Fractional CIO and CTO
Senior technology leadership on a monthly retainer. One accountable person owns your roadmap, vendors and technology risk, without a full-time executive salary. Some providers call it a virtual CIO or vCIO.
A fractional CIO or CTO is a senior technology executive who works with your business part-time on a monthly retainer. InnovateX Solutions retainers start from A$2,500 a month for about four hours of senior time and roll monthly with 30 days’ notice.
What does it cost?
Rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice. Most engagements begin within two weeks of the discovery call.
a month for about 4 hours a month. A monthly 1:1, email and chat advisory access, light-touch roadmap and risk reviews, and vendor and contract checks.
a month for about 8 hours a month. Everything in Advisor plus active roadmap ownership, vendor and budget oversight, quarterly board preparation and cyber and compliance reviews.
a month for 16 hours or more a month. Everything in Partner plus a weekly leadership cadence, execution oversight on active programs and board attendance on request.
Custom enterprise scopes are quoted. Prices as published on 21 October 2026. Prices exclude GST.
What do you get?
Senior judgement on the decisions that matter, at a cadence that fits your size.
A roadmap you can act on
A documented technology roadmap specific to your business, reviewed on the cadence of your tier.
Vendor and budget oversight
Contracts, renewals and proposals checked with plain-English trade-offs, from the Partner tier.
Risk and compliance reviews
Cyber and compliance posture reviews against ASD Essential Eight and the obligations that apply to you.
Board and executive reporting
Quarterly board preparation from the Partner tier, and board attendance on request at Embedded.
Is it the right fit?
Usually, yes, when two or more of these sound familiar.
- The CEO or owner is the default technology decision-maker and it's starting to create risk.
- You have around 20 to 200 staff and no in-house technology executive.
- Your IT provider keeps things running but nobody owns the direction.
- The next big technology spend feels like a guess.
“Speaks founder’s language, makes it simple to understand and did an awesome job.”
Questions about the retainer
How much does a fractional CIO cost?
InnovateX Solutions retainers start from A$2,500 a month for about four hours of senior time. Partner starts from A$4,500 for about eight hours and Embedded from A$8,500 for 16 hours or more. Custom enterprise scopes are quoted.
How quickly can we start?
Most engagements begin within two weeks of the discovery call. Onboarding then takes two to four weeks before the full cadence is running.
Do you replace our IT provider?
No. We don't run day-to-day IT. We work alongside your provider as the senior leader, so they have clear direction and you have independent oversight.
Can we change tier?
Yes. Retainers roll monthly with 30 days’ notice, so you can move up or down as your needs change.
Book a 30-minute call with InnovateX
Bring the technology or AI decision that has waited longest. You'll leave with a recommended next step, even if that step is a referral to someone better suited.