What Carolina Advanced Digital does

Carolina Advanced Digital, Inc. (CAD) is a privately held, family-owned IT infrastructure and security solutions integrator founded in 1985 and headquartered in North Carolina. The firm designs, implements, and manages networking, wireless, security, data center, and computing solutions for federal and state government agencies, K-12 and higher education institutions, healthcare organizations, and commercial enterprises. It is a woman-owned and veteran-owned small business holding HUBZone and SDVOSB designations, with a CMMC Level 1 self-assessment and an ISO 20243 supply chain certification, and it operates under multi-decade federal procurement vehicles including a GSA Schedule contract (through July 2040) and a NASA SEWP V contract (through September 2026).

The company's portfolio spans five core solution areas (network, wireless, security, data center, computing) and three professional service lines, complemented by a SOC as a Service offering launched in 2021 in partnership with Arctic Wolf. CAD does not build proprietary technology; rather, it integrates best-of-breed products from a broad vendor bench (HPE, Aruba, Cisco, Juniper/Mist, Fortinet, Barracuda, Sophos, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, LogRhythm, and others), holding top-tier partner designations including HPE Gold Networking Specialist, Aruba Platinum with ACCE and ClearPass specializations, and Barracuda Premier. Revenue is generated through hardware and software resale, professional services (network design, implementation, security assessments, consulting, and integration), managed services (SOCaaS), and government contract vehicles, with pricing conducted on a quote-based, multi-year contract model.

Carolina Advanced Digital goes to market primarily through direct enterprise field sales, supplemented by channel/partner co-selling, an e-commerce storefront, and a Cooperative Purchase Program that funnels federal, state, and education buyers into its contract vehicles. The company markets through its own annual IT Hot Topics Conference, webinars, partner co-marketing, and industry event participation. In October 2025, CAD divested its SLED and Commercial business unit to Eastern DataComm, a Baymark Partners portfolio company, refocusing the remaining entity on federal government and core enterprise IT services.

Name

Carolina Advanced Digital

Legal name

Carolina Advanced Digital, Inc.

Website

https://cadinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carolina Advanced Digital is a family-owned IT integrator founded in 1985 that designs, deploys, and manages networking, wireless, security, and data center solutions for federal, state, education, and healthcare customers via GSA and SEWP V contract vehicles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Engineering services including network design, implementation, security assessments, consulting, and product integration. The company provides pre-sales support, project planning, and design services with certified engineers.
2. Product Reselling: Reselling of IT infrastructure products including networking equipment, wireless solutions, security appliances, and computing hardware from vendor partners (HPE, Aruba, Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, etc.) through government and commercial channels.
3. Managed Services: SOC as a Service providing 24/7 security operations, monitoring, remediation, and risk management. Additional managed services include infrastructure management for switching, routing, firewalls, NAC, and Wi-Fi.
4. Government Contract Vehicles: Revenue generated through GSA Schedule (contract #47QTCA20D00C4, valid through July 2040), SEWP V contract (#NNG15SD67B), and various state contracts including NC 204L for streamlined government procurement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carolina Advanced Digital is a family-owned IT solutions integrator that designs, deploys, and manages enterprise network, wireless, security, data center, and computing infrastructure for federal, state, education, healthcare, and commercial clients. The company resells best-of-breed hardware and software from partners such as HPE/Aruba, Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, and Barracuda, and layers on certified-engineer professional services, pre-sales design, and managed security operations (SOC as a Service via Arctic Wolf). Procurement is enabled through GSA Schedule, NASA SEWP V, and state contracts (e.g., NC 204L).

