"What on earth is a vCIO?"
There’s a good chance that your company already has an IT department. Depending on your industry, you may or may not have a higher level IT director — a Chief Information/Innovation Officer (CIO) — in place to manage them and keep your company ahead of the technological curve. Your company may not seem large or technology-based enough to require a full-time CIO. For this, many organizations just like yours are turning to the optimal arrangement: employing the services of a vCIO.
A Virtual Chief Information Officer
The next step for a company that doesn’t feel large or tech-centric enough to require a full-time CIO to hire someone with the ability of a CIO, but scaled to the size of their needs. Enter the Virtual CIO, or vCIO. A vCIO is an experienced technology professional employed by a third-party company to assist small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SME) and more.
The Benefits of Hiring a vCIO
Ample Experience
A vCIO is not your typical IT department employee. They have the experience and expertise of someone in a director-level role. With years of experience across a wide variety of technologies, they can make important decisions about your company’s technology needs.
Authoritative Vision
Much like any other director at your company, a vCIO’s higher level of responsibly allows them to stay ahead of the curve rather than simply perpetuate the status quo. Because they are typically not partaking in duties that can be handled by technicians, they can develop technology strategies going forward. In other words, they can captain the ship of your company’s technology needs to your destination rather than just keep it from sinking.
Unique Outsider Perspective
Some directors have problems making important decisions due to their proximity to the company. Many have trouble seeing the forest from the trees. Because a vCIO is a third-party specialist who also consults other companies, they use their perspective to your advantage. They know what has worked and not worked for other companies because they’ve been directly in charge of their IT operations. Their unique perspective allows them not to be bogged down by company politics or other distractions when making their decisions.
Robust Network For Additional Assistance
Most vCIOs work among other fellow vCIOs. What does this mean for your company? We’ve all been at a loss over what to do in certain situations. Some of us consult experts at higher levels. Some of us study the relevant literature or data. Some of us just turn to the internet for an answer and/or cat videos. Because a vCIO is surrounded by other vCIOs, they can reach out to them for help developing strategies on certain issues. For your company, this means you’re getting the abilities of multiple vCIOs for your most difficult technological strategies and decisions.
