Fractional CIO · Duane Epperly

Technology leadership from someone who has run the technology

The Virtual C-Suite's fractional CIO is Duane Epperly, founder of EDG.tech, a managed IT and cybersecurity provider in Maryland since 2016, with 30 years in IT including large federal software projects and small nonprofits. As vCIO he owns the technology roadmap, budget, security posture, vendor decisions and compliance program for companies that cannot justify a full-time CIO.

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What does a fractional CIO do?

A fractional CIO is the executive who decides what technology the business should run, what it should cost, what risks it carries and who should build and support it, on a part-time retainer. The job is roadmap, budget, security governance, vendor management and compliance, not fixing laptops. If you have a managed service provider, the fractional CIO is the person who tells them what to do and checks that they did it.

Fractional CIO vs the vCIO your MSP offers

Most managed service providers include a "vCIO" quarterly review. It is a sales meeting for the MSP's own products. An independent fractional CIO works for you, writes the requirements, runs the vendor selection and reads the invoices. Duane runs an MSP, so he knows exactly which questions MSPs hope you will not ask.

What Duane handles

Three-year technology roadmap and annual budget tied to the business plan
Security program ownershipPolicies, controls, cyber insurance requirements, incident response plan
ComplianceCMMC Level 1 and 2 readiness, HIPAA security rule, FTC Safeguards, state privacy law [confirm scope]
Vendor and MSP managementRFPs, contract review with the vGC, quarterly performance review
Systems decisionsLine-of-business software selection, cloud migration, M365/Google, data and reporting
AI adoptionWhere it saves money, where it creates liability, policy and rollout (with the vGC)
Franchise and multi-site technologyDuane has built franchise management software and co-owns franchise units [confirm wording]

Who it is for

10 to 150 employee companies with a provider but no owner of technology strategy; companies facing a compliance requirement; franchisors; businesses preparing for sale where systems will be diligenced.

Who it is not for

Companies that need a help desk (that is EDG.tech or your MSP), or software development teams needing a CTO.

Questions owners ask

What is the difference between a CIO and a CTO?

A CIO runs the technology the business uses; a CTO builds the technology the business sells. We provide the first.

How much does a fractional CIO cost?

Pricing page; market benchmarks put fractional technology executives at roughly $5,000 to $18,000 a month depending on hours.

Do I have to use EDG.tech as my IT provider?

No. The vCIO role is vendor-neutral and that is written into the engagement.

Can you help with cyber insurance applications?

Yes; it is one of the first things we review.

The other two seats

David MooreVirtual General CounselRegistered patent attorney. Founded, built and sold a technology company before law school.Fractional general counsel →

Daniel RamosVirtual Chief Security Officer25 years in the FBI, retired as Assistant Special Agent in Charge.Fractional CSO →

Tell us the decision you are stuck on.

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