Product overview

Carolina Advanced Digital is a technology infrastructure and security solutions provider offering professional IT services and solutions. The company operates as a solution integrator rather than a product vendor, delivering services across five core solution areas: Network Solutions, Wireless Solutions, Security Solutions, Data Center Solutions, and Computing Solutions. These are complemented by three professional service offerings: Networking Services, Wireless Services, and Security Services. The company also provides specialized Federal Government IT Services for federal agencies and a SOC as a Service offering for organizations seeking security operations support. The portfolio is built on partnerships with major technology vendors including Aruba Networks, Fortinet, Cisco, Juniper Networks, HPE, Barracuda Networks, and others, through which CAD designs, implements, and manages IT infrastructure solutions for government, education, healthcare, and commercial clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SOC as a Service All-inclusive managed security operations service that combines CAD's professional services with 24/7 monitoring, remediation, and risk management through the Arctic Wolf platform. Includes managed detection and response, managed risk and vulnerability management, cloud monitoring, and optional bundled services for infrastructure, firewalls, NAC, Wi-Fi, pen testing, and vCISO. Targeted at organizations seeking to outsource security operations.
• Networking Services Professional services for enterprise network infrastructure design and implementation, with deep security integration. Backed by more than three decades of expertise and the experience of hundreds of completed projects, delivered by certified engineers across HPE/Aruba, Cisco, and Juniper platforms.
• Wireless Services Wireless design and deployment services across Aruba, Meru, Cisco, and Juniper/Mist platforms, including high-density environments such as hospitals, schools, and government facilities. Engineers hold CWNP and vendor-specific certifications.
• Security Services Strategic security services spanning high-level policy planning and detailed system configuration, including security assessments, consulting, and product integration. Supports compliance with CMMC, HIPAA, and PCI DSS requirements.
• Federal Government IT Services Enterprise IT solutions for federal agencies (Department of Defense and civilian), drawing on leadership experience in Naval intelligence. Addresses security, information, and procurement challenges unique to federal operations. Available via GSA Schedule (47QTCA20D00C4) and NASA SEWP V (NNG15SD67B) contract vehicles.
• Identity Manager Deployment Services Implementation services for Aruba ClearPass-based identity and network access control solutions supporting secure guest and device access management (BYOD). Deployed for K-12 and higher-education customers such as Bellarmine College Preparatory and Linwood School District.

Quantifiable outcome

• CMMC Level 1 Self-Assessment Completed and FAR 52.204-21 Compliant
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Arctic WolfcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Strategic partnership for SOC as a Service providing 24/7 security operations, monitoring, remediation, and risk management. Combines Carolina Advanced Digital's professional services with Arctic Wolf's security operations platform for comprehensive managed detection and response.
• Aruba NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2015Partnership to combine Carolina Advanced Digital's technology and security integration expertise with Aruba Networks' wireless products to offer enterprise customers innovative solutions with integrated security. The partnership leverages Aruba's federal security certifications.
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)coreTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing partnership with HPE for IT infrastructure solutions including servers, storage, networking equipment, and hybrid cloud offerings via HPE GreenLake. The company is an HPE Gold Networking Specialist providing ProCurve and HPE networking solutions to government and commercial customers.
• Aruba Networks (HPE)coreTechnology or IntegrationAruba Platinum certified partner and Aruba Central Cloud Expert (ACCE) certified, and Aruba ClearPass authorized specialist. Provides wireless networking solutions including SD-Branch, SD-WAN, wireless controllers, and network management with analytics and security capabilities.
• FortinetcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Fortinet network security solutions including Next-Generation Firewall, Secure SD-WAN, Email Security, DDoS protection, Web Application Firewall, NAC, Zero Trust Networking, SASE, and CASB. Fortinet is market leader in units shipped worldwide.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Presidio: IT solutions and managed services provider with strong networking, security, and cloud practices serving federal and commercial clients. Closely comparable business model with vendor partner integrations and professional services.
• NWN Carousel: Unified communications, networking, and managed services provider serving enterprise, healthcare, and public sector customers. Comparable in managed services orientation and customer verticals.
• Carahsoft Technology: Government IT solutions aggregator and reseller specializing in federal, state, and education markets. Directly comparable in customer segments, contract vehicle usage, and vendor partner ecosystem.
• Iron Bow Technologies: IT solutions provider focused on federal, healthcare, and commercial clients with deep networking, security, and collaboration offerings. Closely aligned customer mix and solutions portfolio.
• ePlus Technology: IT solutions and services provider offering networking, security, cloud, and data center solutions with strong vendor partnerships and federal/commercial reach. Directly comparable integration-led business model.
• DLT Solutions (a TD SYNNEX company): Government-focused technology solutions aggregator offering software, security, and infrastructure products to federal, state, and education buyers. Directly comparable customer mix and contract vehicle approach.
• Blackwood (a Converge company): Federal-focused IT solutions and staffing provider with networking, security, and data center capabilities. Comparable small-business federal IT integrator with similar set-aside positioning.

Broad incumbents

• CDW Government (CDW-G): Federal-focused IT solutions provider within CDW, offering hardware, software, and integration across networking, security, and data center. Comparable in product categories and federal customer base, but vastly larger scale.
• World Wide Technology (WWT): Large systems integrator providing networking, security, and data center solutions to federal and commercial customers. Highly comparable offerings but at significantly larger scale.
• Insight Enterprises: Global IT solutions integrator providing hardware, software, and services across networking, security, and cloud. Comparable solution portfolio and federal/state government go-to-market, but at enterprise scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cadinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/CADincorporated

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Carolina Advanced Digital