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Books

Explore publications from Michael C. Fillios and IT Ally® focused on technology, enterprise value, and private equity execution across the investment lifecycle.

The Author

Michael C. Fillios

Founder & CEO, IT Ally®

Michael Fillios has spent more than 30 years helping businesses navigate the intersection of technology, operational execution, and enterprise value. A former Fortune 500 CIO, executive advisor, and entrepreneur, his work through IT Ally® has supported more than 200 transactions and influenced over $2 billion in enterprise value across private equity and lower middle market environments.

As Founder & CEO of IT Ally®, Michael developed the Quality of Tech QoT ™ methodology to help private equity firms and portfolio companies evaluate technology through the lens of scalability, operational maturity, governance visibility, and value creation across the investment lifecycle.

These publications are built from real-world transaction experience, executive leadership, and decades spent helping businesses align technology with execution, growth, and enterprise value realization.

Fortune 500 CIO Experience
Published Author & Industry Speaker
Creator of the QoT™ Methodology
30+ Years in Technology Leadership

IT ALLY INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS

Technology. Enterprise Value. Private Equity.

Coming soon in late 2026, Michael C. Fillios expands on the concepts introduced in Tech Debt 2.0 and Tech Equity with a new guide built specifically for lower middle market private equity. Quality of Tech (QoT™) introduces technology as the third critical pillar of diligence alongside Financial and Commercial, translating technical findings into measurable enterprise value outcomes.

Coming Soon:

Quality of Tech (QoT™)

About the Book

  • Coming in 2026 as the next evolution of Tech Debt 2.0 and Tech Equity.


  • Introduces Quality of Tech (QoT™) as the third pillar of diligence alongside Financial and Commercial.


  • Built specifically for lower middle market private equity firms and sponsor-backed businesses.


  • Reframes technical diligence from a one-time assessment into a full lifecycle enterprise value strategy.


  • Establishes technology as a measurable driver of operational performance, scalability, and valuation.

The QoT™ Methodology

  • Introduces the QoT-to-QoE Bridge to translate technical findings into auditable financial impact.


  • Connects cybersecurity, infrastructure, scalability, and technical debt directly to EBITDA, CapEx, OpEx, and valuation.


  • Features the proprietary 12-Point QoT™ Diagnostic across Risk, Financial Quantification, Scalability, and Talent.


  • Provides a framework for moving organizations from reactive technical debt management to proactive Tech Equity creation.


  • Creates measurable visibility into technology-driven enterprise value opportunities and risks.

What Private Equity Leaders Will Learn

  • How to quantify technical liabilities during pre-deal diligence.


  • Strategies for 100-Day planning, post-close stabilization, and operational alignment.


  • Frameworks for evaluating Architecture, Security, Development Velocity, and AI maturity.


  • Methods for improving Quality of Earnings visibility and accelerating synergy capture.


  • How to position portfolio companies for stronger exit readiness and premium valuation outcomes.


Explore QoT™
QoT™ Press Release

Built from decades of executive leadership, transaction advisory, and technology value creation experience across private equity and lower middle market environments. 
— Michael C. Fillios
Founder & CEO, IT Ally®

IT ALLY INSTITUTE

Published Publications

Tech Equity

A guide to building Tech Equity through technology, scalability, and operational maturity. Focused on helping businesses achieve future-ready growth and outperform the competition.

About the Book
In a timely follow up to the concepts and strategies revealed in his first book, Tech Debt 2.0, Michael C. Fillios delivers his next installment of expert, tech-savvy business guidance, with Tech Equity. Writing from the perspective of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and with the devastating effects of the global pandemic in mind, Fillios explains why now, more than ever, it is critical to shift from the defensive maintenance of technical debt, go on offense, and lead the charge toward building Tech Equity.

Conceptually viewed as an asset, Tech Equity comprises key components of a company’s technology portfolio. SMBs that invest in building Tech Equity are better positioned to navigate crises, take advantage of opportunities, and outperform the competition. This not only translates to higher returns and a more appealing balance sheet, but yields greater talent retention, a heightened focus on the customer experience, and a better understanding of the company itself.
The Tech Equity Advantage
This book guides SMBs through the complexities of Tech Equity by delving into the topics of data and analytics, customer focus, digital culture, security, and more. Fillios draws on more than 25 years of experience in business, finance, and IT leadership and includes multiple real-world case studies demonstrating Tech Equity in action, amidst the challenges of the pandemic, as companies compete for survival and search for new opportunities. Complete with strategies and tools for building, diagnosing, and measuring Tech Equity, business leaders will find Michael Fillios’ latest publication an invaluable resource for understanding the importance of Tech Equity and its crucial role as the future ready their business.Conceptually viewed as an asset, Tech Equity comprises key components of a company’s technology portfolio. SMBs that invest in building Tech Equity are better positioned to navigate crises, take advantage of opportunities, and outperform the competition. This not only translates to higher returns and a more appealing balance sheet, but yields greater talent retention, a heightened focus on the customer experience, and a better understanding of the company itself.
Press Release
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Tech Debt 2.0®

A modern framework for understanding and reducing technical debt across the enterprise. Connects technology decisions directly to operational performance, governance, and business value.

About the Book
In June of 2020, the IT Ally Institute published its first book by founder, Michael Fillios, titled Tech Debt 2.0®, How to Future Proof Your Small Business and Improve your Tech Bottom Line. The book redefines the term “technical debt,” emphasizing its hidden costs and the impact it can have on serving customers effectively.

As part of our research and thought leadership agenda, we’ve developed industry-first diagnostics to assess an organization’s effectiveness at managing technology investments. These tools help determine your company’s rating as Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor in managing Tech Debt 2.0® and building Tech Equity.
The Tech Debt Advantage
Technical debt is often treated as a technology issue when in reality it is a business risk with direct impact on scalability, operational performance, customer experience, and enterprise value. Tech Debt 2.0® reframes the conversation by connecting technology decisions to leadership, governance, and long-term business outcomes, providing executives with practical frameworks for identifying, measuring, and reducing technical debt across the enterprise. The book establishes the foundational concepts that later evolved into Tech Equity and Quality of Tech (QoT™), positioning proactive technology management as a true competitive advantage.
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