Fractional CTO / CISO / EiR

Shahid N. Shah

Crafting secure, regulatory compliant tech with market mastery.
 
I'm a world-class CTO who has personally written code or led the teams behind products used by millions.
 
As an award-winning hands-on technologist (and when called upon an entrepreneur in residence or EiR) I help P&L leaders make tech decisions and coach individual contributors to achieve product-market fit.

I specialize in bringing world-class CTO, CISO, and EiR expertise to startups, business units and companies on a part-time (fractional) basis. With a rich background in regulated, safety-critical industries like Med Devices, Digital Health, and Gov 2.0, I possess a unique understanding of complex, high-demand products and services.


I'm a C-suite native that can easily blend in with technical and engineering teams that need to deliver revenue-generating solutions to the marketplace. I've served as an Entrepreneur in Residence when a market seems lucrative but it's unclear how to build and launch products and services for such opportunities.


I have years of leadership experience as a co-founding startup CTO for multiple venture-backed companies, business unit CTO and EiR, and public company CTO helping transform product teams from marginal to high performance.


My software/hardware engineering and cybersecurity body of knowledge is up to date because I roll up my sleeves to create code when appropriate & dive into system architecture and design when required. I also conduct technology due diligence exercises for corporate acquisition or product integration requirements.

Experience

I've been writing code as an engineer and leading teams as CTO for many years.

33
Years as Engineer
25+
Years in Cyber Security
22+
Years in Bio/Health IT and Medical Devices
18+
Years in Federal Government IT

Accomplishments

I've created many companies and solutions.

25+
Patents Awarded
5
Companies Founded
35+
Clients Served
2,513
LinkedIn SKills Endorsements

Clients Served

I've worked with over 30 companies over the past few decades, here are some of the most familiar.

USA Navy
Northrop Grumman
American Red Cross
Cardinal Health
Informatica
Armatus Dealer Uplift
HEALTHeLINK
New York eHealth Collaborative
USA
Xerox

Media Coverage

I've written for and have been interviewed by great publications.

CruxialCIO

Skills

(LinkedIn endorsements count next to each skill)

Enterprise Architecture (283)

I design and implement comprehensive IT systems for large organizations.

Agile Methodologies (238)

I employ Agile practices to ensure swift, iterative software development.

Software Development (209)

I craft high-quality software solutions tailored to specific needs.

Software Project Management (155)

I oversee software projects, ensuring they're completed on time and within budget.

IT Strategy (146)

I devise strategic plans to align IT infrastructure with business goals.

Product Management (111)

I guide the success of a product and lead the team responsible for improving it.

Integration (96)

I integrate diverse systems and software to function cohesively.

Software Engineering (86)

I apply engineering principles to design, develop, and maintain software.

Healthcare Information Technology (76)

I specialize in applying IT solutions to healthcare challenges.

Cloud Computing (70)

I leverage cloud platforms to deploy, scale, and manage applications.

Healthcare (68)

I possess knowledge in the healthcare domain, ensuring IT solutions meet industry needs.

System Architecture (67)

I design the fundamental structure of systems, ensuring optimal performance and scalability.

Investment Advisory (62)

I provide expert advice on investments, helping clients make informed decisions.

Entrepreneur (61)

I initiate and run businesses, understanding the nuances of the startup ecosystem.

Engaging Public Speaker (57)

I captivate audiences with clear and engaging presentations.

Software Design (54)

I design software solutions, focusing on user needs and system compatibility.

Business Intelligence (52)

I utilize BI tools and strategies to transform data into actionable insights.

Unix (51)

I operate and manage Unix-based systems, ensuring optimal performance.

SDLC (47)

I am proficient in the Software Development Life Cycle, from conception to deployment.

Requirements Analysis (47)

I decipher client needs to determine project requirements accurately.

Security (39)

I implement robust security measures to protect software and data.

SaaS (37)

I specialize in delivering software on a subscription basis over the internet.

