Actinium Pharmaceuticals: The Opposite Experience

Actinium Pharmaceuticals is a publicly traded pharmaceutical company using radioisotopes to target hematological and oncology indications. As a fast-growing life sciences company where data integrity, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance are business-critical, Actinium needed an IT partner that could scale with it. After a costly experience with a previous provider, the company ran a full RFP and selected Xperteks to own its complete IT environment, achieve SOX compliance, and deliver the transparent, senior-level partnership it had been missing.

About the Client

Actinium Pharmaceuticals is a publicly traded pharmaceutical company using radioisotopes to target hematological and oncology indications, pioneering precision therapies in some of medicine's most complex treatment areas. As a growing, publicly traded life sciences company, Actinium operates in a high-stakes environment where data integrity, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance are not optional considerations. They are business-critical requirements.

Steve Dressel serves as VP of Strategic Finance and Analysis and is responsible for managing the company's IT function alongside their outsourced technology partner. Actinium has grown rapidly from 30 to 50+ employees and is on a trajectory toward 100+, having recently built out new office infrastructure to support that expansion.

The Challenge: A $50,000 Lesson in Why the Right IT Partner Matters

Before Xperteks, Actinium Pharmaceuticals experienced firsthand what poor managed IT service looks like, and paid dearly for it. The previous provider was engaged during a critical period: Actinium was growing fast, moving into a new office space, and needed an IT partner capable of building and scaling alongside them. What they got instead was a cascade of failures.

The problems began during the office buildout itself. Equipment was mounted in the wrong locations, and when the previous provider returned to correct their own mistakes, they billed Actinium for the additional hours. Billing practices were opaque. Steve could never fully reconcile what charges applied and why, resulting in nearly $50,000 in credits being negotiated back before the contract was ultimately broken.

Beyond the buildout, the day-to-day service fell short. Issues went unresolved for days. Mistakes were deflected onto others. Most critically, the provider misconfigured email filters, blocking all external emails company-wide on a Saturday morning and cutting Actinium off from outside communication entirely.

Switching IT providers is expensive, disruptive, and operationally complex. Steve describes it as harder than switching banks. But the business decision was clear.

It wasn't like, this is a big pain, it's like switching banks, it's even worse, it's expensive. But it's something we needed to do for the business.

Steve Dressel, VP of Strategic Finance and Analysis, Actinium Pharmaceuticals

Finding Xperteks

Actinium approached the search for a new IT provider with rigor. Steve found Xperteks through Google and immediately identified characteristics that set them apart from the field. Two criteria were non-negotiable.

• Independence from private equity: With a background in finance, Steve understood precisely what private equity ownership does to service businesses: margin pressure, standardization, and customer service that slides down the priority list. Xperteks, as an independent firm, offered a management team with full ownership of their service quality.
• Boots on the ground in New York: Actinium's CEO expects hands-on, in-person support when something goes wrong. Xperteks' New York presence and willingness to dispatch someone directly to the office, including a dedicated contact for the CEO, made them the right fit.

The Xperteks Solution: Full-Scope IT for a Regulated, Fast-Scaling Company

Xperteks assumed responsibility for Actinium's complete IT environment, including server infrastructure, help desk support, email systems, and cybersecurity, across a company that was simultaneously growing its headcount and expanding its physical footprint. They handled the transition with the structured, process-driven approach that immediately distinguished them from the prior experience.

From the moment of engagement, Steve received a clear onboarding timeline, a defined team introduction, and a progression roadmap, with phased milestones showing how the relationship would evolve from initial onboarding, through troubleshooting and optimization, to proactive strategic partnership.

I told the Xperteks team I really like the slides, it's kind of 'learning with you,' just an upward angle of different progressions over time. Everything is well thought out. We don't really have any surprises.

