Fractional Head of IT

Practical support

Senior IT direction for an agreed part of your business

A fractional Head of IT provides senior technology leadership for an agreed scope and level of involvement. It can suit a business with several suppliers, significant projects or growing technology costs that needs someone to coordinate decisions and take a wider view.

LocalNetworks brings experience of hospitality, golf, leisure and multi-site operations to that role. The work connects technology choices with operational priorities: what needs to remain dependable, which risks deserve attention and where spending will make a practical difference.

Practical support

When additional oversight can help

You may already have a support provider handling routine requests, but no clear owner for the technology roadmap. A project may involve several suppliers with competing recommendations. Or the business may be approaching contract renewals without a reliable picture of services and costs.

• Agree priorities across systems, security, connectivity and recovery.
• Review budgets, licences, contracts and supplier responsibilities.
• Plan projects and dependencies before committing to changes.
• Explain options and trade-offs to owners and management teams.
• Maintain a record of decisions, actions and who is responsible.

The arrangement should make responsibilities clearer, including which work stays with internal staff or existing suppliers.

Practical support

Start with a review and a realistic roadmap

The first stage is to understand how the business operates and what technology supports it. Existing supplier lists, project plans, budgets and system documentation can help establish the current position. Gaps in that information are themselves useful findings.

From there, a roadmap can distinguish immediate concerns from improvements that depend on budget, renewal dates or other work. Each priority should have a reason, an owner and a next step. Progress reviews can then focus on decisions and unresolved issues rather than technical activity alone.

Practical support

Coordinate suppliers and change

A broadband provider, cloud partner and application supplier may each be responsible for only part of a service. Fractional leadership can help map those boundaries, coordinate changes and ensure that the business understands the overall plan.

This can include Microsoft 365 and cloud projects, network improvements and specialist hospitality or golf and leisure technology. Technical delivery and supplier authority should be agreed explicitly for each project.

Practical support

Define the working arrangement

Work can be scoped around a review, a project or retained leadership support. The arrangement should specify priorities, expected involvement, communication, decision-making authority and the responsibilities of other providers.

LocalNetworks is based in St Austell and works across Cornwall and the South West. Wider UK engagements can be considered where remote work and planned visits make delivery practical. See IT Support Cornwall for broader business support.

Before you enquire

Questions and answers

Is this a helpdesk service?

Fractional leadership focuses on direction, planning and oversight. Day-to-day support coverage, incident handling and any hands-on delivery must be defined separately within the agreed scope.

Can you work with our existing suppliers?

Yes. The arrangement can complement existing providers, with responsibilities and authority agreed so that plans, changes and escalations have clear owners.

How much time would we need?

That depends on the complexity of the environment, active projects and the decisions required. An initial discussion or review can establish a suitable scope and level of involvement.

Can we start with a one-off review?

Yes. A defined review can establish priorities before deciding whether project support or a continuing leadership arrangement would be useful.

Get in touch

Ask me to review your current IT setup

Describe your business, the decisions you are facing and where you need additional experience. Use the form to start a discussion about scope and next steps.