A fractional CTO, on your side
Senior technology leadership, part-time. We set the plan and the budget, write it down, hold your vendors to it, and put every big decision in front of you in terms of cost, risk, and outcome.
What a fractional CTO does
A full-time technology director in Southwest Florida costs well into six figures before benefits. Most organizations with 10 to 150 people don't need one full-time. They need the same judgment, a few hours a week, from someone accountable to them.
That's a fractional CTO. In practice, we:
- Set direction. A 12 to 36 month roadmap: what to fix first, what to replace, and what to stop doing.
- Own the budget. An annual technology budget and a 3 to 5 year replacement plan, timed so summer capital projects are planned in season.
- Write it down. Policies, documentation, and procedures your people and your vendors can follow.
- Manage the vendors. Your IT provider, phone and internet carriers, software vendors, and contractors, reviewed and held to what they promised.
- Run security. Own the security program and map it to what applies to you: the FTC Safeguards Rule, HIPAA, insurance requirements.
- Lead the projects. Platform selections, migrations, moves, and buildouts, from requirements through handoff.
- Guide AI. What it can do for you, which tools are safe for your data, and the policy that governs them.
- Report. A one-page brief every month: what was done, what's coming, what was spent.
Three ways to engage
Advisor
For organizations that need direction and oversight. A monthly leadership meeting and brief, a quarterly roadmap and budget review, vendor and IT provider oversight, renewal tracking, a core set of policies, and someone on call for decisions.
Partner
For organizations with projects in motion. Everything in Advisor, plus active project leadership, ownership of the budget and capital plan, documentation and procedures, procurement and negotiation, security program ownership, and reporting to owners or a board.
Interim
For a leadership gap, a major migration, or recovery after an incident. One to two days a week for three to six months.
Every engagement is scoped before it's priced. Ongoing engagements start with a three-month commitment, then run month to month.
The first 90 days
Days 1–30: Take stock. We document your systems, vendors, contracts, and renewals; meet your IT provider; review security; and agree on priorities with you.
Days 31–60: Set the plan. The roadmap, the budget, and the first policies. The urgent fixes are already underway.
Days 61–90: Make it routine. The monthly brief, the quarterly review, and the calendar of renewals and reviews that keeps it all on track.
What you get
- Technology roadmap
- Annual budget and multi-year replacement plan
- Policy library and procedures
- Documentation of your systems, network, vendors, and access
- Renewal and contract calendar
- Monthly brief and quarterly review
- One person accountable for all of it
Compared with the alternatives
| Full-time IT director | Your IT provider's vCIO | MTRC.tech | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Full salary and benefits | Bundled into managed services | A fraction of a full-time hire |
| Works for | You | The provider | You |
| Sells you hardware, software, or services | No | Yes | No |
| Can earn on what it recommends | No | Yes | Never |
| Senior, hands-on experience | Depends on the hire | Varies | Twenty years |
Questions
- How many hours is it?
- It depends on the engagement. Advisor clients typically need a few hours a week; Partner clients more. We size it at scoping and adjust as your needs change.
- Do we need an assessment first?
- Usually. It tells us both what the job actually is. The assessment fee is credited if you continue with us.
- What happens to our IT provider?
- They keep day-to-day support. We work alongside them, and if they're not the right fit, we'll tell you. See the Reset.
- Can we start small?
- Yes. Many clients start with an assessment or a Reset review and decide from there.