One technology seat. Three jobs.
Most companies under a few hundred people don't need three technology executives. They need one person who can run IT, own security, and set the product and AI roadmap, and who knows which of the three matters most this quarter.
Operate
Chief Information Officer workKeep the business running on technology that costs what it should. This is where most engagements start, because it's where money leaks first.
Typical deliverables
- Inventory of systems, licenses, and contracts with owners and renewal dates
- IT spend baseline: what you pay, per vendor, per user
- Vendor renegotiation and consolidation plan
- Help desk and managed service provider review, with service levels you can hold them to
- 12-month IT roadmap and budget the CFO can read
- Process maps for the workflows AI tools will touch
You need this when
- Nobody can say what the company spends on software
- Contracts renew automatically because no one owns the calendar
- The managed service provider sets its own priorities
- Staff use a different tool for the same job in every department
Secure
Chief Information Security Officer workAnswer the security questions customers, insurers, and auditors ask, and be ready for the day something goes wrong.
Typical deliverables
- Ownership of customer security questionnaires, with a reusable answer library
- Cyber insurance application support and control gap list
- Written incident response plan and a tabletop exercise with leadership
- SOC 2 or similar readiness plan, when customers require it
- Vendor risk review for the systems that hold your data
- AI use policy: which tools, which data, who approves
You need this when
- A large customer sends a 200-question security review
- Your insurer asks for controls you're not sure you have
- Staff paste company data into public AI tools
- No one knows who to call first during an outage or breach
Innovate
Chief Technology Officer workDecide what to build, what to buy, and where AI earns its cost, then lead the team that delivers it.
Typical deliverables
- Build vs buy decisions with cost and risk laid out side by side
- AI adoption plan tied to hours saved and headcount, not demos
- Architecture review of your product or platform
- Engineering team structure, hiring plan, and outsourced partner oversight
- Technology due diligence for acquisitions or investors
- Delivery rhythm: roadmap, releases, and reporting to leadership
You need this when
- A platform decision has been stuck for months
- Vendors pitch AI and nobody in-house can evaluate the claims
- An outsourced development team ships late and no one can say why
- Investors or a buyer are about to look under the hood
How much of it you need
Every pillar is available at three levels of commitment. Most clients start at one level and move as the business changes.
Not sure which seat you need? That's what the first call is for.
Book a 20-min call