North Star vs Long View Systems
Long View Systems is a well-established Calgary-based IT company with over 1,000 employees and a strong presence across Western Canada and North America. North Star is a Prince George-based firm focused on SMBs and mid-market clients in BC, Alberta, and Yukon, offering direct access to senior staff and a flexible, founder-led engagement model. The right choice depends on your organisation's size, location, and the level of personal attention you expect from your IT partner.
Side-by-side overview
| Dimension | North Star | Long View Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | SMB to mid-market in BC, AB, and Yukon | Mid-market to enterprise in Canada and the US |
| HQ | Prince George, BC | Calgary, AB |
| Founded | Founded by Keegan Martin, headquartered in Prince George | 1999 |
| Engagement style | Direct access to senior staff on every engagement | Large structured team with dedicated account management for enterprise accounts |
| Local on-site (BC / AB / YT) | On-site across BC, AB, and Yukon including remote communities | Offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria |
Who each firm serves best
When North Star fits
- Your business has 5 to 250 seats and you want a provider who knows your name and your environment
- You are located in northern BC, the Peace Country, or a smaller Alberta centre where large firms deprioritise on-site response
- You need IT, custom software, and cybersecurity under one roof without managing multiple vendors
- You value flat-rate pricing and a direct relationship with the person making decisions about your infrastructure
When Long View Systems fits
- Your organisation has 250-plus seats and requires a structured enterprise IT programme with formal SLA governance
- You need a provider with a large multi-city field team and rapid national deployment capacity
- Your environment involves complex Hybrid IT or data centre work requiring deep vendor-specialised bench strength
- You are procuring IT as part of a national or cross-border corporate initiative that needs consistent delivery in multiple markets
What both firms do well
- Both firms are headquartered in Western Canada and understand the region's industries, connectivity challenges, and business environment
- Both offer managed services, cloud support, and cybersecurity as core service lines
- Both hold Microsoft partnerships and support Microsoft 365 and Azure environments
Common questions when comparing providers
Does Long View Systems serve small businesses?
Long View primarily targets mid-market and enterprise clients. If your organisation has fewer than 100 seats and values a close, hands-on relationship, a boutique provider like North Star is often a better fit than a company scaled for large-enterprise engagements.
Is Long View Systems available outside of Calgary and Edmonton?
Long View has offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria, plus locations in the US. North Star focuses specifically on smaller and more remote BC and Alberta communities that larger firms may not visit regularly for on-site work.
How do engagement models differ?
At Long View, clients with large accounts typically work through a dedicated account manager and tiered support teams. At North Star, the same senior staff who scope your project support your environment day to day. Both models work - the right one depends on your complexity and preference.
Can North Star handle the same services Long View offers?
For SMBs and growing mid-market organisations, North Star covers the same core categories: managed IT, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, cloud, backup and disaster recovery, and IT strategy. For very large enterprise data centre or national logistics projects, Long View's scale gives it an advantage.
Ready to explore your options?
Book a 30-minute scoping call. We will walk through your environment, your geography, and your priorities to help you figure out the right fit, even if that fit is not us.
Get a Free Assessment All comparisonsCompare other firms