An outside view the board can rely on
Independent IT Review
An independent IT review is a fixed-scope assessment of a business's technology, carried out by a senior outside executive with nothing to sell. It tells the board or owner whether IT is fit for the business: the estate, the team, the spend and contracts, cyber security, the programmes in flight, and where the next 12 months of investment should go.
Intology offers it at two depths: a focused review that produces a two-page verdict within days, and a full review that produces a board report and costed roadmap in four to eight weeks. Intology holds no reseller agreements, vendor partnerships or implementation revenue, and does not bid for the work its reviews recommend.
- No vendor ties
- Fixed scope and fixed fee
- Written for the board
01
What an independent IT review is, and what it is not
| Independent IT review | Technology due diligence | Programme assurance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioned by | The board or owner | An investor or acquirer before a deal | The sponsor of one programme |
| Looks at | The whole IT function | The target's technology, priced against the deal | One programme's delivery confidence |
| Output | Board report and 12-month roadmap | Risk and cost position for the deal | Gate review and recovery actions |
Commissioned by
Independent IT review
Technology due diligence
Programme assurance
Looks at
Independent IT review
Technology due diligence
Programme assurance
Output
Independent IT review
Technology due diligence
Programme assurance
For a deal, see technology due diligence. For a single programme, see programme assurance. Where the question is what technology should look like in three years, see IT strategy consultancy.
02
When boards and owners commission a review
- 01Before hiring a permanent CIO or Head of IT, so the brief matches reality
- 02Before a major investment such as an ERP, a cloud migration or a security uplift
- 03Before a sale, investment or refinancing, so issues surface on the board's terms rather than in a buyer's diligence
- 04After an incident, outage or audit finding, to see how systemic it is
- 05When IT spend keeps rising and nobody can explain what it buys
- 06When the owner suspects IT is holding the business back but cannot get a straight answer from anyone with something to sell
03
What the review covers
Estate and architecture
Team and operating model
Spend, contracts and suppliers
Cyber security and resilience
Programmes in flight
Data and reporting
Regulation, audit and AI
12-month investment roadmap
04
Two levels of review
Focused review
For owner-managed and growing businesses that need a clear verdict fast. One structured session covering estate and spend, core systems, team and supplier dependencies, data and reporting, and the risks coming in the next 12 months.
Output: a two-page written verdict within 48 hours with the top three risks, quick wins and a 90-day priority plan.
Fixed feeFull independent IT review
For boards and PE sponsors that need an evidence base they can defend. Four to eight weeks across all eight areas, with interviews, document and contract review, and findings tested against the evidence.
Output: a written report, a costed 12-month roadmap, a board presentation and a working session with the executive team.
Fixed feeMost clients start with the focused review. If it shows more is needed, the full review is scoped separately, with no obligation.
05
How the full review runs
Weeks 1 to 2
Brief and discovery
A written brief agreed with the sponsor, a document and data request, and interviews with leadership, IT and key suppliers.
Weeks 3 to 4
Analysis
Estate, security, contracts, spend and programmes reviewed, and early findings tested against the evidence.
Weeks 5 to 6
Report and roadmap
The draft checked for factual accuracy with the sponsor, then the final report, costed roadmap and board presentation.
Afterwards
A clean handover
The review stands on its own. Any further support is a separate decision.
06
What you receive
- 01A plain-English board report with a RAG rating for each area
- 02The top risks, rated and costed where the evidence allows
- 03Quick wins that can be acted on straight away
- 04A costed, prioritised 12-month roadmap
- 05A view of team capability and key-person risk
- 06A contract and renewal timeline with the leverage points
- 07A board presentation and working session with the executive team
07
Independence, and why it matters in a review
A review is only as useful as its independence. Managed service providers, resellers and integrators are often asked to assess the estate they are paid to run or would be paid to replace. Intology holds no reseller agreements, vendor partnerships or implementation revenue, and does not bid for the work its reviews recommend, so the verdict can be to keep what you have, or to spend less.
08
Who leads the review
Independent IT reviews are led by Richard Keenlyside, Intology's founder, who has 34 years of board-level technology leadership across CIO, CTO, CISO and Transformation Director roles. Where a review shows the business needs senior technology leadership, see Fractional and Interim CIO.
What is an independent IT review?
A fixed-scope assessment of a business's technology by a senior outside executive with nothing to sell. It covers the estate, team, spend, contracts, cyber security, programmes and the investment priorities for the next 12 months, with a written verdict for the board or owner.
How is it different from an IT health check from our IT provider?
A provider's health check is usually carried out by the supplier that runs the estate or hopes to sell the next project. An independent review is commissioned by the board, paid for by the business, and has no product, licence or project attached to its recommendations.
How is it different from an IT audit?
An IT audit tests controls against a standard. An independent IT review asks whether technology is fit for the business, what it costs, what is at risk and where to invest next.
How long does it take?
The focused review delivers a two-page verdict within 48 hours of the session. The full review typically takes four to eight weeks, with the board presentation around week six.
What does it cost?
Both levels are fixed fee. The full review is quoted against a written brief before any work starts.
Will you try to sell us a follow-on project?
No. The review stands on its own. If it shows the business needs senior technology leadership, we will say so, and any further work is a separate decision.
Who is it for?
Boards, owners, CFOs and PE sponsors of UK mid-market and owner-managed businesses, typically before a CIO hire, a major investment or a transaction, or after an incident.
Need a straight answer on your IT?
Tell us what is prompting the question. We will tell you honestly whether a focused review, a full review or something else is the right call. The first conversation is confidential.