Los Angeles · Chicagoland · Phoenix
IT Strategy Consulting: Roadmaps, Budgets and Board-Ready Plans
Get a written technology plan and budget your leadership team can fund, follow and explain to the board, built from what your business needs over the next one to three years.
- Four defined packages, from a one-time IT assessment to quarterly strategy reviews
- Named deliverables: current-state report, roadmap, multi-year budget, board summary
- Fixed-fee or monthly, quoted after a free scoping call
Call the IT team: Los Angeles 323-510-8003 · Chicagoland 312-492-2613 · Phoenix 480-272-8728
Free consultation
No cost. Business inquiries only. Already a BTI client? Use the dedicated support number assigned to your organization.
- ✓Over 40 years in business
- ✓ISO 27001 compliant
- ✓SOC 2 NOC/SOC
- ✓ISNetworld member
- ✓GSA contract holder (47QTCA21D00BA) · CMAS and TESMA contract awardee (California)
What is IT strategy consulting?
IT strategy consulting is the work of turning business goals into a written technology plan: what to keep, fix, replace or add, in what order, at what cost, and who owns each step. The output is a technology roadmap (usually 12 to 36 months) and an IT budget leadership can approve.
It is different from IT support. Support fixes today's problems; strategy decides where the next three years of IT spending should go. It is also different from buying a product: a good strategy consultant is not paid to sell you hardware or software, and recommends options side by side.
Organizations with 20 to 500 people usually reach the point where IT decisions are made reactively, one renewal or outage at a time. A roadmap replaces that with a plan.
When executives call us
IT strategy consulting is built for CEOs, CFOs, COOs, owners and IT directors who need a defensible plan. These are the moments that usually trigger the call.
- Budget season is coming and IT spending is a single line nobody can explain.
- Growth, a new location or a merger means systems that worked for 30 people will not work for 150.
- The board or a lender wants a technology plan and a risk summary.
- Vendor sprawl: too many tools, contracts and renewals with overlapping features.
- A string of outages or slow systems is hurting productivity.
- Aging hardware and software are reaching end of support at the same time.
- Cyber insurance or customer requirements are forcing investments you did not plan for.
- Leadership wants to use AI but has no plan for data, tools or rules.
Consulting engagement packages
Buy one package or combine them. The IT Assessment is the usual starting point, followed by the roadmap and budget. Every package has a written scope, named deliverables and a timeline before work starts.
IT Assessment
Best for: A clear baseline before any big decision
A fixed-scope review of your infrastructure, network, cloud and Microsoft 365, security controls, key applications, vendors, contracts and IT spend.
Deliverables
- Current-state report in plain language
- Risk and gap list ranked by business impact
- Hardware and software lifecycle inventory with end-of-support dates
- Vendor and contract summary with renewal dates
- Quick wins list for the next 30 to 90 days
Typical timeline: 3 to 5 weeks
Delivered by: BTI vCIO with a senior BTI engineer
Pricing: fixed-fee or monthly, quoted after a free scoping call.
12 to 36 Month Roadmap & Budget
Best for: Budget approval and a plan the whole leadership team agrees on
A sequenced technology plan tied to your business goals, with the money and the owners attached.
Deliverables
- Written roadmap: initiatives by quarter, with dependencies and owners
- Multi-year IT budget split into operating and capital spending
- Hardware and software refresh schedule
- Project list with scope, effort and budget ranges for each item
- Decision memo for each major option (for example, refresh on site vs move to cloud)
Typical timeline: 4 to 6 weeks (after an assessment)
Delivered by: BTI vCIO, with BTI specialists for security, network and cloud input
Pricing: fixed-fee or monthly, quoted after a free scoping call.
Quarterly Strategy Reviews
Best for: Keeping the plan alive after it is written
A standing quarterly session that keeps the roadmap current as the business changes.
