Senior IT leadership.
Without the full-time cost.
A fractional IT Director gives you the strategic IT leadership your business needs, at a tiny fraction of what a full-time hire would cost. No vendor agenda. No products to sell. Just honest advice.
What a fractional IT Director actually does
A full-time IT Director costs between £80,000 and £120,000 a year. They sit on the leadership team, own the IT strategy, manage suppliers, and make sure technology is serving the business. Most growing businesses don't have one.
A fractional IT Director provides the same level of strategic thinking and independent oversight on a part-time basis. You get the same quality of decision-making at a tiny fraction of the cost.
This is not IT support. It is not managed services. It is someone who works in your corner, with no financial interest in what you decide to buy.
In the MSP world this role is often called a virtual CIO or vCIO. The label varies. The function is the same: someone working at board level whose only job is to make technology serve the business.
My income comes entirely from the quality of the advice. That is what independence actually means.
What IT support does
- Fixes things when they break
- Manages day-to-day systems
- Sells you products and services
What a fractional IT Director does
- Tells you whether your setup is right in the first place
- Reviews your suppliers independently and holds them to account
- Gives you honest advice with no financial stake in the outcome
- Owns IT strategy so you don't have to
Why your IT support company can't fill this role
Strategic IT leadership requires someone who is willing to tell you that your current IT support contract isn't good value. That the product your supplier is recommending isn't right for you. That you're overpaying.
An IT support company cannot do any of those things without undermining their own position. That's not a criticism of them. It's just the structure of the business. The same organisation can't both provide your IT and give you independent advice about it.
What's missing is someone whose only job is to tell you the truth.
No IT leadership means nobody is thinking ahead
Decisions made on gut feel or vendor recommendations
Wasted spend on tools and services nobody uses
No independent voice to challenge what suppliers are telling you
Constant low-level instability with no clear plan
What a fractional IT Director costs
Fractional IT Director day rates in the UK typically run from £750 to £5,000 a day, depending on organisation size, sector, and scope of engagement. Smaller businesses sit at the lower end. Larger or more complex organisations sit higher.
Most retained engagements work on a base plus block deliverables, a monthly commitment covering strategic oversight, with additional blocks for specific projects: supplier reviews, Cyber Essentials preparation, IT strategy documents, or board-level presentations.
The right engagement model depends on your organisation and what you actually need. The starting point is always a conversation.
Market context: typical rates
The right level of engagement for your business gets established in a Risk and Clarity Session, before any retainer is discussed.
In IT since 2000. MSc Cyber Security. My own business to run.
I have worked across infrastructure, security, risk management and governance for UK and international businesses for 25 years.
I run a small business. I have sat where you are. Cash flow, margin, pressure from clients and insurers. When something is not worth the money, I say so. When a supplier recommendation does not hold up, I say that too.
I work with a small number of clients at any time. That is the only way to stay close enough to each business to be genuinely useful, rather than just available.
Start with a conversation.
I'm not here to sell you something you don't need. Tell me what you're dealing with and I'll tell you whether I can help.
No preparation needed. No commitment. 30 minutes.