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CTO On-Demand

A Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is one of the crucial resources that every competitive firm needs in order to maintain their edge. The multi-faceted, well-experienced and highly creative head is responsible for creating the overall strategic direction for the company and enables an efficient utilization of technology throughout the enterprise.

Due to the vast experience and skill-set CTOs bring to the table, the cost of hiring a full-time CTO is very high, but considering the advantages a strong CTO can offer to an organization, it is all worth it. However, businesses can now escape the heavy cost of hiring a full-time CTO by opting for an interim, fractional or part-time resource.

While all offer similar cost-saving benefits, part-time, interim and fractional CTOs aren’t exactly interchangeable terms. They are all different models for employing a CTO and having to pay them based on the amount of efforts they put in. Costs are $100-$150/hr or project based.

CTO Services

An On-Demand CTO is an experienced, multi-faceted senior technology executive professional who serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for organizations that otherwise could not afford or would not need a full time executive.

  • Independent – On your side and in it for the long term; vendor agnostic; trusted advisor
  • Strategic – Work strategically yet deliver reality
  • Experience – Experienced technology executive leaders; multi-company/industry perspective
  • Business-focused – Business drivers feed technology
  • Liaison – Make your technology suppliers/outsourcing and staff work successfully
  • Value – Increase agility; fractional and flexibility cost
  • Return – Align technology spending with business objectives, define and measure ROI
  • Reduce Risk – Temporary to long-term in your control

CTO Responsibilities

Businesses need a senior technology professional who understands the company’s business objectives and provide technology direction to support those objectives. Our technology leaders are both visionary and pragmatic. It is not enough to plan for innovation, we are perceptive and realistic. As insightful leaders we prompt a broad technology agenda to help your business profit from leading-edge technologies. At the same time as a pragmatist, we deal with the realities of the business. As pragmatist we facilitate the productivity of current technology solutions. We minimize cost and maximize results and technology ROI. We use portfolio management to align technology strategy and spending with the business objectives. 

The following are typical responsibilities of the On-Demand CTO.

  • Technology leadership and management
  • Technology products and services development and delivery
  • Software development management
  • Software development methodology management
  • Technology vision and strategy
  • Technology roadmap and the business objectives alignment
  • Technology strategy communications
  • Strategic partnerships management
  • Technology staff management
  • Technology scalability, robustness and maintainability assessment and planning
  • Risk, security and compliance management
  • Technology governance
  • Technology research and evaluation
  • Capital allocation, ROI evaluation and budgeting
  • Contract review and negotiate
  • Key Performance Metrics definition

Key Benefits – The key business benefit of retaining an On-Demand CTO is that they provide the same expertise and capability of a full-time CTO without the associated level of salary, benefits and overhead expense associated with adding a top level executive. On-Demand CTO’s manage the technology strategy, leads software development, planning, integration, and implementation. When not on-site, we are still working, still available, still thinking about what you need and how to get it for you.

Strategic Viewpoint – A significant advantage of having a CTO is that you now have a single point of contact and a person solely responsible for designing a technology strategy and the infrastructure and applications that will meet your business goals. Because the technology leader is an integral part of your executive team, the technology strategy and roadmap will closely align with your business needs and drivers and allow your business to be competitive and productive.

Information Resource – A CTO typically brings years of experience and a wealth of information to your organization. Whether it is determining the best technology strategy, infrastructure strategy, educating you on how to utilize social media to grow business, or explaining how cloud computing may be right for you, your CTO provides leadership and vision.

Business Liaison – Working closely with both the business side of your business and the technology side, your CTO helps ensure that the business drivers and needs are being met by your current and future technology strategy. Your CTO can translate business speak into technology terms and also explain technology solutions in layman’s terms. This allows both the business and technology teams to understand goals, technology, and business drivers.

ROI – An On-Demand CTO can help align technology spending with business objectives. The CTO can also help to measure technology expenses against, maintain budgets, define ROI (Return on Investment) baselines, and help your business decide which technology projects, services, or applications will meet your business needs and what the return on investment will be.

Experience – With an On-Demand CTO you get an expert team capable of providing a broader spectrum of experience across many technologies – eliminating the need for you to support a staff trained in multiple disciplines.