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Mike Pearlstein, CISSP — Founder and CEO, Fusion Computing

Founder and CEO of Fusion Computing Limited. CISSP-certified cybersecurity professional with a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Guelph. Provides managed IT, cybersecurity, vCIO, and AI consulting leadership to Canadian SMBs since 2012.

Author of the technical writing across fusioncomputing.ca on regulator-anchored IT for Canadian law firms, accounting firms, wealth managers, manufacturers, municipalities, and non-profits. Named in Canada’s 50 Best Managed IT Companies two years running (2024 and 2025).

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About Mike Pearlstein

Mike Pearlstein founded Fusion Computing Limited in 2012. The firm operates a managed IT, cybersecurity, and AI consulting practice for Canadian small and medium businesses, with offices in Toronto, Hamilton, and Metro Vancouver. Mike serves as both Chief Executive Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, holding the (ISC)² CISSP certification, an established senior credential for information-security leadership.

Before founding Fusion, Mike completed a Master of Science in Computer Science at the University of Guelph in 2011, where his graduate research focused on artificial intelligence. That academic grounding shapes how Fusion approaches the current generation of AI deployment for clients: tenant-scoped Microsoft 365 Copilot, sensitivity-label-aware retrieval, and the supervision documentation Canadian regulators (the Law Society of Ontario, CIRO, the OSC, CPA Canada) are now asking firms to produce.

Fusion Computing has been an ASCII Group member since 2012, providing access to the peer-network operating discipline and vendor agreements that allow a Canadian SMB-focused MSP to deliver enterprise-grade tooling at SMB pricing. The firm was recognized in Channel Daily News’ Canada’s 50 Best Managed IT Companies list in both 2024 and 2025.

Credentials and recognition

CISSP — (ISC)²Certified Information Systems Security Professional. Widely recognized as the senior credential for information-security leadership; routinely cited in malpractice-insurer and regulator due-diligence questionnaires.
MSc Computer Science (2011)University of Guelph. Graduate research in artificial intelligence. Provides the technical grounding for Fusion’s Microsoft Copilot governance and AI-supervision deliverables.
Canada’s 50 Best Managed IT Companies (2024, 2025)Recognized two years running in Channel Daily News’ annual ranking of Canadian managed IT providers.
ASCII Group member since 2012Membership in one of North America’s largest IT-services peer networks. Provides Fusion’s clients with access to vendor terms and operating discipline that pure-SMB providers cannot match.

Areas of practice

Mike’s direct technical practice covers managed IT operations, cybersecurity architecture, virtual CISO and virtual CIO services, and the AI-deployment governance that Canadian regulators now require of regulated-vertical firms. His writing on fusioncomputing.ca focuses on the practical operating layer: what controls a regulator actually asks to see, what evidence a malpractice insurer or compliance examiner accepts, and what the cost looks like in CAD per advisor, per lawyer, or per workstation.

Regulator-anchored IT deliveryLaw Society of Ontario Technology Practice Management Guideline, FLSC Model Code rule 3.1-2 [4A] and [4B], CIRO Annual Compliance Report, OSFI Guideline B-13, CPA Canada cybersecurity guidance, FIPPA and MFIPPA for Ontario municipalities, PIPEDA across all Canadian SMB sectors.
Microsoft 365 Copilot governanceTenant-scoped Copilot deployment with sensitivity-label-aware retrieval, prompt-leak controls, and the audit-log discipline Canadian regulators are inquiring about during compliance examinations.
Microsoft Purview and eDiscoverySensitivity-label deployment, litigation hold and matter-close runbooks, and eDiscovery export workflows for Canadian law firms.
Cybersecurity baseline architectureCIS Controls v8.1 mapping, MFA and conditional access enforcement, EDR rollout, backup with tested restore, and the incident-response runbook documentation insurers and examiners accept.
Virtual CISO and Virtual CIOOutsourced senior security and IT leadership for Canadian SMBs that need partner-board-level technology direction without the full-time hire.
AI consulting for regulated SMBsPractical Microsoft Copilot and AI-tool rollouts for Canadian law firms, accounting practices, wealth firms, and clinics, with the policy and supervision documentation each regulator requires.

