BOSTON and NEW YORK, November 3, 2025 — Harbor IT, a national provider of cybersecurity and managed IT services, today announced the acquisition of New England Network Solutions (NENS), a Greater Boston–based managed services firm recognized for its operational discipline and deep expertise in healthcare and life sciences environments.
Founded with a cybersecurity-first mission, Harbor IT was built to close the gap between security and IT operations. Today, the company delivers a unified, security-led managed services platform designed for regulated and complex organizations providing clients with a single, accountable partner for secure, compliant, and mission-critical technology operations.
The acquisition of NENS marks Harbor IT’s eighth transaction and its largest to date, as well as its third acquisition in New England. The addition expands Harbor’s footprint in the Northeast, deepens its healthcare specialization, and brings two of the managed services industry’s most respected leaders—Michael Kourkoulakos and Josh Oakes, former CEO and President of NENS—into Harbor IT’s executive leadership team. By welcoming the Boston-based NENS team, Harbor IT reinforces its commitment to preserving local leadership while enhancing it with national-scale cybersecurity, compliance, and infrastructure resources.
Proven Operators Powering Disciplined Growth
Established in 1993 in Lowell, Massachusetts, NENS has spent more than 30 years supporting organizations in highly regulated industries, particularly healthcare and life sciences. The firm has developed advanced cybersecurity and compliance capabilities, including deep experience with HIPAA and CMMC requirements. Under the leadership of Kourkoulakos and Oakes, NENS grew more than fifteenfold over the past fourteen years, earning a reputation for consistency, proactive security, and operational rigor.
“Josh and Mike stand apart as operators in the MSP space,” said Johnny Lieberman, CEO of Harbor IT, to reiterate the quote given in our PRN article. “When I asked industry leaders to name the strongest operators they’ve worked with, Josh and Mike came up again and again. Bringing them into Harbor elevates our execution, accountability, and leadership across the entire platform.”
“What attracted us to Harbor IT was how closely aligned our philosophies are—particularly around people, cybersecurity, AI, and operational excellence,” said Michael Kourkoulakos, former CEO of NENS. “For more than three decades, NENS has been built on trust, accountability, and doing right by our clients. Harbor shares those values and adds the scale and resources to extend them further. Together, we can deliver intimacy at scale, maintaining the close relationships our clients rely on while expanding the speed, depth, and capability of our services.”
Advancing a Unified, Operator-Led National Platform
Harbor IT is intentionally structured around complementary industry verticals and technical practice areas. Its integrated platform spans SOC and MXDR services, compliance and vCISO advisory, cloud and infrastructure, network engineering, and unified communications. This model supports organizations operating in highly regulated and mission-critical environments, including healthcare, life sciences, financial services, private equity, critical infrastructure, and energy, where uptime, resilience, and audit readiness are essential. Harbor’s level of operational integration exceeds typical industry standards, enabling faster execution and more measurable outcomes across service lines.
With the addition of NENS, Harbor IT now employs more than 300 professionals across 29 states, operates offices in nine cities, and supports over 1,500 clients nationwide.
“We selected Harbor IT because it represents a true coming together of experienced, owner-led service providers—not a traditional rollup,” said Josh Oakes, former President of NENS. “Our teams share a deep understanding of the technology and operational challenges facing small and mid-sized organizations across regulated industries. By combining proven practices with broad technical expertise, we’re positioned to deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes for our clients. We’re excited to contribute to Harbor’s vision and grow together.”
Backed by a permanent holding company supported by entrepreneurs and family business owners, Harbor IT takes a patient-capital approach to building long-term leadership in cybersecurity and IT, guided by operators with firsthand experience building, scaling, and protecting mission-critical environments.
About Harbor IT
Harbor IT is a cyber-first managed services provider delivering integrated IT, cybersecurity, and cloud solutions for compliance-driven and mission-critical organizations nationwide.
For more information, visit harborit.com.
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Worklyn Partners