Deliverables
- Updated roadmap and budget tracker
- Progress report: done, in flight, slipped and why
- Risk and renewal watch list for the next two quarters
- Agenda and written decisions from each session
Typical timeline: Ongoing, 12-month cycle
Delivered by: BTI vCIO
Cadence: Quarterly 90-minute review, with a short monthly check-in if needed
Pricing: fixed-fee or monthly, quoted after a free scoping call.
Board & Leadership Briefing
Best for: A board, lender or investor meeting on the calendar
A concise technology and risk briefing for owners, boards, lenders or investors.
Deliverables
- Board-ready technology and risk summary (2 to 4 pages)
- Presentation slides for the meeting
- Live briefing and Q&A with a BTI consultant
- Follow-up action list for leadership
Typical timeline: 1 to 3 weeks
Delivered by: BTI vCIO, joined by a BTI vCISO when security is on the agenda
Pricing: fixed-fee or monthly, quoted after a free scoping call.
Packages at a glance
| Package | Format | Typical timeline | Main deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT Assessment | Fixed-fee project | 3 to 5 weeks | Current-state report and risk list |
| 12 to 36 Month Roadmap & Budget | Fixed-fee project | 4 to 6 weeks | Written roadmap and multi-year budget |
| Quarterly Strategy Reviews | Monthly or quarterly retainer | Ongoing | Updated roadmap each quarter |
| Board & Leadership Briefing | Fixed-fee project | 1 to 3 weeks | Board summary and presentation |
Not sure which package fits? The scoping call sorts that out in 30 minutes.
Free, no obligation. You get a written proposal with fixed scope and deliverables.
IT strategy consulting vs other options
Each option has a place. Strategy consulting is the right fit when you need an independent plan your leadership owns. If you also need ongoing leadership, see vCIO services.
| Option | What you get | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| IT strategy consulting (BTI) | A written roadmap and budget, independent of who does the work | Needs leadership time for interviews and decisions |
| Full-time CIO or IT director | A dedicated leader on staff | Salary and recruiting time; hard to justify under a few hundred people |
| Your MSP's account review | Recommendations tied to that provider's services | May not cover options outside what they sell |
| Vendor-led planning | Deep knowledge of one product | Plans tend to lead to that vendor's product |
| No plan | No upfront spend | Surprise renewals, overlapping tools and emergency replacements |
What a good IT roadmap includes
- Business goals first: growth targets, new sites, compliance deadlines and customer requirements, written down before any technology is discussed.
- Now, Next, Later: work grouped into the next 90 days, the next 12 months and years two and three.
- Budget ranges per item, split between operating and capital spending, so finance can plan.
- Lifecycle dates for hardware and software, so replacements are planned rather than forced.
- An owner for every line: internal staff, current provider or an outside partner.
- Risks of doing nothing for each major item, so leadership can make informed trade-offs.
Terms in plain English
- Technology roadmap
- A dated, sequenced plan of IT initiatives tied to business goals.
- TCO
- Total cost of ownership: purchase price plus licensing, support, power, staff time and eventual replacement.
- Lifecycle management
- Tracking when hardware and software reach end of support, and planning replacements before they fail.
- OpEx vs CapEx
- Operating spending (subscriptions, services) vs capital spending (equipment you buy and depreciate).
- vCIO
- Virtual CIO: a part-time technology executive who owns the roadmap and budget on an ongoing basis.
- Technical debt
- The accumulated cost of shortcuts and outdated systems that make every future change slower and riskier.
How we deliver
Every engagement follows the same six steps, so you know what happens next and what lands on your desk at each one.
Free scoping call
30 to 45 minutes with a BTI consultant about your goals, timing (budget season, board meeting, renewal) and current setup.
You get: A recommendation on which package fits and what it should cover.
Proposal with fixed scope
A written proposal with deliverables, timeline, assigned roles and a fixed fee or monthly retainer.
You get: A document you can review with finance before committing.
Kickoff and discovery
Leadership and staff interviews, a document and contract request list, and a technical review on site and remote.
You get: A kickoff agenda, schedule and one point of contact.
Findings readout to leadership
A 60 to 90 minute session on the current state, top risks and the decisions ahead.