Steve Dressel, VP of Strategic Finance and Analysis, Actinium Pharmaceuticals

SOX Compliance and Penetration Testing

As a publicly traded company, Actinium is subject to Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance requirements, a rigorous standard for financial data integrity and IT controls. Xperteks conducted a comprehensive cybersecurity gap analysis for SOX compliance and partnered with Actinium to remediate identified issues, working through the findings systematically and ensuring the company's IT posture met regulatory expectations.

SOX compliance also required independent penetration testing, a service Xperteks cannot ethically perform on their own client's systems. Rather than simply pointing Steve elsewhere, Xperteks managed the entire vendor selection process: identifying three qualified providers, securing quotes, arranging presentations, and supporting Actinium in making their final selection.

You can't pen test yourself, it's like breaking into your own house. They provided three presentations with potential providers, identified them, got the quotes, set up the meetings, and we selected one.

Steve Dressel, VP of Strategic Finance and Analysis, Actinium Pharmaceuticals

Transparent, Client-First Advisory

Xperteks brings the same candor to emerging technology decisions. When Steve raised the topic of ChatGPT enterprise licenses, Xperteks did not simply say yes or no. They walked through the pros, cons, and risks, offered alternatives, and let Actinium decide with full information. This pattern of honest, pressure-free advising has defined the relationship.

Equally valued is Xperteks' approach to scope and billing. Whenever work falls outside the agreed engagement, they flag it proactively, clearly identifying what it is, what it will cost, and why, before proceeding. Nothing surprises Steve on an invoice.

Anytime there's additional work, they always say: 'Hey, this is beyond the scope of our engagement, we're going to charge you a few hours for this person.' It's always been very clear and upfront. And they loop me in on everything.

Steve Dressel, VP of Strategic Finance and Analysis, Actinium Pharmaceuticals

Senior-Level Access, Always

Steve has standing bi-weekly meetings with Stefan and Victor, Xperteks' senior leadership, and has direct access to the CEO's personal cell phone. That level of accessibility, from people with real authority and real knowledge, gives Steve the confidence that no issue will sit unresolved or get lost in a support queue. In practice, he has never had to escalate.

I have the CEO's cell phone, I've never called him, but he encourages me to. I never have any trouble reaching anyone.

Steve Dressel, VP of Strategic Finance and Analysis, Actinium Pharmaceuticals

Why Actinium Chose Xperteks

After a rigorous three-vendor RFP process and the costly lessons of a failed IT relationship, Actinium Pharmaceuticals chose Xperteks on the basis of evidence: references checked, presentations evaluated, and a clear match on culture and capability. Several factors set Xperteks apart.

• Independence from private equity: Xperteks' ownership structure ensures that customer service, not margin extraction, drives decision-making.
• New York presence with real on-site capability: The ability to physically dispatch support to Actinium's office, including a dedicated liaison for the CEO, was a decisive differentiator.
• Process-driven onboarding and progression: A clear roadmap from day one gave Actinium confidence in how the relationship would evolve and eliminated the ambiguity that defined the prior experience.
• Transparent billing and scope management: Every charge is explained before it appears. There are no surprises.
• Genuine advisory partnership: Xperteks tells the truth about what they can and cannot do, and when a third party is needed, they manage that process too.
• Senior-level accessibility: Direct access to leadership, including the CEO's personal cell, means issues never get lost and escalation paths are never needed.

Looking Ahead

Actinium Pharmaceuticals is on a clear growth trajectory, from 30 employees when the Xperteks relationship began, to 50+ today, to a target of 100+ in the near term. Each phase of that growth brings new infrastructure demands, new compliance considerations, and new complexity that Xperteks is already positioned to support.

The standing weekly meetings between Steve and Xperteks' senior leadership have moved to bi-weekly, and may become monthly as the relationship matures, a signal not of disengagement but of earned stability. Xperteks has built the infrastructure, established the processes, and earned the trust.

For a publicly traded pharmaceutical company navigating rapid growth, SOX compliance, and the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, having an IT partner that is organized, transparent, and genuinely knowledgeable is not a luxury. For Actinium Pharmaceuticals, that partner is Xperteks.