Big companies hire a forward-deployed engineer. Your business gets DeskIQ.
Palantir and OpenAI send engineers to embed inside enterprise accounts: they learn the workflows, build the system, and stay to keep it running. DeskIQ runs that same motion for a local business, at a published price. We learn how you work, build and configure your AI assistant around it, and deploy it on your own hardware.
What is a forward-deployed engineer?
A forward-deployed engineer is a software engineer who embeds directly with a customer instead of building from a distance. They learn the customer's real workflows on-site, then build, configure, and deploy a working system around them, and stay to support it. Palantir and OpenAI use this model for large enterprise contracts. DeskIQ runs the same embed-build-deploy-stay motion for a single local business, at a published price instead of a custom enterprise contract.
How the FDE motion maps to DeskIQ.
Four steps, the same shape an enterprise forward-deployed engineer follows, scoped to one business.
1. Embed
A discovery call, or an on-site visit if you are in Greater Boston. We learn your team, tools, and the work that eats the most time.
2. Build
We configure the Hermes AI assistant around your actual workflows: inbox, scheduling, follow-ups, intake, reminders.
3. Deploy
The assistant goes live on your hardware: your own Mac, a DeskIQ Desk, or a DeskIQ Private box in your office.
4. Stay
The monthly Care Plan keeps model routing current and someone accountable for the install after the first week.
Who this is for.
Any local business owner who is close enough to the work to know exactly what is eating the day, and does not have an internal engineering team to build a system like this alone.
Contractors
Scheduling, estimate follow-ups, and job-status updates.
Real-estate teams
Lead follow-up, showing coordination, and listing reminders.
Clinics
Appointment reminders, intake prep, and patient follow-ups.
Consultants & CPAs
Inbox triage, meeting prep, and client-communication drafts.
These are examples, not a limit. DeskIQ is built for any local business owner, not one industry.
Three ways to get it.
Same embed-build-deploy-stay motion. Choose the hardware that fits your business.
On the Mac you already own. Solo (1–4 users) $449/user, Team (5–9) $379/user, Firm (10+) $299/user.
See pricing →A Mac mini delivered ready, pre-loaded with your configured assistant on cloud AI models.
See DeskIQ Desk →A Mac mini running an open-source model locally, so client files stay in your office.
See DeskIQ Private →Each option has a monthly Care Plan: $149/month for the first user, $99/month for each additional user. The first six months are required, then it runs month-to-month.
Questions people ask.
Is this really an FDE?
It is the same motion at a smaller scale. A forward-deployed engineer at a large company works on one account for months, with a team, on a custom contract. DeskIQ scopes that motion to one business, one visit or remote session, and a published price. We do not build custom software from scratch. We configure an existing open-source agent, Hermes, around your workflows.
Do you come on-site?
Yes, for businesses in Greater Boston. We are based in Andover, Massachusetts, and can meet at your office to learn your workflows and install the assistant in person. For businesses outside the area, we run the same discovery and install process remotely, nationwide.
What does it cost per month?
The setup fee is one-time. After that, the Care Plan is $149/month for the first user and $99/month for each additional user. It covers updates, fixes, and support, with a six-month minimum, then month-to-month. Client data stays on your own hardware; you pay your AI model provider directly for usage.
Start with one discovery call.
Tell us the workflow eating the most time. We will tell you honestly whether the DeskIQ forward-deployed motion fits your business, and what it would look like on your hardware.