What We Do
ETW Digital can help take your business to the next level
With over 30 years of experience in multiple executive roles, we are poised and positioned to help your business grow, optimize your existing business, or transform your business into areas you haven’t yet considered. Our engagements are structured to meet your immediate business needs through traditional project engagements or to fill holes in your current management structure via fractional executive engagements.
Digital Transformation Strategy
At ETW Digital, our experience with business transformation began before digital was even a thing. The key areas businesses have focused on for over 100 years have not changed but can now be leveraged to accelerate change through digital transformation. They include:
- Product or service offerings
- Assets
- Processes
- Decision-making
- Organizational structure
There are many types of digital transformation that your organization can pursue. Our focus is on process transformation and business model transformation.
Process Transformation
This type of digital transformation focuses on using analytics, KPIs, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other tools to improve internal processes and operations. Ultimately, corporations use process transformation to identify areas where procedures could improve and leverage digital solutions to make said processes more streamlined and cohesive, resulting in operational efficiency.
Business Model Transformation
Through business model transformation, leadership teams have the power to modify traditional enterprise structures and improve efficiency. This digital transformation can be cumbersome, as it redefines the foundational building blocks of how a business operates and delivers its products or services. However, the result is a business model that adapts to and produces what consumers want.
The Importance of Business Persuasion in Digital Transformation
Regardless of your position in an organization, you must articulate your thoughts and make a compelling argument to succeed in moving a project forward. Being persuasive can affect the support you receive for a given project. When you can muster support from your co-workers, it will be more accessible to convince product managers and managers and supervisors of the validity of your idea. Convincing others to side with you is essential for any undertaking you desire.
Fractional or Virtual Chief Operating Officer
A Fractional COO is a part-time Chief Operating officer that helps with operational strategy and implementation, focusing on process development and standardization. The key to this engagement is assessing the business needs, prioritizing short-term needs and long-term goal setting, and creating deliverables that allow for business growth.
How can a Fractional COO benefit your organization?
Many small and medium-sized companies need the expertise of a COO but cannot afford the appropriate experience or need an additional full-time layer to their organization. A fractional COO can be the best of both worlds. An experienced operational executive can assist in any or all of these elements depending on the size and maturity of your business.
These include:
- Evaluate current operations; vision and execution, data, processes, position and job roles, communication, and capacity.
- Prioritize elements that need to be documented, created, implemented, or improved.
- Goal setting and communicating key objectives with critical results, accountability, and processes to ensure goals are achieved.
- Formalize the elements of the business that are succeeding, identifying gaps in the business operations, establishing priorities, and clear communication.
- Standardize key positions/roles with clear job descriptions, responsibilities, and clarity in defining success in any position.
- Document and standardize processes and procedures from client acquisition to product/service delivery.
- Work closely with the CEO to achieve short-term and long-term goals.
- Create a process for internal communication, problem identification, and resolution, and empower the team to solve common issues.
- Contingency planning; identify critical areas and vulnerabilities that would impede the business’s operations in the short or long run.
Fractional or Virtual Chief Marketing Officer
A Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) oversees a company’s marketing strategy and initiatives. This typically includes developing and implementing marketing plans, overseeing marketing research and analysis, and managing the marketing budget. The CMO may also be responsible for leading advertising and public relations efforts and identifying new opportunities for growth and expansion. In short, the CMO is responsible for promoting the company and its products or services to the public.
A fractional CMO can be a critical component of an up-and-coming organization that requires senior marketing leadership but does not need full-time assistance or the budget to acquire the right resource. Here are some functional areas of focus:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the ranking of a website on search engines like Google. This is done by making changes to the website’s content and structure and building high-quality backlinks from other websites. The goal of SEO is to increase the visibility of a website on search engines, which can help drive more traffic to the site and increase the chances of converting that traffic into customers. SEO is an essential part of any online marketing strategy, as it can help improve the visibility and credibility of a website, which in turn can lead to more business.
Paid search, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, is a form of online advertising in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. This type of advertising is typically done through a search engine, such as Google, where advertisers bid on keywords that are relevant to their business. When someone searches for one of those keywords, the advertiser’s ad may appear at the top of the search results, along with a link to the advertiser’s website. The advertiser is then charged a fee each time someone clicks on their ad. Paid search can be an effective way for businesses to reach potential customers actively searching for the products or services they offer.
Email marketing is a form of online marketing in which businesses send promotional or marketing messages to a group of people via email. This can be an effective way for businesses to reach their target audience and promote their products or services. Email marketing campaigns typically include a call to action, such as a discount code or a link to a website, to encourage recipients to take a specific action. Email marketing can be an effective way for businesses to keep their customers informed about new products or services and to build customer loyalty.
Social media marketing uses social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote a product or service. This can be done by creating and sharing content, such as blog posts, images, and videos, designed to engage and interest the target audience. Social media marketing can also involve running paid advertising campaigns on social media platforms or using social media to drive traffic to a company’s website. Social media marketing aims to increase brand awareness, build customer loyalty, and drive sales.
Fractional or Virtual Chief Information Officer
The Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) is sometimes the forgotten executive in the C-Suite, and usually the last of the senior executives brought on board for small and mid-sized companies. This can lead to a “lease before you buy” mindset where a fractional CIO makes better initial sense for your organization. All businesses face many of the same complex technical decisions as large enterprises. Critical operating performance and strategic competitive advantage increasingly rely on technology that can make or break a company’s future—having access to an expert CIO on a part-time eliminates the high cost and risk associated with recruiting a full-time executive. By using a fractional CIO, company leaders and managers can still have ready access to an experienced CIO for critical decisions and planning.
