Fractional CIO leadership that lives above the ticket queue.
Vendor decisions, security posture, and the IT budget the board actually asks about. We own the calls your MSP is not built to make.
- monthly engagement · vendor and budget ownership
- quarterly board-ready review
Fractional CIO, in plain terms.
A Fractional CIO engagement puts a senior IT executive in charge of the decisions your help desk and your MSP are not supposed to make alone. Vendor selection, license renewals, security posture, and the multi-year IT plan that ties to the business plan.
Mid-market companies usually arrive here after years of accreted vendor sprawl. Three identity providers, two backup stories, an MSP contract no one has read in eighteen months, and a CFO who wants the line item explained. A Fractional CIO untangles that without ripping it out.
We bring the compliance literacy regulated industries actually need. HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOC-aligned operations are not slogans here — we live inside those frameworks on our own network. When we tell you a vendor will fail an audit, we have read the report.
Common triggers for this engagement.
- 01When your MSP contract is up for renewal and no one in-house can credibly negotiate it
- 02When the auditor flagged the same finding two years in a row and IT keeps explaining why it is not their job
- 03When you have three SaaS tools doing the same thing and no executive owns rationalizing the stack
- 04When the board is asking about your security posture and your last assessment is older than your CFO's tenure
Questions teams ask before signing.
What does a fractional CIO actually do?
We own the IT decisions that need an executive — vendor strategy, security posture, IT budget, and the multi-year plan. We do not run the help desk and we do not replace your MSP. We make sure both are doing what you are paying them for.
How is a fractional CIO different from an MSP?
Your MSP delivers the service. A Fractional CIO decides which services you should be buying, from whom, at what price, and to what standard. The two roles are complementary and we work alongside good MSPs every day.
Do you handle compliance frameworks like HIPAA or PCI-DSS?
Yes. We operate our own network under HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOC-aligned controls, and we lead clients through readiness work in those frameworks. We will tell you early when a vendor or a control will not stand up to an audit.
How long does a typical fractional CIO engagement run?
Most start as a six to twelve month commitment with a quarterly review. Some convert to a steady-state retainer once the heavy lifting is done and the role becomes oversight rather than turnaround.
Frequently scoped alongside this work.
Fractional CTO
Senior technology leadership for the quarters that matter most — architecture calls, hiring strategy, and the bets your team is too close to make. We embed with your leadership, not your tooling.
Fractional COO
Operational leadership for the quarter your business is growing faster than its operating model. We tighten the org, sequence the work, and hand back something your next hire can actually run.
Executive Coaching
One-on-one coaching for technology leaders who don't have a peer in the room. Honest reads, prepared questions, and the perspective the title doesn't come with.
MSP Evaluation and Selection
We've worked with the providers you're considering — and the ones you should be. Independent shortlists, contract review, and an honest take on what 'managed' actually means with each.
Compliance Readiness
Mapping your environment to the controls auditors actually check, and closing the gaps before the audit window opens. We've sat on both sides of that table.