SQL (29)

I write SQL queries to manage and retrieve data from relational databases.

Programming (25)

I write and debug code in various languages, crafting functional software.

Java (24)

I develop robust applications using the Java programming language.

Mobile Applications (23)

I design and develop applications optimized for mobile devices.

Linux (23)

I manage and operate Linux systems, ensuring stability and security.

Equity Research (21)

I analyze financial data and trends to provide insights on stock values.

Technology strategy development (21)

I craft strategic plans to leverage technology for business growth.

Valuation (18)

I accurately estimate the value of businesses or assets.

Board of Directors (16)

I participate in strategic decision-making at the highest organizational levels.

Medical Device R&D (16)

I innovate in the medical device field, researching and developing new solutions.

SOA (16)

I implement Service-Oriented Architecture to ensure modular and scalable systems.

C++ (14)

I develop applications using C++, focusing on performance and efficiency.

JavaScript (13)

I create dynamic web applications using the JavaScript language.

Operating Systems (12)

I am knowledgeable in various OS, optimizing their performance and security.

C (12)

I write efficient programs using the C programming language.

PHP (11)

I develop web applications using PHP, focusing on backend functionality.

Technical Management (11)

I lead technical teams, ensuring projects are executed effectively.

Information Architecture (11)

I organize and structure data to improve user experience and discoverability.

Healthcare IT (11)

I apply IT solutions to address challenges in the healthcare sector.

Application Architecture (11)

I design the structural framework for software applications.

Medical Informatics (11)

I utilize IT to solve problems in the medical and healthcare sectors.

Relational databases (10)

I manage and optimize relational databases for efficient data storage and retrieval.

J2EE (10)

I build enterprise-level applications using the J2EE platform.

Due Diligence (9)

I meticulously evaluate business opportunities and risks.

Agile (9)

I implement Agile practices for efficient and iterative development.

Software as a Service (SaaS) (9)

I deliver software solutions over the internet on a subscription basis.

Publisher (3)

I produce and disseminate content, ensuring it reaches the target audience.

Writer (2)

I craft compelling content, from technical documentation to articles.

Inventions (patents I've been awarded)

Computer-controlled precision education and training

2022-07-14, awarded 2023-05-16

Digital payment system

2020-03-30, awarded 2023-01-31

Computer-controlled metrics and task lists management

2020-11-18, awarded 2023-01-24

Blockchain-enabled service delivery evidence system

2018-07-25, awarded 2022-10-18

Computer-executable and traceable metric queues system

2019-10-30, awarded 2022-07-12

Blockchain-based crowdsourced initiatives tracking system

2017-05-04, awarded 2022-03-08

System for controlling medical devices

2020-03-30, awarded 2021-05-18

Blockchain system for natural language processing

2016-12-22, awarded 2021-04-20

Self-controlled digital authorization over communication networks

2017-02-16, awarded 2021-03-30

Multi-source user generated electronic data integration in a blockchain-based transactional system

2018-07-29, awarded 2020-11-17

Networking devices for storing profiles longitudinally

2016-05-24, awarded 2020-03-10

Device-driven non-intermediated blockchain system over a social integrity network

2016-12-08, awarded 2019-11-26

Aggregation of rating indicators

2017-11-14, awarded 2019-11-26

Tasks scheduling based on triggering event and work lists management

2015-11-19, awarded 2019-09-03

Patient navigation and situational awareness derived through context-sensitive information blocks delivery

2016-05-24, awarded 2018-10-02

Distributed electronic document review in a blockchain system and computerized scoring based on textual and visual feedback

2016-12-21, awarded 2018-01-16

Integration of devices through a social networking platform

2013-12-11, awarded 2016-12-20

Crowdsourced responses management to cases

2013-09-20, awarded 2016-08-16

Computer system for performing reusable software application development from a set of declarative executable specifications

2002-07-12, awarded 2006-05-02

Client testimonials

Discover what clients have to say about their experiences working with me.

