Every organization, regardless of size, is dependent on technology (computers, software applications, Cloud services) to keep them going. Yet many small and midsized firms compete with much larger, well-financed organizations. Often these firms have not yet optimized their technology investments since they lack the expertise to exploit capabilities within their current environment and to define future needs. Because they lack the technical expertise to determine how to utilize technology to create competitive advantage, they often find themselves unable to scale or compete with larger firms.
Virtual CTO (Chief Technology Officer) is an executive-level service that provides, to company leaders, the expertise in applying technology to achieve business strategy and goals. Virtual CTO has the ultimate character to ensure that your business is gaining as much value as possible from its current technology investment while defining and setting the standards for future requirements.
Virtual CTO will be your trusted adviser on technology issues. Virtual CTO advises and designs, based on types of technologies that will fulfill the strategic needs, policies, and objectives of your organization to ensure that your information-technology investment support the strategic business direction.
Virtual CTO’s planning activities include:
- In partnership with the company’s management, identify opportunities and risks for delivering the company’s services. (Ex: Identify competitive services and opportunities for innovation, assess marketplace obsticles and technical hurdles to the business success, etc.)
- Lead strategic planning to achieve business goals by identifying and prioritizing initiatives while setting timetables for the evaluation, development, and deployment of all technology-based services. Discuss best technological routes for overall continuous advancement.
- Budget information systems to plan ahead.
- Architect current technology including the inventory of technology assets.
- Investigate applicable emerging technologies to fuel business growth.
- Architect future technology in line with the business plan, strategy, and emerging technology.
- Plan software licenses to optimize investment while remaining legal.
- Plan security policy to protect assets and data from loss or corruption.
- Plan disaster recovery to recover from loss of systems or data.
- Develop backup strategies to protect valuable data.
- Establish governance process that meets government, partner, and company expectation for customer/client-information privacy.
- Provide assistance with documentation to company with industry regulations.
Virtual CTO will also participate as a member of the senior management team in establishing governance processes of direction and control to ensure that objectives are achieved, risks are managed appropriately, and the organization’s resources are used responsibly, particularly in the areas of computers, office networks, Cloud selections, software selection, and telecommunications.
Implement duties include:
- Evaluate and identify appropriate technology platforms (Cloud services, web-based applciations, etc.) to deliver and support the company’s products.
- Guide business-technology decisions using industry-wide best practices.
- Monitor Managed IT Services performance to ensure highest level of service.
- Plan long-term hardware and software acquisition and Cloud deployment and prepare bid specifications for these items.
- Plan and manage projects to keep business technologies running smoothly.
- Develop and execute an organization-wide information-security plan to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
- Develop and execute an organization-wide disaster-recovery and business-continuity plan to recover in the event of a significant business interruption.
- Assist technical-staff selection through interviewing.
- Outsource vendor-contact management.
Virtual CTO also provides a collaboration website with these items:
- Documents related to the various initiatives are shared
- Technical and vendor-contact information is posted
- A technology-management calendar is maintained
Bryley Systems has been a trusted technology adviser to our clients since 1987; Virtual CTO is a natural extension of our experience supporting and managing the IT needs of small to midsize organizations. Through Virtual CTO, we partner with our clients to enable competitive advantage via technology.
For details, please contact our Sales team by dialing 978.562.6077 and selecting option #2. Or, email Sales@Bryley.com.
