The same problems, every month
The printer is down again. The new hire's laptop isn't ready on their first day. Somebody clicked a link they shouldn't have, and now you're wondering what else is exposed. Email works, mostly.
None of it is a disaster on its own. Together it costs you hours every week, and it quietly caps how big your company can get. If you have ten or more people working on computers, you've probably felt it.
Why the usual fixes don't stick
Most growing companies handle IT one of three ways:
- The person who's "good with computers." Often the office manager, or a relative. They're doing it on top of their real job, and everything lives in their head.
- A break-fix shop. You call when something breaks and pay by the hour. They fix the symptom. Nobody is paid to stop it happening again.
- A help-desk contract. Tickets get answered, but nobody is asking whether your setup still fits the business you're running today.
Each one answers "who fixes this?" None of them answers "who owns this?" That gap is the real problem.
What a fractional CTO actually is
A fractional CTO is a senior technology leader who works for your company part-time. You may also hear the term vCIO, short for virtual chief information officer. In a small business the two jobs are close to the same thing.
In plain terms, it's one person who owns your company's technology the way your accountant owns your books. They know what you have and what it costs. They know what's at risk and what should come next. They answer to you, not to a ticket queue.
Large companies hire a full-time CTO for this. A business with 10 to 50 people doesn't need one 40 hours a week, but it does need the judgment one brings.
What it looks like month to month
- A full picture first. Every device, account, subscription and vendor gets written down, along with who has access to what and where the risks are.
- A short plan. Fix the things that keep breaking, close the obvious security gaps, and cut the spending you don't need.
- Ongoing ownership. A regular check-in with you, someone who answers when a staff member is stuck, and new hires who are ready on day one.
- A seat at the table. When you're weighing new software, a new office or a new line of business, the technology question gets answered before you commit.
The hands-on work can still go to whoever does it best. The difference is that one person is accountable for the result.
Signs your business is ready
If two or more of these sound familiar, it's time:
- You have 10 or more people who depend on a computer to do their job.
- One person holds the passwords, and you'd be stuck if they left.
- The same problems come back every few weeks.
- You aren't sure your data is backed up, or whether a backup has ever been restored.
- You pay for software that nobody can say whether you still use.
- A client, insurer or auditor has asked about your security, and you didn't have an answer.
- You're about to grow, move or change systems, and nobody is planning the technology side.
Fractional CTO vs. managed IT vs. break-fix
These aren't competitors so much as different jobs. A fractional CTO can work alongside a managed IT provider, and often should.
| Break-fix shop | Managed IT provider | Fractional CTO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're buying | Repairs | Support and monitoring | Leadership and ownership |
| When they show up | After it breaks | When a ticket comes in | Before it breaks, and when decisions are made |
| Who they answer to | The job | The contract | You |
| Plans for growth | No | Sometimes | Yes, that's the job |
| Watches vendor spend | No | Their own services | All of it |
Let's talk about what's going wrong
Every business is different, so there's no price list here. Tell me what keeps breaking, what worries you, and where you want the company to be in two years. Within one conversation, you'll know whether a fractional CTO is the right fit. If it isn't, I'll tell you what is.