" I had the pleasure of attending Shahid's social media webinar and found it to be very informative, full of great tips for next month's HIMMS. His direct style really makes you take a good look at where you stand to improve your messaging and how best to prioritize solving the customer's problems and see things from their perspective. "


Tolga U. Ural, MBA

Founder & CEO (Clinical Referral Directories)

" Shahid is a man you can count on! When times get tough and you look around to see who will fight the fight with you, Shahid will be by your side. He is self motivated, extremely smart and capable of getting it done. He is a superb manager and also willing to roll up his sleeves to do it himself when that is the best solution. We can all learn a few things from Shahid! "


Jeff Lamkin

Member Board of Directors (One Water Marine)

" I met Shahid at the Dell Think Tank on Healthcare earlier this year. He was very knowledgeable about the economics behind HITECH and the widespread adoption of EMR technology, and how these fit within the regulatory framework. He obviously has a great deal of experience in the industry, and provides thought leadership. I look forward to working with Shahid in future projects and/or initiatives. "


Eduardo Garcia

Partner, Healthcare Transformation (IBM)

" Shahid was hired by our company as a consultant to establish fundamental changes in how we develop. His insight into Design Patterns, Testing, Refactoring, Project Management and his grasp of advanced programming came together on a large project. If not for his guidance, this project of ours would not have been able to meet the deadlines set for us. "


Adam Gentry

Director Of Information Technology (Linden Advisors)

" Shahid is supremely talented in all aspects of business, marketing, start ups, health IT, platforms, frameworks, architecture, and so much more he constantly astounds me. But what makes him really stand out is his ability to sift through your needs and simplify everything. Ultra pragmatic and never burdened with a hidden agenda He is very unique and highly recommended. "


Blaine Warkentine MD

Medical install, training and marketing (OrthoGrid Systems, Inc.)

" Shahid is a rare leader in Technology . I and my friends consult him on important issues related to technology, and he has instant answers ! His blog www.healthcareguy.com is highly recommended for people into HIT. His knowledge about the IT domain is vast and is quite helpful to people who will get confused with the vendors driven IT industry . Above all, Shahid is not driven for money and he is always willing to offer his expertise when needed . A great human being !! "


Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, PhD

Founder (International Patients’ Union)

" Shahid's blogs is a must read for any Healthcare, IT and Healthcare IT person. I am already asking my collegues and interns to follow this on a daily basis. This is the best you can get Regards, Manoj Vadavat COO Collinear Technology Solutions "


Manoj Vadavat

Director (LanceSoft, Inc.)

" Shahid provided me with valuable advice in establishing a global database for supporting clinical trials. His deep understanding of the subject area and high integrity left a deep mark on the project. "


Alexander Rosenthal

Chief Technology Officer, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

" When I talk about Shahid several things come to immediate thought. He consistently overdelivers, is a plethora of useful expertise and information, has shown himself to be an advocate and champion of both technology and innovation and he is open and honest. There is nothing more refreshing that working with someone who is not afraid to voice an opinion that is best for the company, not just what the executive wants to hear. If 4 stars were the best rating...I'd have to give him 5. "


Steve Ambrose

Senior Content Strategist (Arch Stanton)

" I worked with Shahid for almost one and half year, and found him truly inspirational when it comes to guiding and mentoring a raw team.It was amazing to found him so profound in all technical areas, he guided us in almost all areas with his rich technical and business thoughts, I must say one of his key managerial strength is his ability to easily zooms in and out on any small to big issues in no time. I admire his technique where he leveraged his technical strengths to get maximum issues resolved on no time on our daily calls and motivated us to get the best out of us.I definitely look forward to have an association with him again. "


Ayush Joshi

Vice President (Axis Bank)

" I had the honor of working for the International Association of Software Architects, of which Shahid Shah is a member of the Board. Shah is one of those people who know how to make things happen. "


Alice Marshall

Founder and Owner (Presto Vivace)

