Overview
Social networking before social networks
Six degrees of separation is an information technology concept originally formulated in the 1920s when people noticed that increased travel, growing cities, and advances in communications were shrinking the world. Despite great physical distance, social distances were decreasing. We realized that this concept applied to our work.
We were easily connecting with the expertise of other IT professionals to develop solutions for even the most complex problems. We decided to utilize these networked assets as a structure for our business, Six Degrees Consulting. (Recent research hints that we may actually be living in a world of three degrees of separation. The growth of social networks years after our launch seem to support this.)
The complexity that we encounter when dealing with today’s information technology challenges may occasionally seem overwhelming, but it’s not. When you realize how interconnected we are, you know that a solution is never very far away. We apply this understanding to all our work with clients.
Problem-Solving Approach
Expert solutions, great partners, and a hands-on approach
Our strength as a company is directly linked to the quality and strength of our relationships with our clients, vendors, coworkers and peers. Our understanding of this reality is one of our company’s most potent qualities. We formulate expert solutions by understanding the balance each customer needs between information technology, finance and operations.
We use products and services from a network of partners that includes some of the most well-known and reputable in the business, ensuring superior quality. We know the products and their true costs in detail (including capital, operating costs and headcount), which allows us to include true costs in the financial model. The results are solutions that are effectively and easily operationalized.
We have great depth of expertise in solving unusual problems. Those that are complex, requiring the most skill to unravel, are always the most satisfying to resolve. The keys to our problem-solving approach are laser focus and an exceptional ability to link information from a wide variety of sources. This combination of qualities allows us to execute the seemingly impossible.
Leadership Team
Six Degrees Consulting Key Staff
Molly Rouch
President, Co-Founder
[The Boss]
In her role as president and co-founder, Molly actively oversees strategy, vision, marketing, professional services, human resources, and day-to-day operations. The company’s mission is to solve clients’ IT operational challenges and anticipate future needs, yet Molly has found that its true value to clients is the honesty and passion found in one of its key offerings: its network of bright minds.
Things she likes about the industry are its rapid growth, its ability to make surprising changes, and its flexibility. The industry’s readiness to swiftly innovate has played a big part in its capacity to realize and foster the many diverse and dynamic talents of women.
Outside of Six Degrees Consulting, Molly serves on several non-profit boards, particularly in the equity, diversity and inclusion space. Through the Propel Program at The Garage at Northwestern, she provides mentorship for local female college students interested in entrepreneurship. Molly loves traveling the globe (or visiting all the baseball parks across North America) with her husband and two children.
Chris Rouch
Vice President of Sales, Co-Founder
[The Networker]
When the internet was growing in importance in the 90s, Chris gained a significant understanding of information technology, internet architecture and security while working with companies and universities to build many of the original foundations of networks in the Pacific Northwest. He has held positions at Intel and a number of startups. During this time, he saw the value in creating a network of highly skilled peers. The collective knowledge base of such a network is extremely valuable and increases in value with each consultant’s new project.
As vice president of sales, Chris utilizes his vast experience within Check Point Security and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to deliver in-depth and highly detailed information to customers to help solve some of the most complex problems in the industry. The innovative solutions are developed using resources from our partners, vendors and consultants. The extensive expertise gained from this three-pronged approach is how Six Degrees Consulting is able to anticipate the needs of clients before they return for help on future projects.
Chris is drawn to the disruptive technologies that drive the industry. He believes the move to the cloud echoes the 1990s move from mainframes to open systems. Each disruption brings a tremendous opportunity for our customers.
Beyond his work at Six Degrees Consulting, Chris spends time with the ultimate disruptive technology — his wife and children. As he says, “Their fresh approach to life is much like the cloud. I need to embrace it, or I will become obsolete.”
Chris received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Technology from Oregon State University.
Tim Becker
Principal Consultant, Co-Founder
[The Fixer]
Tim was introduced to information technology and the IT industry in the 90s when he became a CAD and UNIX administrator. During that time, he discovered his passion for systems administration. Later, when he became a systems integrator, he designed and developed IT solutions using a hands-on approach. The intimate knowledge this process provides continues to be an enormous asset for all of his clients. Tim is skilled on a wide range of vendor products, services, and solutions, allowing him to use technology to resolve intricate business challenges.
As principal consultant, Tim ensures he is well-versed in new technologies. Not only does he learn how they interact, but also considers how they might benefit clients. The combination of his knowledge and Six Degrees Consulting’s network creates a vast body of expertise, allowing him to provide elegant solutions to the most complex problems a client might encounter.
Tim feels the move to the cloud is often driven by financial rewards. Customers invest in making their applications and platforms cloud ready because doing so saves them money and prepares them for a future where the cloud is likely to become even more important. The cloud era is still new and will continue to drive extensive changes for years. It’s exciting to be part of it, while continuing to anticipate what might be next.
In his downtime, Tim follows the world of white-hat hacking and fends off roving “Will you fix my computer?” people. Aside from that, his hobbies have yet to be declassified.
Tim holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho. (Go Vandals!)
Pat Hughes
Chief Financial Officer
[The Collector]
Pat has been with the company since its inception. He comes from a long background of senior management positions within Fortune 500 companies in the finance and insurance industries, including Aon and Ernst & Ernst. His expertise spans not only finance but also sales, marketing and executive positions, all enormous assets to Six Degrees Consulting.
As chief financial officer, Pat is responsible for all aspects of finance: budgets, audits, banking relationships, tax preparation and filings, and forecast numbers. His work history is an exceptional resource for SDC. He provides the company with an comprehensive understanding of clients’ business goals, providing SDC an additional reference point to ensure that the technical aspects of solutions work within key business parameters.
Pat notes that the industry is very competitive and dominated by large multinational corporations, making Six Degrees Consulting’s entry as a third-party partner very challenging. His view is that the value SDC offers is a virtually peerless expertise in security matched to highly efficient and adaptable operations. Security continues to grow in importance for all network users. SDC’s hardware- and software-expertise combines with its superior professional services to ensure security is a reality for every client.
In his downtime, he loves to spending time with his wife Brigid and his large family. He also loves grabbing a round of golf and traveling to amazing places.