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Led Data & Systems Modernization
We modernized a multifamily operator’s systems as their Fractional CTO, moving to a cloud-first platform, cutting costs and speeding reporting.
Client
Regional Multifamily Operator
Objective
Acting as a Fractional CTO, lead a cloud transformation for core property operations—achieving in months what would have taken years.
Tech Stack
AWS integration
Intro
A regional multifamily property operator with siloed, on-premise systems engaged us as a Fractional CTO to lead its cloud transformation. In just a few months, we modernized their property management, leasing, and accounting systems by moving them to a secure AWS cloud platform and integrating their data. We established a technology roadmap aligned with business goals like occupancy and NOI, introduced automated data pipelines and real-time dashboards, and improved security and data governance. The result was a scalable, cost-effective tech backbone that reduced reporting times from days to near real-time and improved the reliability of information for decision- making and investor reporting.
Challenge
The operator’s core systems were outdated and disconnected. They relied on an on-premises property management/accounting system (think older versions of Yardi/MRI or similar), lots of Excel spreadsheets for financial modeling, and a separate CRM for leasing data. Because these tools didn’t talk to each other, any improvement or change – like trying to automatically compare budget vs. actuals or unify tenant and maintenance data – was slow and often messy. Reporting was a particularly painful point: generating a portfolio report or a variance analysis could take days, and even then the numbers might not match across systems, forcing managers to constantly double-check and reconcile data. There was a lack of trust in the reports because of these discrepancies. Maintaining the few integrations they did have (point-to-point links between systems) was expensive and risky, frequently breaking whenever one system was updated. Moreover, the company had no in-house CTO or tech leader, so there was no clear strategy for moving to the cloud, standardizing data (like defining metrics such as NOI or occupancy consistently), or ensuring the various departments (accounting, operations, IT vendors) were coordinated.
How It Works Now
Serving as the firm’s Fractional CTO, we partnered with leadership to design a modernization roadmap that tied technology upgrades directly to business KPIs (such as occupancy, collections, NOI, and turnaround times for vacant units). We adopted a cloud-first strategy, leveraging AWS for flexibility and growth. One of the first moves was implementing automated data pipelines to gather information from the property management system and the CRM into a centralized cloud data platform. We utilized modern cloud ETL tools to clean and organize the data, and then we set up a data warehouse and business intelligence dashboards so the team could access current metrics anytime without manual effort. We also established standardized APIs for key data like rent rolls, general ledger details, and property information – this meant that internal teams and even external partners could retrieve consistent data via secure endpoints instead of juggling spreadsheets, reducing dependency on any single vendor’s software. To improve security and compliance, we integrated single sign-on for all applications and enforced role-based access controls, encrypting data both at rest and in transit. We built audit trails into the data pipelines so that any changes or anomalies in critical metrics (like a sudden jump in expenses or occupancy) would be logged and traceable, which is important for investor and lender transparency. We rolled out these changes in phases: running the new cloud reports in parallel with the old system’s reports and comparing them to ensure accuracy, then migrating properties one by one to the new platform. This staged approach minimized risk and ensured that on-site teams and investors experienced no disruption during the transition.
Results
Serving as the firm’s Fractional CTO, we partnered with leadership to design a modernization roadmap that tied technology upgrades directly to business KPIs (such as occupancy, collections, NOI, and turnaround times for vacant units). We adopted a cloud-first strategy, leveraging AWS for flexibility and growth. One of the first moves was implementing automated data pipelines to gather information from the property management system and the CRM into a centralized cloud data platform. We utilized modern cloud ETL tools to clean and organize the data, and then we set up a data warehouse and business intelligence dashboards so the team could access current metrics anytime without manual effort. We also established standardized APIs for key data like rent rolls, general ledger details, and property information – this meant that internal teams and even external partners could retrieve consistent data via secure endpoints instead of juggling spreadsheets, reducing dependency on any single vendor’s software. To improve security and compliance, we integrated single sign-on for all applications and enforced role-based access controls, encrypting data both at rest and in transit. We built audit trails into the data pipelines so that any changes or anomalies in critical metrics (like a sudden jump in expenses or occupancy) would be logged and traceable, which is important for investor and lender transparency. We rolled out these changes in phases: running the new cloud reports in parallel with the old system’s reports and comparing them to ensure accuracy, then migrating properties one by one to the new platform. This staged approach minimized risk and ensured that on-site teams and investors experienced no disruption during the transition.
Business impact
Fast-track modernization: Delivered a complete systems upgrade in a matter of months (versus years if done piecemeal in-house).
Always-on insights: The new cloud data platform went live with virtually no downtime, providing near real-time insights that replaced slow spreadsheet reporting.
Reduced risk & smooth handoff: Experienced CTO oversight ensured lower project risk and a smooth transition, with a full handoff to the internal team once everything was in place.
Investor confidence: Improved data accuracy and built-in audit trails mean investor and lender reports are more reliable, boosting stakeholder confidence.