Our fractional CIO services include:
- Day-to-day management of staff and vendors and collaboration with department stakeholders.
- Managing the deployment of new technology platform(s) and updating existing programs.
- Developing and maintaining an IT budget, including creating business-case. justifications and cost-benefit analyses for IT spending.
- Ensuring that IT system operations adhere to applicable laws and regulations.
- Guaranteeing compliance with contracts and service agreements.
What are specific areas of focus that could benefit from senior expertise?
- Data Analytics
- Data Visualization
- Business Intelligence
- Security
- Software Development
- Project Management
- Managed Services
- Digital Marketing
- Mobile Development
- Cloud Migration
- CRM and Sales Management
Fractional or Virtual Chief Financial Officer
A Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) is responsible for a company’s past and present financial situation and is an integral part of a company’s management and financial future. A CFO has multiple duties, from financial reportage to deciding where and when to invest company funds. A CFO oversees the capital structure of the company, determining the best mix of debt, equity, and internal financing. For a small or medium-sized business, it might not be practical to utilize or afford a CFO full-time.
A Fractional CFO partners with you as an advisor to help define your goals and develop a game plan for those strategic, financial, and business goals. This is in addition to your accounting or bookkeeping function.
Financial Oversight
Ensure spending and budget management are aligned with your available funds. A fractional CFO will allow you to focus on the business – by focusing on your accounting needs.
Financing and Cash Flow
Focus on cash management and access to funds is critical to all entrepreneurs. A fractional CFO is here to manage all your commitments for receivables, inventory, and wages.
Mergers & Acquisitions
M&A opportunities are decisions that rely heavily on the quality of your venture evaluations and negotiations. A fractional CFO will assist you in a successful transition.
Business Strategy & Crisis Management
By analyzing your environment thoroughly, ensure your strategy is truly reflected in your business. A fractional CFO will support you with expert insights to make the best intervention decisions.
Fractional or Virtual Chief Technology Officer
Every business or startup needs a Chief Technology Officer (“CTO”) to advise and oversee different technical and product aspects. However, as the cost and complexity of technology have exploded over the years, businesses have been more comfortable with virtual CTO services. They are much more affordable than an internal CTO and provide strategic direction with the same degree of efficiency without the additional cost that a full-time CTO brings.
How can a fractional CTO benefit your organization?
Enhance your vision
Get the best advice on aligning your product with your goals. A fractional CTO gives you an affordable senior resource to prioritize tasks, improve performance, and get the desired results.
Develop your strategy
Plan for success with our experts as they assist you in developing your product. Get the best CTO advice for building scalable technology, managing infrastructure, maintaining efficiency & building your product.
Manage your costs
Our experts offer virtual CTO services to help you make feasible and cost-effective business decisions. We ensure you invest in the right areas and maintain your budgets.
Leverage experts
Harness the skills of experts at the top of their game. Our CTO service gives you access to professionals who have worked on a diverse range of projects & lets you reap the benefits of their abilities.
Fractional or Virtual Chief Information Security Officer
In recent years, headlines about cybersecurity have become increasingly common. Thieves steal customer social security numbers from corporations’ computer systems. Unscrupulous hackers grab passwords and personal information from social media sites or pluck company secrets from the cloud. For companies of all sizes, keeping information safe is a growing concern. The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) defines cybersecurity as “the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.”
Businesses of all sizes utilize technology in one form or another. The smallest company has a phone and an email account at its disposal. That is all a hacker needs to compromise your business and your livelihood. Companies need to consider assistance as it grows, and cybersecurity done well is a necessary and potentially expensive endeavor. An option for Fortune 500 companies is the newest addition to the C-Suite, the Chief Information Security Officer or CISO. Information Security is so critical to the health and safety of a business that these responsibilities were carved out from the CTO and the CIO job descriptions. Although most companies do not have the resources to hire a CISO, all businesses need that expertise incorporated. This is where a fractional or virtual CISO is an attractive option.
A virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) helps organizations to protect their infrastructure, data, people, and customers. A vCISO is a top security expert that builds the client organization’s cybersecurity program. The Virtual CISO works with the existing management and technical teams.
Managing cybersecurity in today’s world is almost indescribably brutal. Many business leadership teams don’t feel up to the challenge, or they understand that outside firepower can enhance a security model. Most mid-sized firms have some technical personnel or contractors handling most of the security needs. But who is looking at the big picture of cybersecurity for the organization?
A Virtual CISO is designed to provide expert security guidance through:
- Understanding the organization’s strategy and business environment
- Providing threat analysis and strategy updates in real-time
- Anticipating future security and compliance challenges
- Overseeing mid-level and analyst/engineering teams
- Discovery, triage, remediation, and evaluation of threats
So why do you need a CISO?
Your cybersecurity and business information security and data security require a specialized professional with extensive knowledge and skillsets regarding the technical and administrative issues related to business. CISOs handle your business information security, governance risk, compliance, information technology controls, risk management, digital forensics, business continuity, disaster recovery, IT infrastructure, eDiscovery, Information assurance, emergency response, and network or system privacy, among several others.