Professional Services

Stratum 4 is a systems engineering consultancy providing a suite of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) class services addressing strategy, design, implementation and support of intelligent systems and services.

CTO-class services include:

Market surveys & competitive analysis
Product and service system specification and design
Development, testing & certification
Program and project management
Technology supply chain management
Software & systems engineering methods and tools
Product lifecycle support
Staff skills evaluation & development
Academic & 3rd party alliances

Our services, individually or in combination, are offered either on a per-project “time and materials” basis or more formerly, as a Consulting, or “Fractional,” CTO on retainer.

Complementary Digital Systems & Services Design Space

Consulting CTO Services

A Stratum 4 Consulting CTO is an experienced, multi-faceted senior technology executive serving organizations that may require assistance to their CTO, can not afford or does not require the services of a full time executive. A key benefit of retaining a Stratum 4 Consulting CTO is that he provides the same expertise and capability of a full-time CTO without the associated commitment of salary, benefits and overhead expense associated with adding a top level executive. Stratum 4 Consulting CTOs develop and manage technology strategy, work with client marketing and sales on requirements, guide or lead product innovation activities, manage integrated software and hardware development, establish and nurture technology alliances, and oversee planning, integration, and implementation of new product and service systems.

A Consulting CTO is

Independent – Having the client’s best interests in mind; he is committed for the long term; is technology vendor agnostic; and a trusted adviser.
Strategic – Maintaining a long-term view while delivering near-term results.
Experienced – An experienced technology executive with multi company, multi industry and multi region perspectives.
Business Oriented – Focused on business (value) drivers underlying his technology advice and decisions.
Representative – Acts as the client’s agent in working with customers and technology partners on product, system and service matters.
Management – Dedicated to increasing flexibility and utility of client R&D assets, including people, equipment, IP and facilities.
Financial – Aligns technology strategy and investments with business objectives by defining, measuring and being accountable for financial returns.
Risk Averse – Provides program and project risk management for short- and long-term programs.

In the accelerating digital economy, businesses need a senior technology professional who understands the company’s business objectives and can provide technology direction to support those objectives. Stratum 4’s technology leaders are visionary and pragmatic. It is not enough to plan for innovation. Efficient implementations and support services are required. Stratum 4 professional services provide perceptive and realistic plans and actions predicated on experience and supported by a sound Technology Framework.

In providing CTO-class services, we promote a broad technology agenda to help businesses see strategic opportunities while profiting incrementally from applied cognitive computing technologies. We are concerned with and incorporate business and market dynamics. Consequently, we strive to minimize cost and maximize ROI. And we use portfolio management to align technology strategy and spending with clients’ near and longer-term business objectives.