If your IT department is like most, you are struggling with day-to-day operations. This leaves very little time for strategic thinking about your business. Even if the time was available, would your team have the expertise and skill-set necessary to create a fully-featured technology plan, budget and business plan for the future?
Organizations often hire all-purpose employees… people who are able to wear multiple hats. These generalists are excellent at keeping the business running and creating a great deal of value; however, they may not have the depth of knowledge required to survey the technology landscape and make recommendations that will guide the future of your business.
As organizations turn to IT managed services partners to outsource more of their technology needs, there’s still a gap in terms of strategic thinking. A virtual CIO can help step into that gap and provide your business with the long-term strategic insight that will help you optimize your operations and crush the competition.
Chief Information Officers, or CIOs, are rarely found in small business to mid-size businesses as this can be an extremely expensive skillset. You may not need someone employed at this level full-time, but there are several times throughout the year when their guidance for technology services would come in handy. Budgeting, competitive analysis, operational efficiency planning and cybersecurity are a few of the topics that a CIO would address in an enterprise, and smaller businesses have the same concerns with a greatly reduced annual budget.
A virtual CIO is a high-level executive who is able to step into your organization, understand your business needs and model to make solid recommendations that will help your business be competitive in the future.
Planning for the next several years requires a solid understanding of your business model, employees and competitive landscape. Your vCIO will also need a great deal of research to understand your current software and hardware platforms and other options that are on the market. Your vCIO can also:
These services are best delivered by an individual with over a decade of experience in business and technology, with the insight needed to recommend solutions that will meet core business requirements.
Finally, they will need to understand the budgetary landscape — is your business going to be able to make significant investments in technology in the near future, or are you looking for ways to reduce overall expenses and maximise computer lifespan? All of this information will go into their overarching analysis, as they attempt to plot a workable technology roadmap for your business.
A firm understanding of the value proposition for cloud-based storage and applications versus the value of on-premise solutions is crucial. Technology and business teams are becoming more mobile and look for flexible work solutions that are less dependent on their physical locations. Physical security, as well as cybersecurity, are hot topics for Chief Information Officers, as the threat landscape continues to morph and cybercriminals become more aggressive.
Having access to a vCIO services provides your organization with a broad-spectrum talent, someone who can look not only at the problems of today — but at the solutions that will drive your business in the future. Your IT managed services provider may be able to provide this type of support, with the added value that they are already familiar with your business model and needs.
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