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Startups? Fasten your seat belt and go for CTO as a Service! (I)
Being relatively a new service trend in today’s tech-driven world, CTO as a Service (CaaS) is notably gaining its momentum. Though CTO as a traditional full-time position exists for decades, some companies do not feel the need of a permanent technology executive. Still, in some crucial stages of company growth, the CTO engagement turns out to be inevitable. CTO engagement mainly concerns startups and mature companies that have technologies at the core of their business.
A Chief Technology Officer, as the name suggests, plays a key role in pivotal technology implementations in the organization and ensures that technology adequately addresses company challenges. In other words, the CTO is responsible for all the technical aspects of company processes, professional tech-team management, and strategic decision-making.
How to spot the moment you need CTO as a Service (Caas)?
The “right” time to bring in a CTO varies from company to company. While some companies might need a one-time technical consulting, others are looking for ways to have CaaS on a long-term basis. Let’s see what might give you a hint to “It’s high time to incorporate deeper technical expertise.”
Early-stage startups
The dream of every startup is to create a second-to-none solution that will triumph on the market and bring high ROI. A CTO with a solid IT experience and knowledge of the industry may help with initiatives from the very beginning. By referring to СTO-as-a-Service on a long-term basis, you will get proof of concept, expert advice on best tech stack for an MVP, professional management of the development team, and timely task coordination. The CTO also will consult with you on such options as integration with third-party applications and possible cloud deployment and migration.
Startups planning to scale
If the company is on the fast track for growth and planning to raise investment, it will take a significant effort to convince the investors of product potential and people who stand behind the exceptional work. A qualified CTO is expected to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the previous tech approaches and help you out with the most optimal roadmap for future growth.
Mature startups
Once the whole way to become more prominent is gone and the solution hooks customers and users, do not stop to conquer new frontiers. To outperform rivals (they are everywhere), it is vital to establish a strong foothold by enriching the product with something outstanding. A CTO with solid engineering expertise and strategic thinking will enlighten you on the latest tech trends and apt solutions to pick the cream of the crop for an unrivaled user and customer experience.
Deeply rooted companies
If you plan or already undergo digital transformation, you may face several challenges related to business processes, customers, market conditions, and industry-specific regulations. Adopting an advanced technology is not an easy process, for changes affect single people and departments, internal technical infrastructure, and the way people interact and manage data. The market offers a wealth of digital solutions to drive business. Just think of the power of mobile apps, cloud services, collaboration and marketing platforms, automation tools, and many others you are unaware of. Still, they are there for you to be timely and wisely unleashed. Not to get lost halfway, pin down with the CTO as to which resources are best to incorporate and at which moment, what kind of risks to expect and how to mitigate them, and what additional tech solutions might be of great benefit in the future.
Definitely, a CTO as a Service approach can boost Startups and can unlock some key benefits for everyone involved in the business. Can you spot already some of them? We’ll let you know in our next article what we think can really make a difference when going for CaaS.
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SOURCES:
[2] https://www.fastcto.com/
[3] https://readwrite.com/2020/01/16/cto-as-a-service-in-crucial-stages-to-success/
[4] Photo credits: Ian Schneider
