The “Personal CTO” concept centres on the principal that a modern and busy household is increasingly run like a business but there is no-one to pick up the challenge of how modern technology can be used to make that “business” run more smoothly, reduce costs or reduce risk.

Most people have a friend or a friend-of-a-friend who they can call on when something breaks or when there is a need for a new purchase but there is a distinct lack of a holistic strategy – we don’t mean that in a “corporate management speak” way but that most people treat their technology purchases as discrete serial events and do not think that they should be taking previous and/or future purchases into account as they make their decisions.

Now, this is not about trying to replicate the office IT infrastructure but more about ensuring that TVs and music systems will be compatible with the changing entertainment options such as iPlayer or streaming your music to any room; it is about ensuring that the the family is subscribing to the most cost effective TV/broadband/phone/mobile packages for their particular needs and usage patterns; it is about ensuring that all the PCs in the house are automatically backing up their files, are talking to each other and are sharing network resources such as printers or storage.

We believe that most homes could benefit from a “Technology Audit” to ensure that you are getting the most out of your existing kit; that you have a manageable process for getting photos and videos off your various portable devices and that you can enjoy them afterwards and not leave them locked up on a hard drive where they will never be seen again; that you rediscover your CD collection by converting them to digital files and putting them on the network so that any capable device in the house can access them; that both parents or guardians have access to a shared online calender to simplify the schedules of themselves and their children.

If any of this strikes a chord with you and you would like to discuss this in more detail, with no obligation, then please contact Gary Atkinson on the number or email address in the sidebar on the right.