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Fractional CIO Services

Fractional CIO Services:
The IT Leadership That Scaled a $400M Manufacturer. Now Available to Growing Businesses.

25 years figuring out technology for businesses like yours. 8 years as CIO scaling a manufacturer from $60M to $400M.
Working directly on your business, a few days a month.

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Not sure if you need a Fractional CIO? Find out in 7 minutes.

What Is a Fractional CIO?
And Why Do Growing Businesses Need One?

A Fractional CIO gives you something most growing businesses lack: someone in the room who has made these decisions before, knows what works, and stays accountable for the outcome. Not a vendor pitching software. Not a consultant handing you a report and disappearing. A technology executive who works alongside your leadership team and owns what gets put in motion.

For manufacturing, distribution, professional services, and growth-stage companies, this is often the missing piece. Not more software. Not a bigger IT budget. Someone who can see the full picture, align technology with where the business is headed, and take ownership of what happens next.

Based in Chicago. Serving businesses across the United States.

Fractional CIO strategy session with business leadership team

Core Services

What a Fractional CIO Actually Does for Your Business

Most growing businesses reach a point where technology decisions get made by people whose real job is something else. The CFO picks the ERP. The operations manager approves the security vendor. The CEO signs off on a cloud migration they do not fully understand. The result is predictable: wasted money, stalled projects, and systems that do not talk to each other. A Fractional CIO changes that equation. You get someone who has led these decisions before, knows what questions to ask, and stays accountable for what gets implemented.

ROFONIC serves manufacturing, distribution, fabrication, and industrial businesses across Chicago, Illinois, and the Midwest. Whether you are a 30-person fabricator in the Chicago suburbs or a 200-person distributor anywhere in the region, if your technology decisions are being made without experienced oversight, this is where that changes. If you have been searching for a fractional CIO, virtual CIO, or part-time CIO in Illinois, you have found one.

IT Strategy & Roadmapping

Most IT roadmaps end up in a drawer because they were built around a wish list, not business reality. You get a technology plan your leadership team can actually follow, with priorities that reflect where the business is headed and timelines that account for how things actually get done.

Executive Leadership

Technology decisions made in a vacuum create problems that compound over time. You get someone at the table who can answer the board's questions about cybersecurity posture or the CFO's questions about IT spending with authority, not approximations.

ERP Selection & Implementation Oversight

ERP implementations fail more often than they succeed, and when they do, the cost is not just the project budget — it is months of lost momentum, staff frustration, and a system nobody fully uses. I have led ERP selections and implementations for manufacturing, distribution, and professional services companies. You get the system you actually need, not the one that was easiest to sell you.

M&A Technology Integration

Acquisitions create technology chaos, and the longer integration drags on, the more value leaks out of the deal. You get a clear integration plan, realistic timelines, and someone accountable for bringing systems, data, and teams together without losing momentum.

Cybersecurity & Risk Management

Cybersecurity is not an IT problem. It is a business risk that can shut you down, damage your reputation, and expose you to legal liability. You get a protection strategy proportionate to your actual risk profile, built to sustain, not a checklist built to impress an auditor.

AI Integration & Digital Transformation

AI is everywhere in the headlines and nowhere in most business operations, because most implementations are solutions looking for a problem. You get an honest assessment of where AI and automation create real leverage in your specific business, and practical applications that move the needle instead of pilot projects that go nowhere.

Infrastructure & Cloud Strategy

Cloud is not always the answer, and staying on-premise is not always wrong. You get that decision made based on your actual workloads, growth trajectory, and budget — and when migration makes sense, it happens without the downtime and cost overruns that define most cloud projects.

IT Vendor & Contract Management

Most businesses are paying too much for technology services and getting too little accountability in return, because vendors know when there is no one on the other side who understands the contract. You get someone who negotiates from a position of knowledge, holds vendors to what was actually promised, and stops the cycle of overpaying for under-delivery.

Why ROFONIC

Led, Not Just Advised
Not advisory distance. In the seat, accountable for outcomes.

