Something About Your
Technology Is Not Working.

Things are harder than they should be, and nobody is giving you a straight answer. Tell us what's going on and we'll find out why. Veteran-owned IT, cybersecurity and web help, based in Joliet, IL.

Tell Us What Is Going On See If This Sounds Familiar
20+ Yrs Combined Experience Fixed Fees, Never Hourly You Talk to the Person Doing the Work
Does This Sound Familiar?

Your Business Grew.
Your Technology Did Not Keep Up.

Most growing businesses are operating on assumptions about their technology. Here is what that usually looks like.

01
You're not sure what you have.

You could not list every tool you are paying for or where your data lives. The last person who knew left.

02
Your IT provider closes tickets but never fixes the real problem.

They respond when things break, but nobody explains why the same problems keep coming back.

03
Your website exists, but it is not doing anything for you.

Someone built it years ago. It does not show up on Google. It does not bring in leads.

04
Nobody has looked at your vendor contracts in years.

You're paying for tools nobody fully uses, on contracts that renew without anyone reading them.

05
You had a scare. You patched it. You never fixed the root cause.

Something broke or nearly went very wrong. You handled it in the moment. The underlying cause is still there.

06
You cannot get a straight answer without sitting through a pitch.

Every provider you talk to wants to get you on a call before they will tell you anything useful.

Each of these costs you time or money, and each one can be fixed. It starts with someone learning how your business runs.

Tell Us What Is Going On
Our Approach

Most Providers Treat Symptoms.
We Find the Root Cause.

We learn how your business runs first: who does what, which tools they use, and where things slow down. What we recommend comes from that.

Diagnosis before prescription

We don't have a standard package we fit everyone into. What we recommend depends on what we find.

You talk to the person doing the work

You work with Patrick or Elenor from the first message to the finished job. Whoever finds the problem fixes it.

Fixed fees, never hourly

We scope the work, write down exactly what is included, and quote one fixed price. You know the number before we start. If something falls outside that scope, we tell you and quote it first.

IT and digital under one roof

Your network, security and website are handled by the same two people, so a change on one side never surprises the other.

Honest answers, plain language

We explain what's going on in plain words. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so and suggest who might be.

Read About Our Approach
How It Works

A Clear Path Forward.
No Guesswork.

Every engagement follows the same three stages. You always know where you are, what comes next, and why it matters.

Stage 01

Diagnose

We map your actual environment and find what has been overlooked or misidentified.

  • Systems and network inventory
  • Security posture review
  • Risk and gap identification
  • Written findings with priorities
Stage 02

Stabilize

We fix what matters most. Reliable, documented, and built to last.

  • Critical issue remediation
  • Security hardening
  • Documentation and runbooks
  • Staff guidance where needed
Stage 03

Protect

Ongoing support keeps your technology running and your business protected as it grows.

  • Proactive monitoring
  • Patch and update management
  • Ongoing security oversight
  • Fractional vCTO advisory
Talk to Us See How Pricing Works
The Work We Typically Do

Most Small Businesses
Have Versions of the Same Problems.

Most of our work falls into these six areas. Pick the one that fits, or tell us what's going on and we'll point you to the right one.

Technology Assessment

We map your systems, identify risks, and give you a clear picture of what needs attention. From $1,500.

System AuditsRisk AssessmentVendor ReviewAction Plans
Learn more

IT Services and Fractional vCTO

Strategic technology leadership without a full-time hire. Roadmaps, budgets, vendor calls, risk reviews. From $1,750/month.

Strategic LeadershipRoadmapsVendor DecisionsHIPAA / PCI Tier
Learn more

Cybersecurity

Audits, vulnerability scanning, access reviews, and ongoing monitoring. A clear picture of what is exposed and a plan to fix it.

Audits from $2,500MonitoringHIPAA / PCIIncident Response
Learn more

AI, Automation and Business Systems

Private AI assistants that answer from your own documents, practical AI inside the tools you already use, plus custom workflows, scripts, dashboards, and small internal apps built around how your business works.

Private AIAI ImplementationAutomationScriptingDashboardsCustom Apps
Learn more

Web and Digital Services

Custom websites, SEO, Google Ads, AI search, and content marketing. Month-to-month, no contracts, and a monthly report you can read.

Web DesignSEO from $625/moGoogle AdsAI SearchContent Marketing
Learn more

Technology Planning

A documented multi-year plan for your technology. Built around where your business is going over the next few years.

Multi-Year RoadmapsBudget PlanningGap AnalysisRisk Register
Learn more

Not sure which services you need?

