PIER Group is a multi-vendor, value-added reseller with a national coverage model, dedicated to serving the Higher Education and Research and Education communities. Throughout the Research & Education community, PIER Group has earned a reputation for turning complex technological challenges into strategic advantage.
In this space, progress often depends on something unseen. Behind every breakthrough discovery, connected campus, or next-generation classroom sits an invisible network of technology, and a team of people dedicated to keeping it all moving forward.
For universities and research institutions across the country, that team is often PIER Group.
PIER Group was built on a simple belief: partnerships make progress possible. The company doesn’t just design IT systems or sell technology, they collaborate with institutions to create infrastructure that enables discovery, learning, and connection. From building networks that power supercomputing clusters to modernizing Wi-Fi across sprawling campuses, PIER Group’s work lives at the intersection of innovation and purpose.
Founded in 2018, PIER Group has quickly become one of the most trusted technology partners in the research and education community. But its roots run much deeper – decades of experience in higher ed IT, procurement, and infrastructure design have shaped its team’s approach. Many of PIER Group’s leaders and engineers have spent their entire careers inside the higher ed ecosystem. They know how universities work – the pace, the procurement hurdles, the funding cycles, the committees and they use that insight to make complex technology initiatives actually move.
Building on that expertise, PIER Group’s Professional Services team is made up of a group of dedicated, problem-solving engineers built to take on the complexities of campus environments. Through their vast experience in this space, they have built an array of tools to help automate even the largest of campus deployments and migrations. These tools allow PIER Group, and their customers, to take what could be a multi-year migration project down to less than a year along with providing efficient and accurate documentation. PIER Group has also built tools to integrate with the wired and wireless products to provide real-time statistics and post event reporting – helping both PIER Group and its customers achieve faster, more reliable results.
From day one, PIER Group’s mission has been clear: to be a trusted partner to research and education institutions by turning complex technology demands into straightforward paths to innovation. The team listens first, learns each campus’s unique culture and constraints, and then builds tailored solutions that enhance learning, accelerate research, and simplify operations. Success isn’t measured by the number of boxes shipped, but by the outcomes achieved – whether that means enabling faster data analysis, more reliable wireless access, or smoother procurement.
You can see that philosophy in action at the University of Notre Dame, where PIER Group helped design and deploy one of the first Wi-Fi 6E Standard Power stadium networks in the country – bringing next-generation connectivity to tens of thousands of fans without disrupting the architectural beauty of a historic venue. Or at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where PIER Group has supported the rollout of more than 15,000 Wi-Fi 6E access points, tightly integrated with a high-performance core to support research at scale.
PIER Group’s expertise spans five core areas – campus infrastructure, research networking, research computing, data center modernization, and procurement contracts – but what ties it all together is partnership. The team works hand-in-hand with national and regional research networks to connect campuses to each other and to the world.
The company’s name reflects its mission: Partners in Education and Research. It’s a promise embedded in how the company operates. The philosophy at the heart of PIER Group is people-first partnerships, tailored solutions, higher-ed fluency, operational agility, and long-term commitment. They continue to collaborate closely with each institution to build solutions grounded in their goals, culture, and mission.
That mindset has earned PIER Group national recognition. The company has received multiple CRN awards, including the prestigious Triple Crown award, which recognizes excellence across multiple categories and winning CRN’s Fast Growth 150, Solution Provider 500, and Tech Elite 250 in the same year. CEO Amy Williams was also a finalist for the MIRA Awards CEO of the Year this year. In addition, PIER Group has been recognized as Juniper Partner of the Year and HPE Aruba Networking Partner of the Year in 2024. But the measure of success isn’t in awards, it’s in relationships.
“Our work starts with people,” says CEO Amy Williams. “We believe the best solutions come from true collaboration – when you’re as invested in the outcome as your customer is.”
As a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, PIER Group also brings representation and inclusivity to a field that thrives on diverse perspectives. That same spirit shows up in how they lead projects: with openness, transparency, and a long-term view of success.
Today, PIER Group is expanding its reach across R1 and R2 universities, regional research networks, and national labs, deepening its capabilities in AI, HPC, and optical networking. But no matter how the technology evolves, their purpose remains the same – to build the infrastructure that helps innovation happen.
At its heart, PIER Group exists to make progress possible. Helping campuses, researchers, and students move forward, together. With every partnership, PIER Group proves that innovation starts with collaboration, care, and commitment.