Published technical writing

Mike authors the technical writing across fusioncomputing.ca on regulator-anchored IT, AI-deployment governance, and cybersecurity for Canadian SMBs. Below is a sample of the regulator-anchored flagships, deep-dives, and resources.

About Mike Pearlstein, CISSP

Mike Pearlstein is the CISSP-certified founder and CEO of Fusion Computing Limited, a Canadian managed-IT, cybersecurity, and AI-consulting practice operating out of Mississauga with field engineers across the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, and Metro Vancouver. Since 2012, Mike has personally led the security reviews, regulator-evidence cycles, and Microsoft tenant-governance work behind the technical writing published across fusioncomputing.ca — the same human behind every attributed quote on a service, industry, or location page.

Credentials and continuing education

  • CISSP — Certified Information Systems Security Professional, ISC2 (formerly (ISC)²)
  • Master of Science in Computer Science (2011), University of Guelph — graduate research in artificial intelligence
  • 120 CPE credits maintained on each ISC2 three-year recertification cycle, with annual maintenance current
  • Active engagement with Canadian regulator publications: Law Society of Ontario Technology Practice Management Guideline, CIRO dealer rules, OSFI Guideline B-13, CPA Canada cybersecurity guidance, IPC Ontario PHIPA orders
  • Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant-architecture practice across managed-client base, with hands-on Purview, Defender, Entra ID, and Sentinel deployment work

Specializations

  • Managed IT and co-managed IT for Canadian SMBs in regulated verticals (legal, accounting, wealth, healthcare, manufacturing, municipalities, non-profits)
  • Cybersecurity governance: CIS Controls v8.1 mapping, incident-response runbooks, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 evidence assembly
  • AI readiness and Microsoft 365 Copilot governance: tenant-scoped deployment, sensitivity-label-aware retrieval, supervision documentation under NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001:2023
  • Compliance programs: PIPEDA, Quebec Law 25, PHIPA, FIPPA / MFIPPA, CIRO third-party-risk evidence (GN-2300), OSFI B-13
  • Virtual CISO and Virtual CIO leadership for firms that need partner-board-level technology direction without the full-time hire
  • Microsoft Purview legal hold, eDiscovery export, and matter-close runbooks for Canadian law firms

Service-line leadership at Fusion

  • CISSP-led security review on every managed-services quote — no engagement priced without security scoping
  • Quarterly audit-evidence cycles for regulated clients (CIRO annual compliance reports, OSFI B-13 attestations, SOC 2 readiness reviews)
  • AI readiness assessments for Canadian law firms, accounting firms, wealth managers, and PHIPA-regulated clinics
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot oversharing audits and tenant-scoped governance rollouts
  • Incident-response retainer reviews and tabletop exercises for clients with cyber-insurance attestation requirements
  • Vendor-due-diligence and third-party-risk evidence packets for client-facing examiner questionnaires

Recent engagements

A sample of work Mike has personally led at Fusion.

Find Mike

Mike publishes technical commentary on Canadian managed IT, AI governance for regulated SMBs, and cybersecurity practice management. Find him on the channels below or book a consultation directly.

LinkedInProfessional profile, employment history, and recommendations from Canadian SMB clients.
X (Twitter)Short-form commentary on Canadian regulator updates, AI rollout patterns, and MSP-industry news.
CrunchbaseFounder profile and Fusion Computing’s funding and operating history.
Book a consultationThirty-minute walk-through of your firm’s current IT stack and where Fusion fits.

Work with Mike

Thirty-minute walk-through of your firm’s current technology stack, the regulator-evidence gaps, and where Fusion’s vertical program fits. No pitch deck. No obligation.

Book a Consultation