IT Consultancy & vCIO
Strategic, vendor-aware advice across mobility, security and infrastructure — grounded in three decades of delivery rather than a slide library.
Advice is cheap when the person giving it never has to implement it. CDTS consults from the position of an organisation that will still be here when the roadmap has to survive contact with a real environment.
We provide architecture and strategy work as a standalone engagement, and an ongoing virtual CIO service for organisations that need senior technology judgement in the room a few days a month rather than a permanent executive hire.
The output is always the same shape: what you have, what it is costing you, what to do about it, in what order, and what it will take.
Scope of the service
The components we deliver and operate under this service. Scope is agreed per engagement — this is the standard shape.
Technology strategy & roadmap
A costed, sequenced multi-year plan tied to business outcomes and budget cycles rather than product releases.
Virtual CIO
Ongoing senior technology leadership — board and executive reporting, budget planning and vendor governance.
Architecture & design authority
Solution architecture and design review, including acting as design authority on programmes delivered by others.
Mobility strategy
Device strategy, ownership models, cohort design and the BYO question, answered with policy and cost implications.
Cloud & endpoint migration planning
Migration assessment and planning for mobile, endpoint and infrastructure workloads before anybody commits to a date.
Procurement & tender support
Requirements definition, market scan and evaluation support — including for procurements CDTS is not bidding on.
Common questions
What is a vCIO, and do we need one?
A virtual CIO gives you senior technology leadership a few days a month instead of a permanent executive hire — board and executive reporting, budget planning and vendor governance. It suits organisations big enough to need the judgement but not big enough to justify the salary.
Will you review a design produced by our incumbent provider?
Yes. Independent design review and design authority work is a standard engagement, including on programmes CDTS is not delivering.
Can you help with a tender you are not bidding on?
Yes — requirements definition, market scan and evaluation support. If we intend to bid on the resulting work we will tell you up front so you can decide whether that is a conflict.
What do we actually get at the end of an advisory engagement?
A costed, sequenced plan tied to your budget cycles — what you have, what it is costing you, what to do about it, in what order, and what it will take. Not a maturity diagram.
What we have written about this
Writing a mobile device policy people will actually follow
Most device policies are unenforceable, unread, or both. A short policy backed by technical controls beats a long one backed by good intentions.
Choosing a managed service provider for Australian government work
Sovereignty, personnel vetting, procurement pathways and the certification claims that get blurred. What public sector buyers should check before signing.
Services that usually go with this
Cyber Security & Essential Eight
Assessment, uplift and controls designed to help you meet the ACSC Essential Eight, the ISM and the PSPF.
ExploreCloud & Infrastructure
Azure, Microsoft 365 and sovereign Australian hosting — designed, migrated and operated, including what is left on-premises.
ExploreICT Procurement & Lifecycle
Apple, Samsung Knox, Windows 11, large-format display and network equipment — supplied through the BuyICT Digital Marketplace.
ExploreTalk to us about IT Consultancy & vCIO
Tell us what the environment looks like today. We will tell you honestly whether this is the right place to start.