<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><?xml-stylesheet href="/rss/styles.xsl" type="text/xsl"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Kotrov Studio | Writing</title><description>Notes from the engineering side. Long-form essays from current engagements.</description><link>https://kotrov.com/</link><item><title>NIST vs SOC 2 vs ISO 27001: Which One Buyers Want</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/soc-2-vs-iso-27001-vs-nist/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/soc-2-vs-iso-27001-vs-nist/</guid><description>Three security frameworks, one practical difference: only two of them end in a document your buyer&apos;s procurement team can read. Which to run first, and what the second one costs.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How to Vet a Fractional CTO: Sourcing Channels and Red Flags</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/fractional-cto-services/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/fractional-cto-services/</guid><description>Where fractional CTO services come from, what each sourcing channel returns, and how to evaluate a candidate before you sign. The questions and the red flags.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>What Is a Fractional CTO? The Role, the Scope, the Limits</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/what-is-a-fractional-cto/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/what-is-a-fractional-cto/</guid><description>What is a fractional CTO, what the role owns, what it never touches, and the team size at which the model stops fitting. A buyer&apos;s definition, not a pitch.</description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>SOC 2 Compliance for SaaS Startups: When to Start, What It Costs, How to Pass</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/soc-2-for-startups/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/soc-2-for-startups/</guid><description>SOC 2 for startups is the security framework US enterprise buyers ask for first. Here is when to start, the realistic cost, and a six-month plan that passes Type II without overbuilding.</description><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>ISO 27001 for SaaS Companies: Process, Benefits and Cost</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/iso-27001-for-saas/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/iso-27001-for-saas/</guid><description>ISO 27001 is the certification European enterprise buyers ask for and most US SaaS companies postpone. Here is the process, the realistic cost, and when it earns its place on the roadmap.</description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Engineering Team Structure: Models That Scale from 10 to 100 Engineers</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/engineering-team-structure/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/engineering-team-structure/</guid><description>Three engineering team structures fit three different company sizes. Pick the wrong one and the next 20 hires arrive into a system that cannot absorb them.</description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Engineering Velocity: How to Measure It and Why It Stalls</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/engineering-velocity/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/engineering-velocity/</guid><description>Engineering velocity is not the sum of story points. It is the time from decision to production. Here is how to measure it properly and what to do when it stalls.</description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>SaaS Product Roadmap: Examples, Templates and the Process We Use</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/saas-product-roadmap/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/saas-product-roadmap/</guid><description>Most SaaS product roadmaps read like project plans, get one missed deadline, and stop being trusted. Here is the three-layer roadmap structure, template and review cadence we use with our clients.</description><pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>CTO Advisory vs CTO Consulting: What Each One Delivers</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/cto-consulting-services/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/cto-consulting-services/</guid><description>CTO consulting and CTO advisory are not the same product, even when the same website sells both. Here is what each one delivers, what it costs, and how to choose between providers without losing a quarter.</description><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Part-Time CTO vs Fractional vs Full-Time: Choosing the Right Engagement Model</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/part-time-cto-vs-fractional-vs-full-time/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/part-time-cto-vs-fractional-vs-full-time/</guid><description>A part time CTO, a fractional CTO and a full-time hire are not interchangeable. Here is what each one means in 2026, where each one earns its price, and how to pick without losing six months.</description><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Fractional CTO Cost in 2026: $150-$900/hr and What Drives It</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/fractional-cto-hourly-rate/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/fractional-cto-hourly-rate/</guid><description>What a fractional CTO actually costs in 2026: the hourly rate ranges, the three pricing models you will be offered, and what drives the total fractional CTO cost up or down.</description><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Virtual CTO Services: When You Need One and How to Hire</title><link>https://kotrov.com/writing/virtual-cto-services/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://kotrov.com/writing/virtual-cto-services/</guid><description>A virtual CTO gives you executive-grade engineering leadership without the cost of a full hire. Here is when to bring one in, what a real engagement looks like, and how to pick the right one.</description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>