Meet the Team Behind Enterprise Compliance
Kim Howell and Isi Lawson built Pandora Cloud to prove that SMBs in regulated industries deserve the same world-class cloud security and compliance that Fortune 500 companies enjoy. With defense heritage, AWS expertise, and a people-first mindset.
Our Story
Pandora Cloud was founded because Kim and Isi saw regulated SMBs struggling with the same compliance demands as Fortune 500 companies, without the resources. Healthcare practices, law firms, financial advisors, insurance brokers: brilliant organizations doing critical work, but fighting regulatory complexity on their own.
With their combined experience in defense, government, and enterprise cloud architecture, they saw an opportunity to level the playing field. They built Pandora Cloud to bring government-grade security and compliance frameworks: HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOC 2, NIST 800-53, down to the scale and price point where SMBs could actually afford them.
As a certified women-owned business, they bring a people-first perspective that proves innovation and inclusion go hand-in-hand. They don't just manage cloud infrastructure. They enable their clients to focus on what they do best: growing their business, serving their customers, and changing their industries.
Shared Milestones
Everything they've accomplished, they've accomplished as partners.
AWS Advance Tier
Achieved AWS Advanced Tier Partner status together
GSA MAS Contract
Won their GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract as co-founders
Facility Clearance
Secured their Facility Clearance Level for classified work
WBE & WOSB Certified
Earned Women's Business Enterprise and Women-Owned Small Business certifications
Ingram Micro Reseller
Became an authorized Ingram Micro reseller to expand their reach
AI-Forward
Building proprietary AI-powered compliance intelligence for continuous assurance
Meet the Founders
Defense-proven expertise meets SMB pragmatism. Two architects committed to making compliance accessible.
Kim Howell
Kim is a cloud engineer and architect with 25+ years building secure, scalable infrastructure for defense and government organizations. As a former Amazonian, she designed enterprise-scale cloud environments for the nation's most heavily regulated agencies. Her technical foundation spans cloud-native architecture, infrastructure automation, and distributed systems, with deep, hands-on mastery of HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOC 2, and NIST 800-53 compliance frameworks.
Kim is one of a select few engineers to earn the coveted AWS Golden Jacket, a distinction reserved for those who hold every AWS certification and commit to staying current across the full breadth of the platform. It's a reflection of the same discipline she brings to every client engagement: a relentless dedication to mastery so that the SMBs she serves always get the most informed, up-to-date guidance available. She co-founded Pandora Cloud to deliver elegant, government-grade solutions without Fortune 500 pricing, and she's the kind of architect who can whiteboard a compliant infrastructure design in the morning and roll up her sleeves to build it by afternoon.
“The Pandora Cloud team breaks down the most complex compliance challenges into a clear plan you can actually follow. They're the reason we stopped dreading audits and started passing them with confidence.”
Former DoD Client- Coveted AWS Golden Jacket Owner (Solutions Architect Professional, DevOps Engineer Professional, Security Specialty, Machine Learning Specialty, Advanced Networking Specialty, Database Specialty, Data Analytics Specialty, SAP on AWS Specialty, Solutions Architect Associate, SysOps Administrator Associate, Developer Associate, Cloud Practitioner)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
- Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
- CompTIA Security+
- BS Computer Information Systems (Business Administration minor), Missouri Baptist College, Summa Cum Laude
- AA Computer Information Systems, Jefferson College, Magna Cum Laude
- St. Louis, Missouri
Isi Lawson
Isi is a deep technical thinker and former Amazonian with proven expertise across the core infrastructure that powers mission-critical systems in regulated environments. His technical foundation spans cloud-native architecture, microservices design, and distributed systems. He's the kind of engineer who doesn't just solve problems; he builds systems that scale, adapt, and endure.
As CTO, Isi translates complex compliance requirements like HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOC 2, and NIST 800-53 into scalable, battle-tested technical solutions. As an SMB owner himself, he genuinely understands that compliance and growth aren't at odds. He believes government-grade cloud architecture should be accessible to every regulated business, and he proves it through rigorous technical work and a true partnership mentality.
“The Pandora Cloud team doesn't just build infrastructure; they build infrastructure you never have to worry about. Every system they've designed for us has performed flawlessly, even under the toughest scrutiny.”
Former DoD Client- AWS Solutions Architect Professional
- CompTIA Security+
- BS Computer Science (Religion & Philosophy minor), Saint Leo University
- Duluth, Georgia
Compliance as a Competitive Advantage
We believe regulated SMBs should never have to choose between world-class cloud compliance and affordability. We're building the future where government-grade security is the standard, not the luxury.
Ready to Work With Our Team?
Whether you need to architect a compliant cloud environment, migrate your infrastructure, or build lasting compliance excellence, we're ready to partner with you.