Tell us what is going on. We will tell you what makes sense. No obligation.

Describe Your Situation See Full Pricing
How We Charge

We Quote a Fixed Price
Before We Start.

Most IT providers bill by the hour, which rewards the people doing the work for taking longer. We scope the work, write down exactly what is included, and quote one fixed price. You know the number before we start, and you only pay for what we agreed.

See How Pricing Works Talk to Us
  • Clear scope, in writing. Every engagement starts with a written scope. You see exactly what is included and what it costs before we begin.
  • One fixed price, one timeline. No metered clock, no open-ended invoices. The number we quote is the number you pay.
  • Anything outside the scope gets its own quote first. Need something beyond the agreed scope? We tell you and quote it first. You decide. Nothing lands on your bill without your say-so.
By Industry

Industries We Work With.

Each of these has its own rules and its own software. Each page covers what we know about that industry.

Healthcare

HIPAA, EHR, patient data, and uptime that does not forgive mistakes.

Explore Healthcare

Legal

Confidentiality, document security, and a real online presence.

Explore Legal

Financial Services

PCI compliance, customer data protection, and audit-ready systems.

Explore Financial Services

Manufacturing

Floor uptime, ERP and MES support, and ransomware-aware infrastructure.

Explore Manufacturing

Real Estate

MLS integrations, transaction security, and search visibility for listings.

Explore Real Estate

Banking

PCI implementation experience inside financial institutions, audit-ready.

Explore Banking

Construction

Field-to-office connectivity, project documentation, and reliable mobile workflows.

Explore Construction

Nonprofits

Donor data protection, lean budgets, and grant-ready documentation.

Explore Nonprofits
How It Works

What Happens When
You Reach Out.

1

Tell Us What Is Going On

Describe your situation. Patrick or Elenor reads it and writes back.

2

We Learn How You Work

We ask about your business, your processes, and how your team operates before recommending anything.

3

You Get a Clear Proposal

Fixed price, defined scope, plain language. You know what you are getting before anything starts.

4

We Get to Work

Patrick or Elenor handles your project directly. When something needs a decision, we explain the options and let you make the call.

Start the Conversation
Why Businesses Trust Us

Where Our Experience
Comes From.

We work across vendors and systems

Your technology is a mix of tools from different eras. We make it work together, or help you find something that works better.

Real compliance and recovery experience

HIPAA and PCI implementation experience inside financial institutions and healthcare organizations. Disaster recovery planning and testing where downtime means regulatory violations.

U.S. Army communications background

U.S. Army communications and IT security, managing classified satellite networks while holding a security clearance.

Plain explanations

We explain what's happening, why it matters and what your options are, so you can make the call.

Two people on your project

Patrick covers IT and security. Elenor covers websites, systems and automation. You get both without hiring two companies.

Built for growing businesses

We work best with companies of 1 to 75 people, where the owner still makes the technology decisions.

See Our Case Studies
What Clients Say

In Their Words.

You're the best! Elenor built our website, brochure, business cards, and letterhead, and every time, she knocked it out of the park. Everything looked great and I was extremely happy. I was already using the letterhead on client matters right away. She does a fantastic job with web design, and referring her to others has been my pleasure.

Legal, Illinois

Some of my emails were going to spam and some suppliers weren't getting them at all. Elenor tracked down the problem and fixed it, and it was such a relief. She's also built and updated our website over the years, and every time I look at her work, it looks great. I'm thankful for the great work she's done for me.

Technology, Illinois

When Elenor showed me the website draft, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! She's helped us with so much more than that: our business cards, our logo files, our financial planning spreadsheet, and a fundraising and grant plan. Everything she hands me looks outstanding. I'm so grateful for her. She's a gem.

Education, Illinois

Everything looks great. I love it. Elenor does great work. She's updated my website, designed my logo, and made gift certificates for an event that really turned out awesome. When she showed me the final logo, my reaction was 'Yes! I love it!' I've come back to her for project after project.

Professional Training, Illinois

Elenor created the full brand for my new business, from the logo to the business cards. When she sent over the first round of designs, my reaction was 'These are all amazing!' I had a hard time picking a favorite. She made the whole process easy, even with my busy school schedule, and everything looked great.

Beauty, Illinois
Featured Build

When the Real Problem Is
That Nothing Talks to Each Other.

Sometimes the fix is not another tool. It is one custom system that ties the tools together. Here is what that looks like.

Education Organization / Integrated Platform

A Full Operating System for an Organization, Built Custom.

