Stratus Information Systems is expanding its leadership team with a new hire focused on serving state, local, and education organizations across the Western United States. Erik Sheedy joins Stratus as Director of SLED West, bringing deep expertise in public sector networking and a proven track record helping government agencies modernize critical infrastructure.
The addition reflects Stratus’s commitment to the SLED market, where networking requirements demand both technical sophistication and an understanding of procurement processes, compliance mandates, and budget cycles unique to public sector organizations. With Erik’s leadership, Stratus strengthens its ability to serve schools, municipalities, state agencies, and local governments throughout the Western region.
Erik brings over a decade of enterprise sales experience to Stratus, including 7.5 years selling Cisco solutions directly to state and local government customers. His performance record speaks for itself: seven-time Cisco Achiever, five-time Winner’s Circle recipient, and architect of strategic wins including a landmark $1.5 million deployment with the City of Abilene.
For the past three years, Erik has focused exclusively on the SLED community, developing expertise in the specific challenges public sector IT teams face. Budget constraints, security requirements, multi-site coordination, and the need for long-term supportability all shape how government organizations approach network infrastructure. Erik’s consultative approach addresses these realities head-on, helping customers design solutions that meet current needs while planning for future growth.
His transition to Stratus represents an opportunity to bring that same customer-first mentality to an organization built specifically around Cisco Meraki solutions. Rather than selling across multiple product lines and vendors, Erik can now focus entirely on delivering best-in-class Meraki deployments tailored to SLED requirements.
State and local government agencies increasingly turn to Cisco Meraki for network infrastructure that balances ease of management with enterprise-grade capabilities. Cloud-managed networking eliminates the complexity of maintaining separate management servers at each site, reducing both initial deployment costs and ongoing operational burden.
For school districts managing dozens of campuses, Meraki’s centralized dashboard enables IT teams to monitor and configure networks across all locations from a single interface. For municipal governments coordinating infrastructure between city hall, public safety facilities, and community centers, Meraki simplifies multi-site management without requiring staff visits to each location.
Security remains a top priority for public sector organizations handling sensitive citizen data and subject to compliance requirements like CJIS for law enforcement or FERPA for educational institutions. Cisco Meraki firewalls integrate threat prevention, content filtering, and intrusion detection without requiring separate appliances or management platforms. This consolidated approach reduces both complexity and cost while maintaining comprehensive protection.
Budget predictability matters in government environments where funding cycles and procurement processes require clear cost projections. Meraki’s subscription licensing model creates predictable annual costs without surprise hardware refresh requirements or maintenance contract renewals. Organizations know exactly what infrastructure will cost three or five years into the future, simplifying budget planning and approval processes.
Erik’s appointment as Director of SLED West means public sector organizations throughout the Western states gain a dedicated resource who understands both Meraki technology and government procurement processes. Rather than working with generalist sales teams rotating between various customer types, SLED customers work with someone who speaks their language and anticipates their specific requirements.
His experience includes helping organizations navigate:
Grant funding and E-Rate applications – Many school districts fund network infrastructure through E-Rate programs requiring specific documentation and compliance. Erik helps customers structure deployments meeting E-Rate requirements while maximizing reimbursement.
Multi-year procurement planning – Government budget cycles often require planning infrastructure purchases years in advance. Erik works with IT leaders developing roadmaps that align technology needs with available funding windows.
Security and compliance requirements – Different agencies face different regulatory mandates. Law enforcement networks require CJIS compliance. Educational institutions must address FERPA. Healthcare-adjacent agencies need HIPAA considerations. Erik helps customers design solutions meeting specific compliance requirements rather than applying one-size-fits-all approaches.
Inter-agency coordination – Many SLED projects involve coordination between multiple departments or agencies. Erik facilitates these discussions, ensuring all stakeholders’ needs get addressed while maintaining architectural consistency.
Originally from Massachusetts, Erik’s career has taken him across the country – seven different states before settling in Austin, Texas with his family. That geographic diversity gave him exposure to different regional approaches to government IT and an appreciation for how varying state regulations and procurement processes shape infrastructure decisions.
Austin provides an ideal base for serving the Western SLED market. The city’s position as a technology hub combined with Texas’s large public sector creates opportunities to serve both sophisticated urban agencies and smaller rural districts with equal effectiveness.
Outside work, Erik stays active through golf, tennis, and soccer—competitive pursuits that translate well to the strategic thinking required in complex sales cycles. He’s also an avid reader and movie enthusiast who makes time to stay current on the latest shows despite the demands of raising two young daughters, ages four and one.
“Erik’s addition represents a significant investment in our SLED capabilities,” said Tim Orozco, Managing Partner at Stratus Information Systems. “Government agencies deserve partners who understand their unique requirements and procurement realities. Erik brings exactly that expertise, combined with deep technical knowledge of Meraki solutions and a genuine commitment to customer success. We’re excited to have him leading our Western SLED efforts.”
For Erik, joining Stratus means focusing entirely on solutions he believes deliver real value to customers. “After years selling across multiple product lines, I’m excited to concentrate on Meraki deployments where I can truly become a subject matter expert,” Erik said. “Stratus’s commitment to Cisco solutions means I can provide customers with depth of knowledge and implementation expertise that generalist resellers simply can’t match. SLED organizations deserve that level of specialization.”
State, local, and education organizations throughout the Western United States now have a dedicated resource at Stratus focused on their specific networking needs. Whether planning a district-wide wireless refresh, implementing security upgrades to meet new compliance requirements, or coordinating multi-site deployments across county facilities, Erik brings the expertise and customer focus to ensure successful outcomes.
Organizations exploring Meraki solutions or seeking partners who understand SLED procurement and technical requirements can connect with Stratus Information Systems to discuss their specific needs. Erik and the Stratus team provide consultative guidance throughout the entire lifecycle—from initial assessment and design through deployment and ongoing support.
Welcome to Stratus, Erik. We’re excited to have you on the team.
