Your CTO Shouldn't Be Your DevOps Team

I come in for a few months, fix the infrastructure, and build an AI system around your stack so your team can handle DevOps without a full-time hire.

The Challenge

When DevOps Is Nobody's Actual Job

CTO as DevOps

Your CTO or lead dev is still getting pulled into deployments, infrastructure fires, and production issues — on top of their actual job.

Cobbled-Together Deployments

Individual developers have set up their own deployment processes. Nothing is centralized or standardized — every service deploys differently, and nobody has full visibility into what's running where.

Tribal Knowledge

The infrastructure sort of works, but it's brittle, under-documented, and lives in one person's head. If they leave, the knowledge goes with them.

Don't Want to Hire

You want proper systems and ownership, but you don't want to add a full-time DevOps salary to get there.

Process

How It Works

Start with a small discovery. End with a team that can run what's in place.

1

Discovery

I spend 1–2 days in your infrastructure — reviewing CI/CD pipelines, security, monitoring, and how your team deploys. You get back a document with everything that needs attention and a specific quote for the buildout.

2

Buildout

Over 2–3 months, I clean up the fragile parts of the stack, tighten CI/CD, monitoring, and security, and build an AI system around your environment. The project isn't done until the changes are tested and you're fully satisfied.

3

Advisory Retainer

Optional ongoing support. I keep the system current as your stack evolves, and your team has someone who already knows the environment when they hit something unusual.

Core Deliverable

The DevOps AI Harness

This is what makes the handoff actually work.

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The harness gets built as part of the engagement — it helps me work more efficiently, and your team inherits it when I'm done. They get an AI setup that actually knows your systems — your infrastructure, your deployments, your procedures. Real questions, real answers, not generic advice. The difference between a useful AI setup and a generic one is what you put in front of it — that's where 8+ years of infrastructure experience matters.

Context files that capture your architecture, conventions, and operational knowledge
CLI tools wired into your real environment
Runbooks and playbooks built into the system
Simple setup — just files and tools, no extra moving parts

// Without this, "your team can handle DevOps" is wishful thinking.
// With it, they have an actual system to work from.

Investment

Transparent Pricing

Every buildout is scoped from a real discovery — no guessing, no surprises halfway through.

$800

Discovery — 1–2 day audit of your systems

Thorough review of your infrastructure, CI/CD, security, and monitoring
Complete list of changes and improvements your systems need
Valuable on its own — even if you don't continue with the buildout
A trial run for both sides before committing to a larger engagement
$30–50K

Full buildout over 2–3 months — scoped from discovery

Infrastructure cleanup across CI/CD, security, monitoring, and the brittle parts of the stack
DevOps AI Harness built around your stack
Team training on the harness and your new infrastructure
Clear handoff so your team can run it after the engagement
Fixed price — you'll never pay more than the agreed-upon quote
Not done until changes are tested and you're fully satisfied

Optional advisory retainer available after buildout — $1–3K/mo

Why Not Just Hire?

Full-Time DevOps Hire

$150K+/year salary + benefits
3–6 months to recruit and onboard
Still dependent on one person to own the whole thing
Knowledge and processes walk out the door if they leave

Peletech Buildout

$30–50K fixed + optional retainer
Start with a small discovery, then get the buildout done in 2–3 months
Your team owns the system instead of relying on one specialist
Knowledge lives in the harness, runbooks, and setup instead of in someone's head

FAQ

Common Questions

What exactly is the DevOps AI Harness?

It's a Claude Code setup built around your stack — context files that capture how your systems work, CLI tools wired into your environment, and runbooks built into the workflow. Your team gets AI that understands your setup instead of something generic.

What does the $800 discovery include?

I look at your CI/CD pipelines, cloud infrastructure, security posture, monitoring, and deployment processes — then deliver a document covering what needs fixing, what I'd build, and a specific buildout quote. The document is yours to keep and act on regardless of whether you continue with me.

How is the $30–50K buildout priced?

Based on the complexity uncovered during discovery. It's a fixed price — you agree to a number before the buildout starts and you'll never pay more than that. The whole point of the discovery is that both sides know exactly what the work is upfront.

Can my team actually run things after you leave?

Yes — that's the whole point. At the end of the engagement, I train your CTO or lead dev on the new system. It's straightforward and doesn't require much to get the most out of. The optional retainer is there if they want backup for unusual situations.

How much of my team's time does this require?

Very little. After an initial ramp-up period, I work mostly independently — minimal meetings, no joining your standups or Slack channels. I'm available if an urgent DevOps issue comes up, but otherwise I keep the friction on your team to a minimum.

What if we need ongoing support after the buildout?

The advisory retainer ($1–3K/mo) keeps things current as your stack evolves and gives your team someone who already knows the environment. It's optional — the buildout is meant to stand on its own.

References available on request.

Get Started

Request Discovery

$800 for a 1–2 day review. You'll see what needs work and what the buildout would look like.