You get: The current-state report and ranked risk list.
Roadmap and implementation options
Initiatives sequenced and costed. You decide who carries out each item: your team, your current provider or BTI.
You get: The written roadmap, multi-year budget and decision memos.
Ongoing reviews
Quarterly sessions keep the plan current as priorities change.
You get: An updated roadmap and budget tracker every quarter.
What you walk away with
- A plain-language picture of where your IT stands today
- A written 12 to 36 month roadmap with owners and timing
- A multi-year IT budget finance can plan around
- A refresh schedule that ends surprise replacements
- A vendor and renewal calendar
- A board-ready summary you can reuse
Sample deliverable outline: 12 to 36 Month IT Roadmap
- Executive summary: the plan on one page
- Business goals and constraints the plan is built on
- Current state: infrastructure, cloud, security, applications, vendors, spend
- Top risks and the cost of doing nothing
- Roadmap: Now (90 days), Next (12 months), Later (years 2 and 3)
- Multi-year budget: operating and capital, by year and quarter
- Refresh schedule and end-of-support dates
- Vendor and contract renewal calendar
- Decision memos for major options
- Owners, success measures and review cadence
How to choose an IT strategy partner
- Ask to see a sample roadmap (redacted). You should be able to tell what happens each quarter and what it costs.
- Check that the plan starts from business goals, not a product list.
- Ask whether the consultant earns more if you buy a particular product.
- Make sure the roadmap can be carried out by anyone, not only the firm that wrote it.
- Confirm the fixed scope, deliverables and timeline in writing before work starts.
Why BTI
- Over 40 years in business, planning and running networks, cloud, security, telecom and physical systems.
- Realistic plans: BTI builds and supports these systems every day, including through a 24/7 NOC/SOC, so roadmaps reflect what is deliverable.
- Cisco Select Partner and SMB Black Belt Certified Partner.
- Local teams in Los Angeles, Chicagoland and Phoenix, with on-site work in Tucson through BTI's contractor partners. Most consulting work runs remotely, with on-site visits where they add value.
You do not need BTI managed IT to buy a strategy package. If you want BTI to carry out the roadmap, that is quoted separately.
Frequently asked questions
How is IT strategy consulting priced?
The IT Assessment, the Roadmap and Budget and the Board Briefing are fixed-fee projects. Quarterly Strategy Reviews are a monthly or quarterly retainer. Each is quoted after a free scoping call, based on your number of users, sites and systems and how much documentation already exists.
How long does it take to get a roadmap?
Typically 3 to 5 weeks for the IT Assessment and another 4 to 6 weeks for the roadmap and budget. If a recent assessment already exists, the roadmap can start sooner. Your proposal lists the exact timeline.
What do we need to provide?
A leadership sponsor, time from key people for interviews, read-only access for the technical review, and copies of contracts, invoices and any existing IT documentation. BTI sends a request list at kickoff.
Do we have to switch to BTI managed IT?
No. Strategy packages stand on their own, and the roadmap is written so your own team or any provider can carry it out.
Can you work with our internal IT staff or current MSP?
Yes. They are usually a key source of information, and the roadmap assigns them the items they already own. BTI stays independent in its recommendations.
Is the work done on site or remotely?
Both. Interviews and walk-throughs are often on site in Los Angeles, Chicagoland or Phoenix; analysis and most meetings are remote.
Will our information stay confidential?
Yes. Engagements run under a confidentiality agreement, and documents are shared only with the people you name.
What happens after the roadmap is delivered?
You own it. You can carry it out yourselves, ask BTI or another provider to quote specific projects, or add Quarterly Strategy Reviews so the plan stays current.
Book a free IT strategy scoping call
In 30 minutes you will know which package fits and what you will walk away with. Then you get a written proposal with a fixed scope.
Prefer to call? Reach the BTI IT team during business hours: Los Angeles / Southern California 323-510-8003 · Chicagoland 312-492-2613 · Phoenix 480-272-8728.
Already a BTI client? Use the dedicated support number assigned to your organization.