Nate HowardFractional CTO Detroit, Michigan

Leadership. Engineering. Accountability.

Fractional CTO for credit unions and regulated businesses.

I lead your technology.
I do the engineering work.

One person accountable for the roadmap, the vendors, and getting the work done. Ongoing, on a monthly retainer.

A closer look at the work

01 / A clear owner

You need someone
who owns the answers.

You have examiners, vendors, and a board asking questions. Your technology needs a clear owner and a practical plan.

01

A small IT team.
Or none at all.

Senior technical leadership, with someone who can carry the work through.

02

An audit on
the horizon.

Clear priorities, remediation work, and evidence of what changed.

03

Vendors pulling in
different directions.

One person to coordinate the work and make the tradeoffs clear.

02 / From the plan to the work

Strategy is only useful
when it gets done.

An engineer's approach
to the CTO's job.

I connect the decisions in the boardroom to the work in your environment. The roadmap, the implementation, and the follow-through stay connected.

01

Understand what is there.

Review the environment, the commitments, and what needs attention first.

02

Make the priorities clear.

Turn urgent issues and longer-term needs into a practical roadmap.

03

Carry the work through.

Coordinate vendors, do the engineering, and document what changed.

A typical first month starts with a review, urgent priorities, and a plan for the year.

03 / The engagement

A clear scope.
A shared set of priorities.

We agree on the work up front, then review it together each month.

Within the retainer

  • Technology strategy and roadmap
  • Vendor management
  • Security and compliance oversight
  • Infrastructure engineering
  • On-site or remote work as agreed
  • Monthly planning and priorities

Outside the retainer

  • End-user help desk
  • Hardware, software, and licensing purchases
  • Large projects outside the agreed roadmap

Capacity, travel, and availability are agreed as part of the engagement. Additional project work is scoped separately.

Talk through your situation
Nate Howard

04 / The person doing the work

Nate Howard.

Network and security
engineer first.

15 years in IT, including 10 at Sentinel Technologies and Presidio. I bring the same hands-on approach to technology leadership.

I keep a full lab environment in a Detroit datacenter, where I test changes before they reach your network.

Based at Michigan Central in Detroit. Working with credit unions and regulated businesses that need experienced leadership close to the work.

05 / Let's talk

A question is
a good place to start.

Ask my AI assistant about working together, or send me a note directly.

Nate's AI assistant

About the engagement

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