HOLMVARD GROUP

ALYSSA I. AGARD

Founder and Principal, Holmvard Group LLC

New Jersey|(732) 234-9640|alyssa@holmvard.com
https://holmvard.com|https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssaagard/

Profile

Founder and Principal of Holmvard Group LLC, a private advisory firm in New Jersey serving small and medium-sized businesses and professional firms. Systems architect and advisor who designs, builds, secures, and administers complete information technology environments, from identity, device, and data governance to custom software, applying the controls of large enterprises at a scale and cost suited to smaller organizations, and who brings the same discipline to organizational strategy, workplace policy, and regulatory compliance. Fluent across the Microsoft 365 and Azure enterprise ecosystem and Google Workspace, with working command of security operations, endpoint management, data retention, and incident response developed through years of hands-on practice. Formally trained as a historian and in public policy research methods, including survey design and quantitative analysis, and published in defense research. Communicates effectively with chief executives, boards, scholars, families, and staff alike, and makes complex systems legible through written analysis, interactive demonstrations, and simulations that let a client see what a recommendation will deliver before it is built.

Principles of Practice

The advisory approach rests on a view of the workplace supported by research on psychological safety, autonomy, and recovery from work: people do their best work under clear boundaries, earned trust, and evaluation on the merits of the work itself. In practice, this means clearly defined boundaries around availability outside working hours, management by clear expectations and measurable outcomes, advancement based on demonstrated performance, and a culture in which employees can raise concerns, ask for help, and give and receive constructive feedback with confidence.

Sound policy and compliance are most effective, and least costly, when they are established early. Whether an organization is building that foundation for the first time or strengthening what it already has, the work begins with a clear assessment of where it stands and proceeds to practical policy and technology that scale as it grows.

Areas of Practice

Information Technology Architecture and Cybersecurity

Design, deployment, and administration of cloud-first environments on Microsoft 365, Azure, and Google Workspace for small and medium-sized businesses and professional firms, whether office-based, hybrid, or fully remote, applying enterprise controls at a scale suited to their size.
Identity and access management: single sign-on, multifactor and phishing-resistant authentication, Conditional Access, role-based and least-privilege administration, and privileged access management.
Endpoint and device management: enrollment, configuration and compliance policy, disk encryption, update management, and zero-touch provisioning across Windows, macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, with hardware testing, configuration, and lifecycle management.
Email and collaboration security: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC; anti-phishing, anti-malware, and safe link and attachment policies; mail flow rules; and external sharing controls.
Data governance: retention and deletion policy, sensitivity labeling, data loss prevention, eDiscovery and legal hold, and backup and recovery.
Security operations: audit and sign-in log analysis, alert triage, incident response and recovery, and security posture assessment and hardening.
Custom cybersecurity awareness training built around an organization's own systems, roles, and risks.

Organizational Strategy, Workplace Practice, and Compliance

Business strategy, operational efficiency, and technology adoption assessments, including the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into existing work.
Workplace policy design covering remote and hybrid work, after-hours communication, performance evaluation, hiring, and conduct.
New Jersey and federal employment compliance, including pay transparency, leave and wage-replacement programs, anti-discrimination law, and the use of automated tools in hiring.
Regulatory compliance training under FERPA, HIPAA, OSHA, and EEOC standards.
Employee survey research: instrument design, administration, statistical analysis, and presentation of findings and remediation plans to leadership and boards.
Negotiation and mediation among employees, management, and outside parties.

Schools and Special Education Advisory

Advisory for private and special education schools on operations, compliance, professional development, and technology.
Working knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and New Jersey special education regulations at N.J.A.C. 6A:14.
Advocacy for students' educational rights before child study teams and in legal proceedings.
Coordination among child study teams, administrators, families, and insurers.

Software, Automation, and Applied Artificial Intelligence

Custom applications and add-ins for Microsoft 365 and Office, built on Office.js and the Microsoft Graph API.
Locally run artificial intelligence software designed to operate on an organization's own hardware.
Workflow automation with Power Automate, Power Apps, and Google Apps Script.
Native iOS application development.
Interactive demonstrations, dashboards, and simulations that show a client a proposed system or outcome before it is built.

