IT Strategy & vCIO
Fractional CIO leadership that aligns technology spend and roadmap with what the business is trying to do.
A virtual CIO gives a division, a subsidiary or a group in transition senior technology leadership without waiting for a permanent appointment. We attend leadership meetings, own the roadmap, manage vendors and make sure every technology decision is tied to a business outcome.
The engagement starts with a full assessment and produces a multi-year roadmap and budget. From then on we review progress quarterly and adjust as the company changes.
- We have no products to sell, so the roadmap reflects your needs rather than a partner programme.
- The vCIO is backed by engineers, security specialists and developers who can execute.
- Budget models are built with finance so the numbers survive a board meeting.
- A division of a listed group whose technology leadership sits far away at headquarters.
- A logistics or manufacturing company between CIOs, with a transformation programme that will not wait.
- A private-equity-owned business that needs an independent technology plan before the next investment decision.
- The IT budget is defended line by line rather than tied to a plan the board has seen.
- Vendors set the roadmap because nobody on your side has the time to challenge them.
- Major contracts renew on their own terms because no one tracked the dates.
- The board asks about technology risk and receives a list of projects in reply.
What is included.
- 01
Current-state assessment
Systems, contracts, risks, costs and team capability documented and scored.
- 02
Roadmap and budget
A twelve to thirty-six month plan with initiatives, sequencing, owners and a budget model.
- 03
Vendor management
Contract review, renewals, negotiations and performance tracking across suppliers.
- 04
Governance
Change control, security posture and policy ownership at leadership level.
- 05
Quarterly reviews
Progress against plan, spend against budget and roadmap adjustments.
Four steps, no surprises.
- 01
Discover goals
Interviews with leadership to understand where the business is going.
- 02
Assess
Full inventory and scoring of the current technology estate.
- 03
Roadmap
Sequenced initiatives, budget and risks presented for sign-off.
- 04
Lead and review
Ongoing leadership with quarterly reviews and roadmap updates.
From first meeting to steady state.
- 01Weeks 1 to 6
Discover and assess
Leadership interviews, a full inventory of systems, contracts, risks and costs and a scored current state.
- 02Weeks 7 to 9
Roadmap and budget
Sequenced initiatives, scenarios and a budget model built with finance and presented for sign-off.
- 03Month 3 onwards
Lead and review
Ongoing leadership at an agreed cadence with quarterly reviews and roadmap updates.
- Share of technology spend mapped to a roadmap initiative with a business owner.
- Roadmap milestones delivered on schedule, reviewed each quarter.
- Vendor contracts renegotiated or retired against the register.
- Time for the leadership team to reach a technology decision with the evidence in hand.
- Virtual CIO
- Enterprise architect
- Vendor and commercial analyst
- Engagement director
- Current-state assessment report.
- Multi-year technology roadmap.
- Budget model with scenarios.
- Vendor and contract register.
- Quarterly review pack.
The initial assessment is fixed scope and takes four to six weeks. The vCIO role then runs as a monthly retainer with an agreed number of days per month, reviewed annually. The number of days flexes with how much change is under way.
Software Architecture & Technical Due Diligence
Independent review of codebases, vendors and architectures before you invest, buy or build.
IT ConsultingCompliance & Business Continuity
GDPR, ISO 27001 and NIS2 readiness with backup and disaster recovery plans that have been tested.
CybersecurityCompliance & Governance (ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIS2, GDPR)
Gap assessment, policy writing and audit preparation across the frameworks your customers demand.
IT Strategy & vCIO, in plain terms.
An MSP runs the estate. A vCIO decides what the estate should be and holds everyone, including the MSP, to the plan. We can do both but keep the roles distinct.
Yes. That is where technology decisions get made, so that is where we need to be.
Yes. Engagements often end with us writing the brief, supporting the selection and handing over to the permanent appointment with the roadmap intact.
Then the vCIO provides strategic cover and mentoring while your manager keeps operations. We agree the split at the start.