" Shahid is an exceptional leader, a very positive person, detail oriented manager and a programmer at heart. He is great at communication and persuation. Above everything he is a very kind hearted and admirable person. A big part of what I am today is due to inspiration and constant mentoring from Shahid. My 14 months of association with him has been a period of great learning and development. I just wish I get to work with him again in future. This recommendation is a small token of gratitude towards him. "


Ujjwal Trivedi

Sr. Director of Products (MoveInSync)

" Shahid has a truly unique mix of technology expertise and business acumen. He is gifted at taking complex processes and distilling them down to their essence for the purpose of re-engineering and automation. He excels at every level of information engineering from the most conceptual and theoretical all the way down to bits and bytes. He has a tireless energy and focus, and never rests until the customer is "thrilled" with the outcome. His project management skills are state-of-the-art in terms of using agile methods and the most recent technologies, and yet he always matches the perfect mix of tools to the job at hand. He is a true master-craftsman when it comes to coding, consistently staying current on emerging frameworks, languages, and technologies. But, most importantly, he is extremely collegial and a joy to work with. In fact, he is the rare type of guy who can exhaust my ability to come up with new superlatives, and that is no small feat. I cannot recommend him highly enough. "


Paul Baker

Director of Information Mgmt (Office of Management and Budget)

" I've worked with Shahid on several different engagements and found him to be a highly motivated and insightful consultant. His knowledge of the technical trends in the medical industry is unsurpassed. Combine this with his technical design and team leadership qualities and Shahid was a key figure in leading our multi-functional team to success. "


Pete Gambino

President and Principal Consultant (Delaero, Inc.)

" I worked with Shahid on multiple projects in the healthcare industry as well as on the SparX J2EE framework. He is, by far, the most creative, energetic, and technically savvy person I have ever worked with. "


Shahbaz Javeed

Software Engineer (Google)

" Shahid possesses a unique blend of technical and leadership skills. He has strong communication skills and was always very diligent at following up. Any company that is lucky enough to retain his services won't be disappointed. "


Tom Figueroa

Partner (JM Search)

" Shahid is a top notch technical guru and an adept entrepreneur guru who can effectively fuse technology with business concerns. There are few people who can communicate complex business and technical aspects as well as Shahid, and his professionalism is unmatched. I have an immense amount of trust and respect for Shahid and I would gladly offer him a referral. "


Andrew Glover

CTO (ReadySet)

" The extent of Shahid's technical knowledge is overwhelming. His communication and presentation style, from rank and file developers to executives, is effective, informed and professional. He quickly assimilated our team into J2EE best practices and design patterns. If your business requirements include enterprise class software design and development make Shahid part of your solution. "


Don Muldoon

Principal Architect (Sycamore Informatics)

" Shahid is a thought leader in creating J2EE frameworks for development projects has the knowledge in J2EE platform combined with strong organizational skills making him a strong asset.I enjoy working with Shahid for the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the team. It will be a pleasure to work with him in future as there are few people who has his drive, energy and passion about what he does. "


Sada Rajagopalan

Technology Leader - Silicon Valley Financial Group (SVB Financial Group)

" Shahid's dynamic and energetic leadership was key to the success of the FDA regulated program. His continued interest in process improvement led to many changes that enhanced techniques on this large program. Shahid's innovative management styles were incorporated at all levels of the program and later used on several other programs. "


Ayesha DeLorenzo

President and CFO (Malfa Inc)

" I had the opportunity to review some of Shahids work with Netspective and I was VERY impressed. I always enjoy meeting people who have the ability to see the big picture and the talent to use that knowledge to deliver useful solutions. "


Jon Strande

Sr. Director, Discovery & Design (AstraZeneca)

" If you are looking for a deep technology expert with a clear understanding of customer business needs, look no further than Shahid. Shahid bring a phenomenal understanding of software architecture and design to the table, not merely from a theoretical point of view but from a practical hands-on perspective as well, having implemented many software projects from the ground-up. "


Kamesh Pemmaraju

Head Of Enterprise/Product Marketing (Platform9 Systems)

