Put the next priorities in order
Review where you are, the business goals, the constraints, and what you can spend. Put the work in a sequence your people and budget can carry.
Fractional CIO
Fractional CIO services without a full-time hire.
A fractional chief information officer gives mid-market manufacturers and distributors senior IT leadership without a full-time hire. Set the next priority, make the system decision in front of you, and hold providers to a plan. The fee is a monthly retainer, a project fee, or hourly work, agreed in writing before the work starts.
The decision in front of you
Which technology decision should you make next?
A useful technology plan connects how you operate with what you spend. A fractional CIO covers investment planning, system selection, and provider oversight, with your IT staff or MSP. The scope follows the decisions you need to make.
Talk through this decisionChoose against a written need
Name the problem before you compare tools. Check fit, total cost, integration, security, and the work a change will create.
Keep delivery tied to the outcome
Work with your team or providers. Make responsibilities clear, challenge weak assumptions, and keep each decision tied to the result you want.
When you need a fractional CIO
Get a senior IT leader for the hours you need.
A fractional CIO is a part-time chief information officer. The role covers the leadership a full-time CIO would own: technology strategy, the IT budget, major system decisions, vendor and provider management, security oversight, and reporting to owners and the leadership team.
You get that leadership on a recurring schedule sized to the work.
A roadmap tied to the business
Connect technology priorities to business goals, and put them in an order your people and budget can support.
System decisions with a clear need
Lead ERP, MES, WMS, and other system decisions, from requirements through selection and oversight of the implementation.
Providers held to the plan
Oversee your MSP and key vendors, set expectations, and review renewals before the next multi-year term.
Security and AI with an owner
Set cybersecurity governance and AI readiness at the leadership level, with fractional CISO or fractional CAIO support when that work needs its own owner.
A practical fit
When a full-time CIO is more than the job requires.
Fractional CIO support fits companies that have outgrown one-off technology decisions and do not need a full-time technology executive yet.
You get part-time senior technology leadership, scoped to the decision in front of you.
Your IT manager or small team needs direction, a sounding board, and backup.
Your MSP runs daily operations, and no one owns technology strategy.
An ERP replacement, an upgrade, or an acquisition integration is coming up.
Customer, insurer, or CMMC requirements are raising the bar on security.
You are asking how people should use AI in daily work, and which processes should change around an assistant or agent.
Before work begins
Pick the help that matches the work.
Scope, deliverables, schedule, and fees are agreed in writing before work begins. Ongoing leadership is often a monthly retainer. A fixed fee fits an assessment or one project. EdgePoint starting prices are on the pricing page. For published hourly rates, monthly market ranges, and a salary comparison, read the fractional CIO cost guide.
Assessment
A defined review of your technology, risks, and spending. It ends in a prioritized roadmap.
Ongoing fractional CIO
A monthly schedule for leadership meetings, decisions, provider oversight, and follow-through on the roadmap.
Project leadership
Oversight for one initiative, such as an ERP selection, a cloud move, or a security program.
Alongside your MSP
Senior leadership beside your managed service provider, which keeps running daily operations.
What you leave with
Leave with a decision you can act on.
Agree on the scope and the outcome before work starts. You should leave ready to make a decision or move the work forward.
The help may be advice, hands-on work, oversight of delivery, or clear requirements for another provider.
What the work can include
- A clear problem statement and decision criteria
- Prioritized options with costs, dependencies, and tradeoffs
- Requirements a vendor or internal team can work from
- A practical roadmap with owners and next decisions
Common questions
Questions owners ask about a fractional CIO.
What does a fractional CIO do?
A fractional CIO, or fractional chief information officer, provides part-time executive technology leadership. The work includes a technology strategy and roadmap, the IT budget, system and vendor decisions, oversight of your IT staff or managed service provider, cybersecurity governance, and reporting to owners and the leadership team.
Does a fractional CIO work for mid-market companies?
Yes. Mid-market manufacturers and distributors are a common fit. They face decisions such as ERP, cybersecurity, and AI, and a full-time CIO can be more than the ongoing work needs. A fractional CIO covers the hours the work requires, and can spend more time with you during a major project.
How much does a fractional CIO cost?
It depends on hours, scope, and complexity. Go Fractional's November 2026 benchmark puts fractional CIO retainers at about $8,400 to $14,000 a month for about 14 hours a week, an average of about $204 an hour. The fractional CIO cost guide explains pricing models, monthly cost, and the sources behind those ranges. Those figures are market benchmarks, not an EdgePoint price. EdgePoint publishes starting prices on the pricing page, including Advisory at $3,000 a month for up to 10 hours. That retainer is a smaller monthly commitment with fewer hours than those benchmark retainers. Scope and fees are agreed in writing before work begins.
How is fractional CIO support priced?
Common models are a monthly retainer, a fixed-fee assessment or project, and hourly advisory work. A monthly retainer is a set fee for an agreed number of hours or meetings. EdgePoint starting prices are on the pricing page. The model, scope, deliverables, and fees are agreed in writing before work starts. The initial conversation is free.
Is a fractional CIO cheaper than a full-time CIO salary?
Usually. A retainer pays for the hours the work needs. A salary pays for a full-time role, plus benefits and recruiting. There is no standard fractional CIO salary. The role is priced as a retainer, a project fee, or an hourly rate. For reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2024 median annual wage of $171,200 for computer and information systems managers, before benefits. The fractional CIO cost guide walks through the comparison.
What is the difference between a fractional CIO and an MSP?
A managed service provider runs daily IT operations, including support, infrastructure, and maintenance. A fractional CIO sets strategy, guides the major decisions, and holds providers accountable. Many mid-market companies use both.
Can EdgePoint work with our existing IT provider?
Yes. The work can be advice, oversight of delivery, or a clear set of requirements for the provider you already have. Replacing that provider, or building software, is not the starting point.
Which technology decision is waiting?
Start with the system, the spend, or the provider question in front of you.