For an education organization, we built one app that runs registration, seat limits, payments, check-in, and the leadership's daily work. Families sign up and check in from their phones, every change is logged, and a nightly run checks the records and emails a summary of anything that needs a look.

The build was custom to how that organization runs. The same approach fits any business with systems that should be talking to each other and are not.

Read the Case Study See Business Systems
Who We Are

The People Behind
the Diagnosis.

20+ years of combined experience across IT, cybersecurity, web, and digital strategy. Patrick and Elenor work as a partnership, sharing every client engagement so technology and digital presence stay aligned.

Lead Technology Consultant
Patrick Sullivan
IT and Cybersecurity

Patrick spent over a decade solving IT problems that other people could not figure out. In the U.S. Army, he worked on classified satellite communication networks and held a security clearance. After service, he gained implementation experience inside multiple banks under PCI compliance. Through Root Cause, he has led HIPAA work for healthcare practices. Environments where the consequences of getting something wrong were significant.

He has a particular ability to find problems that are not obvious and trace them back to where they actually started. That is where the name Root Cause comes from.

U.S. Army, Communications and IT Security, Held a Security Clearance
PCI compliance implementation experience inside multiple banks
HIPAA implementation experience inside healthcare organizations
Web and Digital Strategist
Elenor Sullivan
Web Design and Digital Strategy

Elenor has built websites for businesses across real estate, healthcare, legal, security, and health and wellness. She approaches every project from strategy first, search visibility, conversion, and brand, before a single layout is sketched.

She does not start a project by picking a template. She starts by understanding what you are trying to accomplish, who your customers are, and what is currently getting in the way.

Web Design across Real Estate, Healthcare, Legal, and Security
SEO and Local Search, Rankings Recovery and Growth
Branding, Graphic Design, Social Media, and Paid Ads
See Our Work What We Do
Common Questions

Things People Usually Ask.

What happens when I reach out? Am I going to get a sales pitch?
No. You'll hear back from the person who would do the work, and we'll tell you whether we can help. There's no follow-up sequence and no sales team.
How is this different from any other IT company?
We start with how your business runs: your workflows, your team, and the problems costing you time and money. Then we recommend what fits, and nothing more.
What size businesses do you work with?
We work best with businesses of 1 to 75 employees, where the owner is still part of technology decisions.
Do you only work with businesses in your area?
No. Most of our work is delivered remotely, so we work with small businesses anywhere in the country. We are headquartered in Joliet and on-site visits are easy across Chicagoland (Will County, DuPage, Kane, Cook, Kendall) when a client wants them. For on-site work outside that range, we coordinate with a vetted local technician.
Can you handle both our IT and our website?
Yes. Patrick handles IT and cybersecurity. Elenor handles websites, digital marketing, business systems, automation and AI. Because we work together, a change on one side doesn't catch the other off guard.
What does it cost?
Every project gets a clear scope and a fixed price before any work starts. For managed IT, monthly pricing is based on the size of your environment and what your business needs. For project work, we scope it and give you a number.
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. Infrastructure support is month-to-month. Project work has a defined scope and timeline. No auto-renewals, no cancellation fees, no 90-day notice requirements.
What if I just need one thing fixed?
That is fine. Tell us what is happening and we will scope it as a one-time fix with a clear price. No minimum engagement and no expectation that it turns into a monthly contract.
Still Have a Question? Ask Us Directly

Get in Touch.

A few quick questions about your situation, then tell us what is going on at the end. We will respond with an honest answer about whether we can help.

Patrick or Elenor reads every message
About your website
About your IT setup
About your industry
About your practice
About your financial firm
About your institution
About your operation
About your brokerage
About your construction business
About your nonprofit
About your field operation

Or email directly: info@rootcausetechnology.com

Veteran-Owned Remote-Friendly Business-First Approach No Sales Scripts
Where We Work

Based in Joliet.
Working with Small Businesses Across the Country.

We are a Joliet-based technology consulting firm. Most of our work is delivered remotely, so it does not matter where you are based. We are equally happy supporting a five-person team in Frankfort or a thirty-person team three states away.

  • Joliet
  • Plainfield
  • Naperville
  • Aurora
  • Bolingbrook
  • Lockport
  • Oak Brook
  • Schaumburg
  • Orland Park
  • Tinley Park
  • Chicago
  • Anywhere remote

Tell Us What Is Going On.

Tell us what's going on. The person who reads your message is the one who'd do the work, and if we're not the right fit, we'll say so.

Start the Conversation See Full Pricing