The person who sells the engagement delivers it.
Touchstone Data is a one-person consultancy in Dallas, Texas: data governance, AI governance, and software and cloud architecture, delivered by its founder.
Joshua Garza, founder
Joshua Garza is a software and data governance architect who has spent his career at the intersection of data, software and governance. He has worked hands-on across data architecture, platform engineering, DevOps, software design and regulatory compliance frameworks.
He has designed data governance programs, built data quality monitoring systems, led architecture modernization initiatives, and implemented CI/CD pipelines and platform engineering strategies, for organizations ranging from growth-stage companies to large enterprises working under regulatory requirements.
He has implemented DataHub, both self-hosted and DataHub Cloud, and contributes to the open-source DataHub project. Touchstone Data is independent and is not a DataHub partner.
He also works in agentic AI development. He works as a practitioner: the recommendations come from someone who has built these systems, and they come with the evidence behind them.
He founded Touchstone Data in 2026 because the same need kept coming up: organizations wanted depth in data governance, AI governance and software architecture together, from someone who could see how the three affect each other.
Touchstone Data is based in Dallas, Texas, and works remotely, with on-site workshops when needed.
Mission
To give organizations a plain, evidence-backed read on their data, their AI governance and their architecture, and a clear plan to improve them.
What you can expect
The person you talk to does the work.
There is no handoff to a junior team. The person on the discovery call is the person who reviews your systems, approves every finding and walks you through them.
Honest findings.
You get what was found, not what you hoped to hear. If an engagement is not the right fit, or you do not need one at all, you will hear that on the first call. Findings are a professional opinion, not legal advice; regulatory questions are prepared for your counsel.
Evidence over assertion.
Every finding cites the document, configuration, interview or query it rests on. A finding without evidence does not go in the report.
AI with a person in charge.
AI agents draft and check; none works on client data until the controls described on How we work are in place, and a person approves everything that leaves the firm.
Why “Touchstone”?
A touchstone is a piece of fine-grained dark stone that was used to test gold and silver. A goldsmith rubbed the metal against the stone and compared the streak it left with known samples: a simple, reliable test of quality that predates modern chemistry.
The name is the job: test the quality of your data, the governance of your AI systems and the soundness of your architecture against recognized frameworks, such as DAMA for data governance, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and the EU AI Act, then tell you plainly where you stand and what to do next.
How an assessment runs
- 01
Discovery
A free 30-minute call about your situation, then scoping: who to interview, which documents and systems to review, and what a useful result looks like for you, written down before the work starts.
- 02
Analysis
Interviews, document and configuration review, and hands-on inspection of the systems in scope. Each gap is recorded with the evidence behind it.
- 03
Findings
Findings are written up with their severity, risk and a recommendation, checked so that none lacks evidence, and checked against the success criteria written down in scoping.
- 04
Handover
A walkthrough with your team, time for questions and corrections, and a prioritized plan your team can carry forward, with follow-up as scoped.
Timelines and starting prices for each entry engagement are on the services page. The principles behind every engagement, including how AI is used, are on How we work.
Ready to raise the standard?
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. An honest conversation about your situation and whether Touchstone Data is the right fit. No preparation needed.