What services does Cavalier Consulting offer?

Cavalier Consulting offers three categories of engagement: retained counsel (fractional CTO, fractional CIO, fractional CISO, and interim executive coverage on monthly retainer); strategic advisory (technology governance, AI governance, vendor selection, and technology due diligence for acquisitions); and fixed-scope assessments (Technology Health Check, Cybersecurity Baseline, Cloud Readiness, AI & Automation Scan, Vendor Contract Optimization, IT Budget & Spend Analysis). All engagements are vendor-independent, senior-led, and conducted under strict confidentiality.

Retained Counsel

The Senior Technology Voice In the Room.

Monthly retainer engagements. Your technology executive on your terms — structured around access, governance, and outcomes rather than hours.

Retained Counsel

Fractional CTO / CIO

Your retained technology executive. We own the roadmap, govern your vendor relationships, represent technology at the board or family council level, and ensure the senior operational leadership of your organization always has a technology counterpart in the room.

The depth and accountability of a full-time hire, structured as a retainer — appropriate for family offices and portfolio companies that need senior oversight without the cost, complexity, and organizational footprint of a full-time executive.

  • Technology roadmap and ongoing strategic oversight
  • Vendor governance — evaluation, contracts, accountability
  • Board and family council reporting
  • IT budget review and spend optimization
  • Security and compliance program oversight
  • Team leadership, mentoring, and organizational design
  • Crisis response and incident management
  • AI and automation governance
Discuss an Engagement
Cybersecurity Leadership

Fractional CISO

Dedicated cybersecurity governance on a retained basis. We build and govern the security program, manage risk, maintain compliance posture, and deliver board-level reporting — without the cost or complexity of a full-time CISO hire.

Essential for family offices where a breach is not a statistic but a family event, and for portfolio companies where a cybersecurity incident affects the sponsor, the family office, and the operating business simultaneously.

  • Security program governance and policy framework
  • Risk assessment and ongoing risk management
  • Vendor and third-party security review
  • Incident response planning and tabletop readiness
  • Regulatory compliance oversight (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR)
  • Board-level security reporting
  • Cyber insurance support and documentation
  • Employee security awareness program
Discuss Your Security Posture
Executive Transition

Interim CTO / CIO / CISO

When a technology executive departs — planned or otherwise — the cost of a leadership gap can be severe. Vendor negotiations stall. Compliance deadlines slip. Active projects lose momentum. We step in within days, stabilize the technology organization, and maintain full continuity while you conduct the search for a permanent hire.

  • Operational within 48 hours of engagement
  • Full continuity of vendor relationships and active initiatives
  • Technology team management throughout the transition
  • Board and executive reporting with no disruption
  • Documentation of systems, contracts, and open priorities
  • Candidate evaluation support for the permanent hire
  • Structured handoff to the incoming executive
Talk Through a Transition
Strategic Advisory

Technology Governance & Strategy

Project-based strategic advisory for family offices and portfolio companies with specific decisions to make — vendor selections, architecture planning, cybersecurity programs, AI governance, organizational design. Independent perspective, business-aligned outcomes, and a final deliverable that holds up to board-level scrutiny.

  • Technology governance framework development
  • Cybersecurity program design and charter
  • Vendor selection, RFP management, and contract review
  • AI and automation opportunity assessment and governance
  • Technology organizational design and team structure
  • Multi-entity technology architecture planning
  • Digital transformation roadmap
Schedule a Consultation
Technology Assessment

Technology Due Diligence

Independent technology assessment for family offices and sponsors evaluating an acquisition, a major vendor commitment, or a portfolio company's current state. We surface what the other side's presentation does not — technical debt, cybersecurity exposure, scalability limits, key-person risk, and vendor commitments — before a commitment is made that cannot easily be unwound.

  • Technical architecture and infrastructure review
  • Cybersecurity posture and vulnerability analysis
  • Team capability and organizational assessment
  • Technology debt identification and remediation costing
  • Scalability and growth-readiness evaluation
  • Vendor contract, licensing, and obligation review
  • Key-person risk and knowledge concentration analysis
Request Due Diligence
Fixed-Scope Engagements

Assessments & Targeted Advisory.

Defined scope, clear deliverables, specific timeline. Many client relationships begin here before moving into a retained counsel arrangement.

Technology Health Check™

Comprehensive diagnostic covering infrastructure, security posture, vendor contracts, and technology spend. Delivers a prioritized action plan in two weeks.

Cybersecurity Baseline

Structured review of security posture — gaps, vulnerabilities, and remediation priorities. Appropriate before a board presentation, an audit, or a major data-handling commitment.

Cloud Readiness Assessment

Technical, operational, and financial evaluation of cloud readiness. A phased migration path that minimizes disruption and avoids unnecessary cost.

AI & Automation Scan

Practical assessment of where AI and automation can reduce operational overhead — and where the hype does not survive contact with the environment.

Vendor Contract Optimization

Independent review of your technology vendor agreements. We identify overspend, unfavorable terms, and opportunities to renegotiate or consolidate.

IT Budget & Spend Analysis

Line-by-line review of technology expenditure against organizational needs. Find the waste before it compounds into next year's budget baseline.

Common Questions

What Decision-Makers Ask

Do we actually need a full-time technology executive?
Most family offices do not. What they need is the accountability, clarity, and strategic oversight a senior technology executive provides. A retained fractional engagement delivers that at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire — and without the organizational footprint a full-time executive would require.
How do you work alongside our existing advisors?
We complement your existing team — legal counsel, wealth managers, auditors, IT staff, MSPs. Our role is the senior technology voice that makes the whole advisory ecosystem more effective. We are not competing for relationships with your other advisors.
Are you truly vendor-independent?
Completely. No reseller agreements, no vendor partnerships, no referral arrangements with anyone. We are retained by our clients and accountable to no one else. When we recommend a vendor — or recommend replacing one — the recommendation is shaped solely by your interests.
How quickly can an engagement begin?
Retained engagements typically begin within two to three weeks. Interim executive engagements — when a technology leader has departed — can begin within 48 hours. Fixed-scope assessments generally start within one week of the engagement letter.
What does a typical engagement cost?
Engagements are structured around the actual scope required, not a packaged tier or a standard hourly rate. Fixed-scope assessments are priced per engagement. The initial consultation is complimentary. If there is mutual fit, we propose a structure and investment level that reflects the specific situation.

Ready to Have a Different Conversation About Technology?

A private, no-obligation conversation to discuss your organization's needs and whether Cavalier is the right fit.

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