Virtual CTO services for companies without a full-time CTO A senior technology leader on your team, part time, who answers for results
What our CTO advisory services take off your desk The technology decisions a CEO or COO shouldn't have to make alone
How our CTO consulting services work Five steps, from the first call to a strategy that keeps up with you
- Week 1Agree the goalsWe meet your leadership and write down what the business needs from technology this year.
- Week 2Assess what you runWe review your systems, security, contracts and team, and list the risks.
- Weeks 3 to 4Build the roadmapProjects in order, each with a cost, an owner and the number it should move.
- Month 2Plan budget and peopleWe set the budget, pick vendors, and find the developers the plan needs.
- Every monthReport and adjustYou get a short report on progress and spend, and the plan changes when the business does.
When CTO as a service is the right fit And when you need a full-time hire or a delivery team instead
A good fit when
- Nobody on your leadership team owns technology full time
- Vendor proposals arrive and nobody can judge them
- A startup needs senior judgment before it can afford a full-time CTO
- Your CTO has left and you need an interim CTO while you hire
Look elsewhere when
- You need a CTO in the office every day to run a large team
- The strategy is settled and you need engineers to build it
- You want a second opinion on one decision, not an ongoing role
Our virtual CTO services in detail What each part of the role covers, and what you have at the end of it
Technology leadership and IT governance
Your virtual CTO sits in your leadership meetings and owns the technology agenda. They set the IT budget, decide how it's split between running what you have and building what's next, and agree the KPIs that show whether each project paid.
You get one person who can answer the board's questions about technology, in plain words, every month.
Technology analysis and an IT audit
Before anything changes, we review what you run today: the applications, the infrastructure, the contracts and the people who look after them. We note what's slow, what's fragile, what's duplicated and what nobody uses.
The audit ends with a short list of risks and savings, ranked, so the first decisions are the ones that matter most.
Neutral software analysis and vendor selection
The analysis is neutral: your virtual CTO picks the tool that fits, whoever sells it. They writes the requirements, reviews vendor proposals side by side, and negotiates the contract terms that protect you.
Whatever we build for you is yours, the code and the intellectual property.
- Requirements written before any demo
- Proposals compared on cost, risk and fit
- Contract terms that keep your data and code yours
Technology roadmap and cloud strategy
The roadmap lists every project in order, with its cost, its owner, its timeline and the number it should move. It covers which systems to keep, which to move to the cloud, and which to retire.
For cloud strategy, we place each application where it costs least to run well, on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, single or multi-tenant, and plan the migration so the business keeps running.
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning
Your virtual CTO writes the continuity plan: what happens when a system fails, who acts, and how quickly each one must come back. We test the backups and rehearse the recovery, so the plan works before you need it.
CTO consulting services by industry
The role changes with the business. A software company needs its architecture to scale with users, and an insurer needs its core systems modernized without stopping claims.
- Software products and SaaS: cloud architecture, DevOps pipelines and technical debt
- Insurance: legacy core systems, data protection and AI in underwriting and claims
- Financial services: secure payments and the regulations that govern them
- Manufacturing: connected machines, order management and old inventory systems
- Nonprofits: donor systems, data security and measuring impact
- Digital agencies: code quality across client projects and technical support in pitches
Questions about virtual CTO services What leaders ask us before they bring one in
What does a virtual CTO do?
A virtual CTO leads your technology part time. They own the roadmap, the budget, vendor choices and the development team, and they report to your CEO or board like a full-time CTO would.
How much do virtual CTO services cost?
It depends on how many days a month you need, how complex your systems are, and how long the engagement runs. We agree the scope in a first conversation, then quote a monthly fee.
How long does a virtual CTO engagement last?
As long as you need one. Some companies keep a virtual CTO for years. Others use an interim CTO for a few months while they hire a permanent one, and we help with that hire.
Is CTO as a service a good choice for startups?
Often, yes. A startup needs senior judgment on architecture, hiring and vendors before it can afford a full-time CTO. A fractional CTO gives it that judgment for a monthly fee, with no long-term contract.
What's the difference between a virtual CTO and a fractional CTO?
Very little. Both are senior technology leaders who work for you part time. Virtual usually means they work remotely, and fractional means they work a share of the week.
Do we need to set anything up for a virtual CTO?
No. Your virtual CTO works remotely on their own equipment, in your time zone and on your channels, such as Teams or Slack. They need access to your systems and a seat in your leadership meetings.
Bring the technology decision you're stuck on
We'll talk it through in one working session and tell you what we'd do first.