Research, Analysis, and Communication

Quantitative and qualitative analysis; econometric, financial, and fiscal modeling; conditional forecasting and Monte Carlo simulation.
Survey methodology, from sampling and questionnaire design through analysis and reporting.
Policy and regulatory analysis of state and federal law, including fiscal estimates and appropriations.
Defense research spanning military doctrine and its implementation, autonomous systems, the cyber and counterspace dimensions of modern conflict, and macro-level defense economics, supported by purpose-built simulation software.
Historical method applied to present problems, producing analysis that conveys the full context and consequences of a situation rather than a technical summary alone.

Representative Engagements

Engagements are described in general terms in keeping with the firm's practice of confidentiality.

Security program development. Assessment of an organization's identity, device, email, and data controls against established frameworks, followed by the policy, configuration, and staff training needed to close the gaps, matched to the organization's size and risk.
Incident response and remediation. Investigation of security incidents through audit, sign-in, and system records to establish their scope and origin, followed by recovery and a remediation plan that strengthens the controls and policies involved.
Private artificial intelligence systems. Design and deployment of artificial intelligence tools that run on an organization's own infrastructure, improving the efficiency of routine work while keeping confidential and regulated information off third-party services.
Organizational assessment. Employee surveys designed and analyzed to research standards, with findings and a prioritized remediation plan presented to leadership and boards.
Policy and compliance programs. Written workplace and technology policies, compliance reviews under New Jersey and federal law, and professional development for staff, prepared for professional practices, small businesses, and private and special education schools.
Custom software and automation. Applications, add-ins, and automated workflows built around an organization's existing systems, demonstrated in working form so that leadership can evaluate the result before committing to it.

Professional Experience

Holmvard Group LLCNew Jersey

Founder and PrincipalOctober 2026 to Present

Founded a private advisory firm serving business owners, professional practices, schools, and institutions on strategy, operations, technology, and policy, organized as the parent company of practices in strategic advisory, software and application development, and defense and policy research.
Structured the firm as a holding company and drafted its operating agreement, including provisions governing subsidiaries, entity separateness, government contracting and security compliance, and succession.
Defined the firm's engagement methodology, under which counsel is delivered in writing with its reasoning and sources and each finding is designated as documented, contested, or projected.

Agard Research Associates Inc.East Windsor, NJ

Chair of the Board of Directors, President, and Chief Executive OfficerMarch 2025 to Present

Designed, built, and administer the institute's complete information technology environment as a fully remote organization, applying the controls large enterprises use to protect their systems at a scale suited to a small institution.
Administer the institute's Microsoft 365 and Azure environment across four email domains, including identity and access management, device enrollment and compliance, email authentication and threat protection, data retention, and audit.
Built and deployed production software for the institute, including Cachet, a centrally managed email signature platform for Microsoft 365, and open-source Office add-ins released under the institute's standing as a registered Microsoft Partner and Developer.
Established the institute and secured 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status with public charity designation; manage its budgets, governance and compliance frameworks, and consulting engagements furnishing policy guidance to private and nonprofit clients.
Author the institute's policy analyses, including reports on artificial intelligence in hiring, New Jersey pay transparency, temporary disability and family leave insurance, and consumer protection.

South China Sea NewsWire

Manager of Strategic Outreach and PartnershipsJuly 2026 to Present

Direct strategic outreach and partnership development for an independent publication covering maritime security and regional strategy, cultivating relationships with researchers, practitioners, and institutional partners.

Technical Proficiencies

Microsoft 365 and Azure

Productivity and Collaboration: Word, Excel (advanced), PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange Online, Loop, Planner, To Do, Lists, Forms, Bookings, Stream, Clipchamp, Visio, Project, Whiteboard, Viva Engage, Viva Connections, and Viva Insights.

