Alexander A. Welz

All companies that use any type of modern technology should have a
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

 

 Do you need a CTO??
  • Are you looking to move your company up to the next level and know that new systems are the answer but don't know where to start?
  • Does more business mean hiring more people?
  • Do you have a great idea and funding to see it through, but lack the technical resources to move it into reality?
  • Do you have a laundry list of technical projects (Internet, software, hardware, communications, mobile applications, etc.) on your mind but no way to get them done?
  • Are you looking for technical projects to invest your hard-earned dollars?

 

The Chief Technology Officer’s role is to align technology vision with business strategy by integrating company processes with the appropriate technologies. The Chief Technology Officer is also responsible for all aspects of developing and implementing technology initiatives within the organization. This individual maintains existing enterprise systems, while providing direction in all technology-related issues in support of information operations and core company values.

 

 As a small business here are your options:

1) Do nothing - This can be very costly. You don't have an expert looking into and evaluating that the technology decisions you are making are sound and cost effective.

2) Hire a full time CTO. CTO's make on the average $150k to $200k per year plus bonuses. - A Full time CTO is a great resource if you have full time work for them to do. This is the case with companies that are $50 million in annual sales or more. But if you are a smaller company, you still need a CTO to help you grow, but you don't have enough work for them to do to make them cost effective.

3) A Virtual CTO. This is the best alternative for any company that wants to gain a competive edge and at the same time do it on a budget.

A virtual CTO can be as low as $1000 a month!

 

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Here are what other people are saying about CTO's

“Technology is the essence of business right now. It drives everything. It’s like saying, ‘I’m going to have a car repair place but I’m not going to have anybody that fixes engines.’ You’ve got to have someone that understands technology. It’s strategic.”

“We needed someone at the highest level of management who was a technologist, who understood the issues, who could serve as the Rosetta stone between the business people and the technology people, help us allocate resources, make platform decisions, and then who could go out and hire a great staff,”

Tom Cottingham, TechRepublic CEO
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"Even reps are getting to the point where they need a CTO. When my father started J. N. Marshall Inc. 50 years ago, the only technology he needed was an answering service to answer the phones when he was out making sales calls. Over the years telex, fax, copiers, and desktop publishing became necessary tools. Now you also need cell phones, e-mail, a web site, electronic data interchange, back office and sales automation, high-speed Internet access, etc. Not only has the level of technology required to be an effective rep risen over the past 10 years, it continues to accelerate at an ever spiraling rate."

Marshall, Gregg "Every manufacturer needs to CTO (and some reps do too)"
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 "Consulting CTOs have the experience and vision to assist companies navigating through difficult technology decisions,"

Jon Williams
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"CTOs are among the most important people in the companies we back"

Fred Wilson
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"The economy may have slowed down, but that doesn't mean the pace of technological change has abated. If anything, choices about technology are getting harder to make -- you have a smaller budget to work with and more options for how to spend it. Upgrade your network infrastructure to gigabit Ethernet speeds or install a slower, wireless network? Centralize data on a storage area network or distribute it throughout the company on network-attached devices? Build brand-new Web applications or Webify your existing infrastructure using portal software?

In many cases, such decisions can have far-reaching effects on your company's competitiveness, cost structure, and bottom line. That's why an increasing number of companies are hiring chief technical officers to keep an eye on the big picture."

Business 2.0, 2002-04-11; "Does Your Company Need a CTO?"

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"The CTO's primary job is to make sure the company's technology strategy serves its business strategy. If that sounds either too simple or too generic, think for a second if any companies you know do the reverse. Have you ever heard a technologist use technical mumbo-jumbo to make it sound like a business idea he or she didn't like was basically impossible? That's what we should be trying to avoid."

Eric Ries

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Alexander A. Welz
San Francisco Bay Area
(408) 454-6543

Email: alex@alexwelz.com



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Alexander A. Welz for Corporate Advisory Boards