Most technology consultants recommend and move on. They are paid for advice, not outcomes. I operate differently. When I put a strategy in motion, I stay accountable for what happens next. If a vendor underperforms, I am the one making the call. If a project goes sideways, I am the one fixing it.

That is what "fractional" means here: you get the leadership without the full-time cost, but the accountability is the same as if I were on your payroll.

Strategy that delivers. Leadership that stays.

Stop spending money on technology that does not serve the business
Grow without your systems becoming the thing that slows you down
Make technology decisions with confidence, even the ones that used to keep you up at night
Hold vendors accountable instead of hoping they deliver
Get executive-level IT leadership without the $300K+ salary

Your Fractional CIO: Raphael Savastano

Raphael R. Savastano, Fractional CIO

Raphael R. Savastano

Founder and Principal Consultant

25 years of IT leadership. 8 years as CIO of a $400M global manufacturer. MIT Sloan certified in AI, Machine Learning, IoT Strategy, and Business Process Design.

I have led technology strategy through growth phases, acquisitions, ERP implementations, security overhauls, and digital transformations. I have made the decisions you are facing now, managed the vendors you are evaluating, and solved the problems that are keeping you up at night.

This is not advisory distance. This is experience from the seat.

Within 30 days of engagement, you will have a clear technology assessment, a prioritized action plan, and confidence in what to do next.

No time like the present. Let's get started. Book a Free IT Strategy Session →

Related Services

CIO leadership often surfaces adjacent needs. We cover both.

Fractional CTO Services

Senior technical leadership to modernize systems, navigate AI and cloud, and turn technology into a competitive advantage.

Explore

Process & Operational Excellence

Streamline workflows, eliminate friction, and build operations that can scale without adding headcount or complexity.

Explore

Most business owners know something is not working.
They just do not know where to start.

Before a conversation, before a commitment, find out exactly where your technology stands. The Founder's IT Reality Check tells you which areas are solid, which ones are creating risk, and what to address first. Takes 7 minutes.

Take the Founder's IT Reality Check

Free. No obligation. Results delivered immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

A CIO focuses on aligning technology with business strategy, managing IT investments, overseeing vendors, and ensuring systems support operations and growth. A CTO typically focuses on product development, technical architecture, and engineering teams. Many growing businesses need CIO-level leadership first, because the challenge isn't building technology, it's making sure the technology you have is working for the business.

A full-time CIO typically costs $250,000 to $400,000 or more annually when you factor in salary, benefits, and equity. That makes sense for large enterprises with constant, complex technology demands. A fractional CIO gives you the same caliber of strategic leadership and accountability at a fraction of the cost, scaled to your actual needs. You get executive-level guidance without committing to a full-time salary.

It depends on where you are and what you need. Some clients need intensive engagement during a specific project like an ERP implementation or post-acquisition integration. Others need ongoing strategic oversight a few days a month. We scope every engagement based on your situation, and we adjust as your needs change.

That's common, and it's often exactly when a fractional CIO adds the most value. IT managers and directors are typically focused on day-to-day operations, keeping systems running and handling support. A fractional CIO works at the strategic level, setting direction, aligning technology with business goals, and giving your internal team the leadership and clarity they need to execute effectively.

If your technology decisions are being made by people whose real job is something else, or if you're facing a major decision like an ERP selection, a system migration, or a security overhaul and you don't have the internal expertise to lead it, a fractional CIO can fill that gap. The same applies if you're growing fast and your systems aren't keeping up, or if you're spending money on IT but can't point to the value it's delivering.

Fractional CIO engagements vary based on scope and intensity. Some businesses need just a few days a month of strategic oversight. Others need intensive involvement during a major project like an ERP implementation or post-acquisition integration. Typical engagements range from $3,000 to $15,000 per month, a fraction of the $250,000 to $400,000 annual cost of a full-time CIO. Every engagement is scoped to match your actual needs, and we can adjust as those needs change.

Ready to Move Forward?

Request a complimentary assessment and get clear, actionable guidance for your business. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about what’s working, what isn’t, and what to do next.

I work with a limited number of clients at any given time to ensure every engagement gets the attention it deserves.
If you are facing a critical technology decision, do not wait.