What We Do

Our Services

We guide our clients through the ever-changing world of technology strategy, planning and selection including telecommunications services and hardware, computer hardware, business application software and outside services. Our plans work because they are practical, and developed and implemented in alignment with our clients' real business needs.

Our consultants are executives who have had successful hands-on experience in diverse areas of business and information technology. They have the experience to see inside our clients’ organizations. Both IT managers and other corporate executives benefit from the independent view of their organizations that we bring. Through our eyes, they can see impediments and opportunities that are often difficult for an insider to notice.

We stand behind our plans and our selections with implementation managers who have successfully handled large, mission-critical projects. We work closely with our clients to ensure that when our work is done, we leave behind a reservoir of experience that enables them to move forward comfortably with their own people.

Our services include:

IT Strategy Development

We perform objective assessments of applications, plans, methodologies, business processes, organizational structures, budgets, and architectures. We use benchmark and experience-based data, along with relevant analysis to support timely and effective decisions and actions.

• The capture, analysis and documentation of the “As Is” State
• In conjunction with the articulation of a business strategy and the appropriate supporting business process we assist in the development and documentation of the “Future State” assuring that it is closely aligned with the business strategy and plan. Utilizing the “Future” and “As Is” states added by SWOT analysis a “Gap” Analysis is performed to determine the extent to which the environment should change.
• The Gap analysis is converted into a Multi Year Plan that encompasses the three fundamental organization dynamics – People, Process & Product. This effort includes organization structure and processes, skill identification, job descriptions, technology infrastructure, applications, etc with the associated migration planning

IT Governance

We assist in establishing IT Governance as a subset of corporate governance and help to develop the processes to make investment decisions through portfolio management, which includes decisions about applications, infrastructure, development processes/tools, etc. The key components of this effort include the following:

• IT Strategy Board (ITSB)
• The creation of an ITSB as needed which is chartered to facilitate architecting, establishing, deploying, managing, amending/retiring, enforcing and providing resources for effective IT policies.

• Portfolio Management
• Defining a set of processes which enable the business to optimize the return on investment in IT.

Architecture Governance

Architecture Governance can be thought of as the first layer of “everyday working governance.” In simple terms, Architecture Governance is the practice and orientation by which enterprise architectures and other architectures are managed and controlled at an enterprise-wide level along with programs that encompass the deployment of key technologies. In order to create and implement an Architecture Governance process there are a significant number of processes and deliverables that need to be created, agreed, trained and deployed within an organization. An outline list of these processes and deliverables follows:

• Architecture Governance Process Development
• TOGAF, ITIL, ISACA - COBIT
• Architecture Review Board
• Architecture Principles
• Architecture Repository Design & Development
• Enterprise Architect Toolsets
• Architecture Taxonomy development
• Enterprise Architecture Process Development
• Enterprise Reference Architecture Development
• Application Architecture
• Information Architecture
• Hardware & Software Infrastructure Architecture
• Technical Reference Model
• Architecture and Technical Standards
• Quality Process and Standard Development

Architecture Development

CTO Group Principals can assist in the development of various architectures for an organization or can develop them on the client’s behalf. These architectures include such items as:

• Network Architecture
• Storage Management Architecture
• Internet/Intranet Architecture
• eCommerce Architecture

For the small organization or a single CTO The CTO Group adds both depth and breadth to their ability, similarly to a medical general practitioner having a set of specialists at their elbow. For organizations that have an existing staff, The CTO Group can assist in bringing focus to the strategic issues at the executive level. In several instances, individuals at the working level may be knowledgeable, but not have the time to properly study and prepare the issues due to the tactical demands of projects. Occasionally the individuals are unable to garner attention of senior management since they may not be perceived to have sufficient stature to credibly raise and discuss the associated issues.