Strategic planning for IT services is essential for cost-effective business growth and efficient operations. A virtual CIO (Chief Information Officer) can be pivotal in helping a business achieve these goals.
What is a virtual CIO (vCIO)?
A vCIO typically acts as a digital advisor or consultant: a proactive resource, based outside the business, who takes on the role of a CIO. They conduct their work remotely, but will be available whenever you need them.
The amount of decision making and authority your virtual CIO has will depend on your business and how much you choose to delegate. If you have a small team, your vCIO may be more hands-on. Alternatively, some virtual CIOs will act in a purely advisory role.
What does a virtual CIO do?
A virtual CIO will generally focus on two broad but important aspects of your business’ IT operations:
Strategic vision
Leadership and consultation are necessary to formulate the business’ IT goals. These ambitions are then facilitated by managing an action plan and budget.
This aspect of developing the business includes maintaining the existing IT infrastructure, while also providing a path towards progress and development, e.g. identifying useful new technologies, and the need for potential updates, upgrades and migrations .
IT management
The other core focus lies in ensuring the strategic plan comes together. This can involve objectives such as:
· analysing and reworking business processes
· implementing technologies that allow the organisation to achieve set goals
· finding ways to increase efficiency and gain a competitive advantage
· ensuring data remains secure and data handling processes are compliant
A virtual CIO should also proactively plan for new ventures and projects in line with the business’ needs and budget. This requires them to understand the client’s business model, operations and ambitions, and to work well alongside the existing team.
What are the advantages of having a virtual CIO?
The technical expertise a vCIO can bring is likely to be an asset many smaller teams may lack internally.
Being independent, a virtual CIO can also offer a degree of objectivity to an existing or intended strategy. They will likely also bring new ideas that, in turn, feed in to a business’ long-term goals.
In addition to the cost reduction compared wit employing a full-time in-house CIO, an effective virtual CIO can help find additional savings by optimising existing IT infrastructure and making these systems both resilient and secure.
The operational need for businesses to stay on top of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. A vCIO is a dedicate resource that possesses the knowledge and experience to identify flaws and implement solutions, while also understanding the need for transparency and accountability when undertaking this role for a client.
Finding cost-effective and reliable virtual CIO services
At Micro Maintenance, we offer a tailored virtual CIO service to meet the needs of your business.
Every quarter, we meet with you to provide a review of your existing systems, and how they are working to fulfil the business goals we have agreed to facilitate through consultation with you.
We also provide a detailed forward plan for making our business’ IT investment work for you, looking towards improvements and remedies necessary for optimal function.
Our commitment to resilience and security is also a core component in devising a roadmap for your business’ future. We take the lead in guiding you through the pitfalls of disaster planning, data storage, and cybersecurity – ensuring information is protected, contingency plans are in place, and the organisation remains compliant.
For an initial conversation about our virtual CIO services and how they can benefit your business, get in touch with our helpful and experienced team today.