" Savvy, results oriented, keen to understand your strategic needs and capable of understanding a bigger picture -- what else do you want in someone designing and building software? Every time we have used Shahid and Sparx/Netspective in client engagements the result has always been predictable -- outstanding, which means a satisfied client. Highest recommendation! "


David Frankil

President and CEO (Frankil Advisory Services, LLC)

" Shahid is a creative and extremely competent technical architect. Several people, myself included, were inspired to join the company by the vision expressed in his design. "


Lloyd Brodsky

Analytics Consultant (Self-employed)

" I worked closely with Shahid during our initial evaluation of the Sparx Application Platform, and more recently during our first implementation using Sparx. I am confident that using Sparx on our program will help us to deliver better products faster, not only because of the quality of the framework itself, but also due to the responsiveness and involvement of Shahid as his team. "


Lisa Spory

Senior Director Program Management (ICF)

" He demonstrated competence and brilliance in the development of a unique software. He conceived an innovative solution to a fundamental industry problem, and worked collaboratively with healthcare experts in the development of applications. As a thinker, engineer, leader, manager, and committed employee I recommend Mr. Shah without reservation. His ethical standards are of the highest order. "


Breaux Castleman

Director (Advanced Micro Instruments, Inc.)

" Shahid is one of the brightest individuals that I have ever meet. He not only understands information technology but he genuinely wants to help his customers. Shahid is a tireless worker and an honest and ethical person. "


Tom Russotto

Associate (SM&A)

" Shahid has proven himself to be a true technology innovator. He is a true professional who is always willing to take the time to help educate others. I would stringly recommend Shahid for any technology leadership role. "


Clark Richey

Principal Solutions Architect, Critical Capabilities (Amazon Web Services (AWS))

" Shahid has been training us on advanced software engineering (OOP) and test-driven development techniques on a new Loan Processing System my firm is building. It has been a great working with him while he has been mentoring our team. He knows his way around tools and technologies and is able to teach programmers how to use them. "


Lalit Parashar

Programmer (Maple Securities)

" I had started working with Shahid on this Health Care project since June 1999. It was really a pleasure working with Physia's team, specially with Shahid. I had gained a tremenduous knowledge about developing an Internet ASP application from him. He has a complete command and knowledge of what he develops. He is a mentor and a great person. I would highly recommend working with him. "


Sayed Yousuf

WorkForce Time Consultant (WorkForce Software)

" I've worked with Shahid on different projects and he's always impressed me with his knowledge of all the latest technologies. His knowledge and experience with software architecture and design have helped tremendously in building quality products. Also the leadership and synergy that he brings to a team is very outstanding. He would be a great asset to any project or team. "


Aye Thu

Engineering Manager (Slack)

" I have been extremely impressed with Shahid as an entreprenuer and a technologist. His breath of knowledge on every aspect of IT as well as vertical expertise is certainly one of his most impressive attributes. He also possesses the business acument to bridge the gap between technology and business to ensure that the correct IT solution is applied to address key business drivers. "


Denys Kim

Lead Enterprise Architect (American Red Cross)

" Shahid is a very impressive individual. He is constantly update-to-date with the latest technologies. This coupled with the ability to articulate his ideas clearly makes him a rare individual. I would highly recommend working with Shahid. "


James Ogura

Principal Engineer (The College Board)

Formal Education

Bachelor of Computer Science

B.Sc. in 1990 from Penn State Harrisburg

Master of Science in Technology Management

M.Sc. ("Technical MBA") in 1998 from University of Maryland

Let's create together

Ready to transform your vision into executable technology?

Explore insightful articles on my blog

View all posts »

Dive into engineering wisdom and decision-making advice where you'll find invaluable insights, practical tips, and helpful narratives that can transform your vision into executable technology.

Embrace Compliance as Code

Embrace Compliance as Code

Exploring the benefits of transitioning to a 'compliance as code' model by reflecting on successful implementations of other 'as code' models.