vCIOs Provide Thought Leadership to Accelerate your Company’s Growth

What is a Virtual CIO (vCIO)?

A virtual CIO (vCIO) is a person or company hired by an organization to fill a Chief Information Officer (CIO) role on an interim or fractional basis. The vCIO helps the organization bridge the gap between the business strategy and the use of technology assets and infrastructure to enable the organization to reach its business objectives.

For growth-minded organizations, having a solid IT solution becomes integral to their operational success. Every growing organization requires a coherent IT Strategy for budgeting, analysis, execution, and performance evaluations to streamline the business and secure the highest ROI. This requires a full-time C-level employee to oversee the entire information technology function of the company, which can be very expensive.

Growing SMBs with limited cash flow may not be able to afford a full-time CIO. The role of a virtual CIO was explicitly created to fill the interim shoes in these situations at a very reasonable price point.

Can small-to-medium-size businesses benefit from a vCIO?

The vCIO assesses the IT infrastructure’s current status, assimilates strategic IT goals that reflect managerial milestones, and provides a future-oriented pathway to drive technological innovation and overall business success. In organizations that don’t have a substantial in-house IT presence to carry forward significant projects, the vCIO offers a wealth of experience to overcome many shortcomings. They act as a bridge between the IT department and the managerial staff to establish the importance of understanding the current technology and how it benefits company revenue in the long run.

The virtual CIO can play a lifesaving role in many organizations in a dynamic landscape with complex hardware, software, infrastructure, security, and compliance challenges. The virtual CIO’s thought leadership capabilities align IT assets with business objectives to enable growth and minimize costly downtime, thus empowering management teams to grow the business.

Another significant advantage of a vCIO is the highly simplified hiring procedure compared to hiring a full-time CIO’s intensive and expensive onboarding procedure. If your company is already a significant market player, then a permanent overseer might make strategic sense. But for a considerable part of the market comprised of small to medium businesses, a vCIO is an essential step to gaining – and keeping- a competitive advantage.

What services does a vCIO provide?

The standard steps and services a company can expect from a VCIO:

Audit – determine IT health/status: The VCIO will work with the IT staff to ensure the latest software and security updates are installed and active on all interconnected devices in the company’s network, minimizing chances for data breaches. They will also ensure that the company is compliant with the most relevant IT regulations in practice and make hardware or software recommendations based on its business goals.

IT strategic planning and budgeting: The vCIO will set up a transparent system, allowing for clear visibility of its current IT health/security status. Thus, enabling complete alignment between the management team and IT department to ensure efficient day-to-day functioning and budgeting.

Additionally, a vCIO will strategically work with management in:

• IT strategy road mapping
• Drive IT transformations to meet business goals
• Performance evaluations
• Comprehensive benchmarking & current-state analysis of your IT systems and network infrastructure
• Strategic alignment of IT systems to business objectives
• Network assessments & recommendations
• Technology recommendations and investment review
• Compliance & reporting consulting
• Mobility solutions
• Detailed project plans and administration
• Disaster & continuity analysis and planning
• Cybersecurity assessments
• Cloud & infrastructure design, migration & implementation

What does this mean for your company?

Once hired, a vCIO translates all the services above into tangible changes for you as a customer.

You get a clear understanding of the present state of your IT department, the inefficiencies, and a path to addressing them. The vCIO brings in thought leadership for your company’s entire IT organization and helps integrate it with its core growth, equipping you to focus more efficiently on your business goals.

You get a clear line of communication between the core business and IT to ensure that all participants are driving towards common goals. This communication grants you greater visibility to the department’s structure, allowing you to observe its performance and real-time impact on the rest of your organization.

The vCIO may also provide a 24/7 service, ensuring that any unforeseen circumstances are addressed with minimal operational downtime.

Under the leadership of the vCIO, the IT staff will understand the importance of working actively with business groups and anticipate trends to execute their roles better.

Lastly, the vCIO also infuses a fresh new perspective into your company as any existing internal biases do not sway them. They can objectively consider ideas and provide valuable feedback to technology challenges.

Looking for some expert guidance?
If you are a growing organization looking for expert guidance and thought leadership to propel you forward- let’s talk! GlacisTech is the Worry-Free IT solution providing virtual CIO and a full range of managed support services.

Let us show you how we can help you grow. Call us at 469-522-2022 any time.