Why True North?

True North Group was started with a simple yet complex mission. Help companies protect the critical data they rely on to run their business. Once you sift through the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt used by many vendors, you realize that protecting your data is not rocket science. Though there are all types of complex solutions you can use, they need to be aligned to fundamental controls to move you in the right direction, if you do not know where you are, you cannot get where you want to go.

Serving 20 years in the U.S. Army, I recall one of the first skills I learned when I arrived at Army basic training, was land navigation. Simply, land navigation has two main purposes: It shows you where you are and helps you safely get where you want to go. During my training, I learned about the three types of the north, consisting of Magnetic, Grid, and True.

Magnetic North

Magnetic north is found using a compass and will always point towards the pole. Unfortunately, you may not arrive at the exact point since the compass aligns itself to the local geomagnetic field which varies constantly.

Grid North

Grid north is a navigational phrase used to refer to the northward of grid lines on a map. Grid north contrasts with true north and magnetic north in that it is aligned to grid lines and always points upwards on a map. The lines point towards Grid North and have a slight variation from True North. These variations will vary depending on where you are in the world.

True North

True north is measured in relation to the geographic North Pole and is generated as the earth rotates on its axis. The direction is marked in our skies by the North Celestial Pole. The direction is within 1° of the placements of the star Polaris. The True north is seen to rotate in an arc in relation to stars for about 25,000 years to complete.

What is the relationship between the Norths, True North Group, and you?

The significance and difference of true north is that both magnetic and grid require tools to find your way and may be influenced by other factors that could lead you off course. However, wherever you are in the world, locating Polaris in the night sky will always point you north so you can orientate yourself and arrive at your destination.

Ultimately, using either method will point you in the right direction, but using either magnetic or grid north may only get you close to your desired location. True North Group is founded on establishing and implementing sound practices that focus on fundamental controls. Regardless of your industry, size of your business, or regulatory requirements, we help you navigate these requirements by using sound practices in the same manner how travelers use sound practices to navigate by the North Star. Our proven approach leverages the people, processes, and technologies you already have in place so you can travel from where you are today and safely travel to your desired security state to protect the critical data you rely on to run your business.

Thomas Stamulis
Thomas Stamulis
President & CEO

Tom Stamulis is the CEO and President of True North Group. True North Group is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business that specializes in cybersecurity and cyber risk. All our services are designed to protect the critical data companies rely on to run their business. Tom has over 25 years of cybersecurity experience and began his cyber journey in the US Army Signal Corps before transitioning to Military Intelligence. As a Counterintelligence Agent, he served assignments in the US, Germany, and the Middle East. Deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving, he established the first Resident Intelligence Office in Qatar and managed the first cyber investigative unit supporting Middle East operations for the 513th MI Bde. In 2003, he served as the Senior Intelligence Systems Architect at Camp Victory, Baghdad, where he developed and maintained the network architecture for all intelligence networks within the theater of Iraq, providing direct support to combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Prior to starting True North Group in 2018, Tom spent three years as a Senior Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s (A&M) Global Cyber Risk Services Advisory practice in Washington, DC. He specialized in Cyber Risk and Information Security, helping clients develop cybersecurity programs and implementing diverse security-focused frameworks. Prior to A&M, he spent nine years with Verizon in Ashburn, VA, where he served as a director and led the delivery of Verizon’s Security Management Program to over 130 multi-national companies, consisting of over 490 global sites across diverse industries and multiple technology environments. 

Tom has a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Policy and Management, is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and is Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control. He is a member of Infragard (an FBI-sponsored liaison program), Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and Disabled American Veterans. 

In 2020, he was awarded the Top of Virginia’s Regional Chamber of Commerce’s (TVRC) Entrepreneur of the Year and was nominated in 2022 for the TVRC’s Citizen of the Year. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the TVRC and Winchester Area SPCA, Chairs the chamber’s Public Policy Committee and established and served as President of the Winchester neXco (a business networking organization) Chapter from 2020 – 2022 

Tom moved to Winchester in 2018 and lives on 24 acres with his three Weimaraners, Fenway, Wrangler, and Freyja.  

Hunter Bowman
Hunter Bowman
Security Analyst

Hunter joined True North Group in June of 2020 as a summer intern and has been on the team ever since. For each job Hunter has had, it always revolved around technology, whether it was working for the IT department for Frederick County Public Schools or being a sales associate for Best Buy. He hopes to continue further in the field and provide longstanding system integrity with all projects that he works on. 

Hunter obtained his Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Cybersecurity at George Mason University in the Fall of 2022, after transferring from Laurel Ridge Community College. He is currently striving to obtain cyber industry certifications, such as the CISSP and CEH certificates. 

After graduating from George Mason, Hunter began working full-time at True North Group as a Security Analyst. 

In his off time Hunter enjoys working with amateur radio creating his own antennas, working on his cars, and learning more about cybersecurity and penetration testing. He also enjoys history and the outdoors.