A virtual CIO (vCIO) is essentially a bundle of services your managed service provider delivers to cover expertise gaps in your IT staff. These services are especially helpful for small businesses that can’t afford to hire an executive to make big picture IT decisions and leverage technology to drive revenue.

While your IT staff serves as a tactical team—managing daily maintenance tasks and performance enhancements—a vCIO helps you strategically align technology with your business goals.

The Problem With Not Having a CIO

So, that begs the question: why are you making strategic company decisions without your CIO (that’s Chief Information Officer) at the table? What’s that, you say? You don’t have one? Well, you’re not alone. Studies show that the majority of small-to-medium businesses don’t have CIO’s.

Perhaps you have a VP of IT or perhaps you don’t. You may just have a smattering of IT folks who are managing all the technology needs for your company. But, in most cases, none of these folks have a seat at your strategy table.

CIO’s for Every Size Company

Okay, we hear you. You own (or work for) a company that just doesn’t have the budget for a Chief Information Officer. Enter the virtual CIO. Virtual CIO services are offered by outsourced IT organizations (like Alliance IT) as a means of providing added value to your organization.

Not only does it help your organization make better decisions, it also helps your outsourced IT company better understand your business’s value proposition and future plans so that it can provide more valuable overall service and support.

Can’t afford a CIO? That’s the great thing about virtual CIO services. It’s an outsourced consultant-level position that enables IT to have a voice at the management table, and your business needs this.

Tailor-made for companies who can’t afford or don’t need a full-time CIO, virtual CIO services can help take your company to the next level by bringing these advantages to the (literal) table.

What Are The Advantages of a Virtual CIO?

Technology Blueprint

Visualize where you want your business a month, year or decade from now. A vCIO can help you strategically map out your technology for immediate improvements and sustainable growth over time. Together you’ll leverage innovative solutions that meet your short and long-term goals.

Disaster Planning

A disaster recovery plan is like insurance—you usually don’t know you need it until you do. A vCIO helps you prepare for the absolute worst with quick response and operational continuity protocols that minimize damage and revenue loss from an outage or natural disaster.

Data Migration

You’re probably accumulating more information than you can manage and it’s likely duplicated throughout your systems. A vCIO can help you move and share data effectively, reduce redundancy, establish a storage plan and minimize the risk of data loss.

Security Planning

Think you’re dodging a bullet just because you don’t have enterprise-sized data sets? Think again. As a small business, hackers see you as low hanging fruit which means you’re more vulnerable. A vCIO will have the experience and technical knowledge to secure and monitor your mission critical systems and data, so you don’t risk losing your business to cyber crime.

Conclusion

You need more than just a technician who can install printers and troubleshoot network hiccups. A vCIO is a cost-effective alternative to hiring an executive, but will still enable you to prioritize technology planning and leverage customized solutions to get ahead.

It’s time to start viewing IT as a strategic asset—contact a managed service provider to learn more about vCIO services.