Service
IT strategy and virtual CIO
Senior technology judgment on retainer, for companies that need decisions made rather than options listed.
The problem
Things we hear in the first call.
“Every vendor tells us something different and they all sound plausible.”
“We are about to sign a three-year contract and I cannot tell if it is the right one.”
“Our systems were fine at twenty people. At ninety they are in the way.”
What we do
Technology roadmap
A twelve to twenty-four month sequence tied to what the business is trying to do, with the dependencies made visible.
Budget and vendor review
What you spend, on what, and what it would cost to stop. Renewals reviewed before they auto-renew.
Architecture decisions
The build-or-buy and consolidate-or-keep questions answered in writing, with the reasoning recorded for the next person who asks.
Due diligence
Technology review for an acquisition, a new core system, or a major vendor, delivered in language a board can act on.
Reporting to owners
A short monthly or quarterly summary: what changed, what it cost, what risk moved, what needs a decision.
Interim leadership
Cover while you hire, or standing guidance for an internal IT manager who has no one senior to test their thinking against.
How an engagement runs
Durations are typical for a company of 10 to 250 people. Scope is confirmed before anything starts.
Baseline
Systems, spend, contracts, team, and risk documented as they are today, with the constraints named.
Roadmap
Priorities agreed with you, sequenced against budget cycles and business events, and written down in one document.
Governance
A standing session for decisions, vendor questions, and course correction. Decisions are logged with their reasoning.
Review
Progress against the roadmap, revised priorities, and the next quarter's spend confirmed.
What you get
Documents and access you keep, whether or not the engagement continues.
- Current-state baseline document
- 12 to 24 month roadmap with sequencing
- Budget model by category
- Vendor and contract register with renewal dates
- Board-ready quarterly summary
- Decision log with reasoning
Common questions
For most companies of this size, a standing monthly session plus availability between them. The retainer sets a fixed scope so you are not negotiating hours every time something comes up.
For a company under roughly 250 people, it usually is the right answer instead of one. Above that, the honest recommendation is often to hire, and we will help you write the role and assess candidates.
No. We take no referral fee, resale margin, or commission from any vendor. The recommendation is the same whether or not you buy anything, and you are welcome to ask us to put that in the agreement.
It should support them. Our most productive strategy engagements run alongside a capable internal lead who wants a senior counterpart and air cover for decisions that need to be argued upward.
It gets rewritten, which is the point of reviewing it quarterly rather than annually. The decision log keeps the reasoning behind what was chosen, so a change of plan starts from what was already known instead of from nothing.
Get a decision, not another set of options.
A 30-minute call, no obligation. Send a request and we confirm a time by email within one business day.
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