What a Technology Assessment actually finds, and what it costs
A Technology Assessment is three to four weeks of structured looking: every system, vendor, contract, and risk, ranked by what it would actually cost you. V Consulting Services prices it as a fixed fee quoted before work begins, with no obligation afterward, and sometimes the finding is that you are fine.
What do you actually get?
Six deliverables, all in business language. Each is written so a director with no technical background can act on it.
| Deliverable | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Ranked risk register | Every material risk, ordered by what it would genuinely cost, not by how technical it sounds |
| Systems & vendor inventory | What you have, what you pay, who has access, and when each contract renews |
| Security findings | Where you are exposed, in plain language, with the fix effort sized honestly |
| 12-month roadmap | What to do now, next, and later, and what can safely wait |
| Board-ready readout | A live presentation your leadership can question, not a PDF that arrives in silence |
| A straight answer | Whether you need ongoing help, including when you do not |
What does it cost?
A fixed fee, quoted before work begins, based on your size and complexity. No overages, ever. V Consulting Services does not publish a number because a ten-person foundation and a two-hundred-seat agency are not the same engagement, but the quote arrives before any commitment and stands alone: no retainer is attached to it.
When is an assessment not worth buying?
When someone already owns technology and can produce the register, the inventory, and the roadmap on request: buying an assessment would only confirm what you have. It is also premature during an active crisis; stabilize first, assess second. And if the honest motivation is to justify a decision already made, save the fee.
What happens after the readout?
Whatever you choose. Some clients execute findings with their own team or existing provider. Some ask V Consulting Services to hold the seat permanently: the model described in What a vCIO does. The assessment obligates you to none of it.
Before you buy an assessment
- Ask for a fixed fee, quoted before work begins, with no overages.
- Confirm the timeline in writing: three to four weeks, with a definite end date.
- Ask what the risk register looks like, ordered by cost, so the biggest dollar exposures sit at the top.
- Confirm findings are written so any provider you choose could execute them.
- Ask directly: “What happens if you find nothing wrong?” A trustworthy answer is that the engagement ends and you owe nothing further.
Find out if an assessment is worth it.
Fifteen minutes, no obligation. Sometimes the honest answer is that you don't need one.