Senior IT Leadership Without the Full-Time CIO Cost
Most Australian SMEs do not need a full-time chief information officer. They do need someone senior to evaluate vendors, connect the systems they already pay for, harden security, and make sure they are meeting the Privacy Act. Our IT consulting retainer gives you that person on call, without the six-figure salary.
What a Consulting Retainer Covers
Vendor & Product Selection
Sales reps will tell you their SaaS product will solve everything. We sit on your side of the table, run a proper evaluation, and negotiate the contract.
System Integration
Connect Xero, Shopify, your CRM, your courier and your payroll. No more double-entry, no more Friday reconciliation spreadsheets.
Cyber Security Hardening
Access reviews, multi-factor authentication, phishing training, backup testing and vulnerability scans. We align with ASD Essential Eight for SMEs.
Privacy Act & Compliance
Australian Privacy Principles, Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, website privacy policy, staff training. We keep you ready for an OAIC audit.
When You Need Consulting More Than Build
You do not always need new software. Often the problem is that you already have 80% of the tools you need — they just do not talk to each other, nobody owns them, and no one has mapped how data flows. That is a consulting problem, not a development problem. We come in, document the landscape, identify the quick wins, and hand you a 90-day roadmap you can act on.
How Retainers Work
Our typical consulting retainer is a fixed monthly fee, billed in advance, covering a set number of hours per month. You can use those hours on anything: vendor evaluations, integration work, security reviews, staff advice. Unused hours roll over one month. You can cancel with 30 days notice. There is no lock-in.
What We Will Not Do
- We do not take commissions from software vendors.
- We do not push large transformation programmes.
- We do not do break-fix desktop support; a local MSP handles that.
Need an IT architect on call?
Book a free 30-minute call. We will tell you whether a retainer fits, and roughly what it costs per month.
Book a Free ConsultationFrequently Asked Questions
Do we need a full-time CIO, or is a retainer enough?
Most businesses with 5–150 staff do not need a full-time CIO. A monthly retainer gives you a senior architect on call for vendor evaluation, integration, security and compliance, at a fraction of a six-figure salary. You can always step up to more hours later if you need them.
Do you take commissions from software vendors?
No. We do not receive referral fees or commissions from any vendor.
What does a consulting retainer cost?
Our retainers start from $1,500 per month for a set number of senior hours. Unused hours roll over for one month, and you can cancel with 30 days notice — there is no lock-in and no long-term contract.
Can you fix our desktop computers or run our help desk?
No — that is break-fix desktop support and is better handled by a local managed service provider. We work at the strategy and integration level. On your first call we will help you work out which problems belong with us and which belong with an MSP.