How I Turned a $1M Tech Debt Crisis Into a Modernization Framework

The wrong tech stack nearly killed my business. That failure became the blueprint I now use to help CTOs escape platform debt — fast.

About Brian Brewer: Founder & CTO | Principal Architect & Fractional CTO

I’m Brian Brewer, Founder and CTO of InfoLibrarian Corporation since 2004, where I built and scaled a leading enterprise metadata integration company serving Fortune 100 enterprises and SMBs globally for over 20 years. Today, as a Fractional CTO and Principal Data & AI Architect, I help Fortune 500s and VC-backed startups escape data and tech debt.

I pivoted from building award-winning metadata software with a prestigious customer portfolio to delivering hands-on modernization frameworks that unblock growth and enable AI-ready platforms. For the last several years, I’ve to leading multicloud hands-on principal data & AI architecture modernizations at customers. My approach—architecture-led, outcome-focused, and free of vendor fluff—has transformed complex legacy systems into agile, governed data stacks.

From financial services to healthcare, I’ve led 50+ modernization projects, delivering measurable results like 40% faster governance rollouts and 30% cost reductions. Whether it’s untangling pipelines, enabling DataOps and MLOps, or conducting tech due diligence, I embed with teams to drive clarity and velocity. Trusted by industry leaders, I’m your Data & Tech Debt Escape Artist, ready to turn your legacy challenges into competitive advantages. Let’s build what’s next.

Connect with me on LinkedIn for more insights.

The $1 Million Mistake That Changed Everything

For 15 years, InfoLibrarian was the darling of enterprise metadata governance. We served 30+ major clients across financial services and healthcare. Our Microsoft-based platform was powerful, award-winning—and slowly becoming our prison.

The warning signs were everywhere:

• 99% of development time consumed by tech debt
• Innovation roadmap stalled for 18 months
• $1M backlog of “critical” fixes that never got fixed
• Vendor lock-in so deep we couldn’t pivot without starting over

Then came the moment of truth: our biggest client threatened to leave unless we modernized. Fast.

I had two choices: rebuild everything or lose the business.

I chose to rebuild. It nearly bankrupted us.

The Revelation That Saved My Business

Buried in spreadsheets at 2 AM, burning through our last runway, I discovered something that changed everything:

Over 90% of data governance efforts fail—not because of bad strategy, but because organizations fall in love with tools instead of outcomes.

We had built the right solution on the wrong foundation. We’d optimized for features, not flexibility. We’d chosen vendor convenience over architectural freedom.

The pattern was everywhere: brilliant teams, solid strategies, all shackled by yesterday’s technology choices.

That crisis became my competitive advantage.

The Framework That Emerged

From the ashes of that $1M mistake, I developed what I now call the Metadata Value Method™—a modernization framework that prioritizes:

• Architecture over tooling - Build for change, not for today
• Composability over monoliths - Escape vendor lock-in by design
• Governance-as-code - Embed controls, don’t bolt them on
• Measurable outcomes - Track value, not vanity metrics

This isn’t theory. It’s battle-tested across 50+ modernization projects.

Escape Tech Debt. Build for the Future.

Fractional CTO and Principal Data Architect

I help post-funding CTOs and platform leaders break free from legacy architecture. With 20+ years in technology leadership, I deliver hands-on frameworks, not fluff—aligning strategy, architecture, and delivery from day one.

InfoLibrarian™ isn’t just a legacy metadata vendor—I’ve spent decades helping organizations escape tech debt, enforce metadata strategy, and architect for scale.

I don’t sell catalogs. I fix the architecture.

My focus: DataOps, metadata-as-code, and lean, composable solutions—not shelfware or tool sprawl.

I help you escape legacy platforms—including my own.

“Trusted Partner with Deep Knowledge”
— United Postal Service
“Knowledgeable and truthful—exactly what we needed in a metadata partner.”

What I Deliver

Executive Strategy & Roadmapping

Transform C-level goals into actionable architecture—cutting overhead by 40% while delivering enterprise-grade execution. I bridge the gap between executive vision and technical reality with frameworks that actually work.

Cloud Data Architecture & Modernization

Lead platform modernization on AWS, Azure, and GCP—untangling legacy dependencies with proven roadmaps that unlock agility and scale. Whether you’re escaping years of technical debt or rebuilding from the ground up, I bring battle-tested approaches to cloud-native transformation.

Governed Self-Service Platforms

Deploy data products that democratize access without compromising control—using metadata-as-code and shift-left principles. Build AI-ready governance that scales with your organization, not against it.

DataOps & Intelligent Automation

Accelerate governance delivery by 40% through CI/CD pipelines, embedded observability, and automation that scales. Transform governance from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage.

Modernized Data Governance

Implement real-time, embedded governance using metadata-as-code, OpenLineage, and shift-left principles. Move beyond reactive compliance to proactive, intelligent data management.

The Results Speak for Themselves

• $2M saved on audit costs via streamlined metadata integration
• 15–20% gain in analytics throughput
• 30%+ reduction in infrastructure costs via cloud-native migration
• 40% faster governance rollout using DataOps practices

From Crisis to Modernization Leader

I didn’t just read about tech debt—I lived it. Lost sleep over it. Nearly lost my business to it.

Now I help others escape it.

Over the last five years, I’ve led cloud modernization efforts from startups to Fortune 500, delivering modern data stacks that embed governance and automation at scale.

I’ve helped:

• Post-funding CTOs unblock legacy platforms
• Data teams adopt observability and CI/CD
• Enterprises modernize for AI and self-service at scale

From the trenches to the boardroom, I’ve transformed how organizations think about data architecture. Today, InfoLibrarian™ isn’t a legacy platform—it’s a modernization partner trusted by data leaders to build what’s next.

Modernized? You bet.
Battle-tested? Without question.
Ready for what’s next? Absolutely.

Ready to Escape Your Tech Debt?

I help you escape legacy platforms—including my own. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about your architecture challenges and proven paths forward.