Business Intelligence and Low-Code: Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Dataverse, Copilot Studio, and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Identity and Access: Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, Entra ID Protection, Privileged Identity Management, multifactor and passwordless authentication, self-service password reset, and guest access governance.

Endpoint and Device Management: Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, configuration and compliance profiles, BitLocker, Windows Update for Business, and mobile application management.

Security: Microsoft Defender XDR, Defender for Office 365, Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Business, Defender for Cloud Apps, Exchange Online Protection, Microsoft Sentinel, and Microsoft Secure Score.

Compliance and Data Governance: Microsoft Purview Audit, Data Lifecycle Management and retention policies, Data Loss Prevention, Information Protection and sensitivity labels, eDiscovery, Communication Compliance, and Compliance Manager.

Administration and Development: Microsoft 365, Entra, Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and Intune admin centers; PowerShell, including the Exchange Online and Microsoft Graph modules; Microsoft Graph API; Office.js add-ins; and Exchange Online mail flow rules.

Azure: App Service, Functions, Virtual Machines, Storage, Key Vault, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, and Azure Monitor.

Google Workspace

Applications: Gmail, Calendar, Drive and shared drives, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Meet, Chat, Keep, Tasks, Apps Script, AppSheet, and Looker Studio.

Administration and Security: Google Admin console, organizational units and groups, 2-Step Verification enforcement, context-aware access, endpoint management, data loss prevention, Google Vault retention and eDiscovery, and the security and alert centers.

Security Practice and Frameworks

Practice: Zero trust principles, least privilege, and defense in depth; email authentication; vulnerability and patch management; backup and recovery; audit logging and monitoring; data classification; incident response planning; third-party and vendor risk; and security awareness training.

Frameworks: NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, CIS Critical Security Controls, and NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC requirements for defense contractors.

Endpoints and Hardware

Windows, macOS, iOS, and iPadOS administration; hardware testing, configuration, imaging, and lifecycle management.

Development and Applied Artificial Intelligence

TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Next.js, HTML and CSS, Python, C++, Swift and SwiftUI, SQL and PostgreSQL, Office.js, Microsoft Graph, Git and GitHub, Webpack, and Streamlit; locally hosted artificial intelligence models and tools; DNS and domain configuration; static site deployment.

Analysis and Visualization

R (advanced), SPSS (advanced), Python (numpy, matplotlib), SQL, Excel (advanced), Power BI, Tableau, and ArcGIS; survey design and analysis, econometric and financial modeling, Monte Carlo simulation, and sensitivity analysis.

Communication

Executive and board briefings, technical and policy writing, training design and delivery, negotiation and mediation, and visual communication through demonstrations, simulations, and data visualization.

Selected Research and Publications

Agard, Alyssa I. "Deterrence in Orbit: PLA Counterspace Doctrine, JADO, and the Vulnerability of Space-Based Nuclear Command and Control." Journal of Advanced Military Studies 17, no. 2 (Fall 2026): 182-209. Marine Corps University Press.

Agard, Alyssa I. "Teach the Machine to Lose." U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 152, no. 11 (November 2026). Second Prize, 2026 Marine Corps Essay Contest.

Policy analyses for Agard Research Associates Inc. on artificial intelligence in hiring, New Jersey employment law, education policy, and consumer protection, 2026.

A complete record of publications, research software, and simulations appears in the full curriculum vitae at https://alyssaagard.dev.

Education and Training

Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public PolicyNew Brunswick, NJ

Graduate study in public policy: survey research, advanced statistics, quantitative methods, and public finance and economics

Georgian Court UniversityLakewood, NJ

Bachelor of Arts in History, Magna Cum Laude2025

Self-directed technical training in systems administration, information security, and software development, built over many years through technical texts and hands-on testing.
CITI Program: Responsible Conduct of Research, Research Security, Research Study Design, and Conflicts of Interest.
Microsoft Partner and Developer, registered through Agard Research Associates Inc.

Professional Affiliations

New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators (NJAPM), Member (2025 to Present)
American Historical Association (AHA), Member (2024 to Present)