3 Reasons why you need a virtual CIO

A virtual CIO (vCIO) is a company or contractor serving as an organizations’ chief information officer. The vCIO handles all responsibilities of a chief information officer or chief technology officer. Working with a vCIO is a viable option for businesses that lack the budget to take advantage of a full-time CIO or are in the process of finding a new CIO.

Additionally, virtual CIOs are used when organizations have a large project and need supplementary strategic help. In this case, the vCIO temporarily collaborates with and advises the organization’s IT departments.

vCIO further explained:

Virtual CIOs are experts at using technology to help protect your business, improve your processes, and support your efforts to meet your organization’s goals. The decision to outsource these tasks to a vCIO can reduce labor costs as well as provide you with expert knowledge and resources in a cost-effective manner.

Your vCIO will strategically identify and manage gaps in your IT processes. These services are especially helpful for small or midsized businesses that can’t afford to hire an executive to make big-picture IT decisions and leverage technology to drive revenue.

For organizations that already have a CIO, a vCIO is useful when:

• going through a tech migration
• making infrastructure improvements
• implementing security improvements
• when you’re in need of a risk assessment
• when you’re in need of a network analysis

Working with a vCIO gives you access to an expert who can take an objective look at your business, and then make technology recommendations to improve your business and help you achieve your goals. Many times using a vCIO is more beneficial because they’re outside of your business and can provide you with an objective view. Also, vCIOs usually produce beyond what you could potentially afford to hire in this role.

Take a look at these 3 additional benefits to bringing on a vCIO:

1. vCIO, a smart alternative to a full-time CIO

Will your business sink or swim? A successful technology plan and process are integral to your company’s success. Your organization needs tech leaders who have the ability to provide an immediate return on investment. With spyware and hacking impacting major institutions with vast resources, it’s difficult to decide how to invest your IT spend, especially if you are working on a limited budget.

Ultimately, having an expert on call 24 hours a day is worth the investment, as well as being significantly less expensive than hiring someone full-time. Bringing in a vCIO also has the potential to free up internal IT employees to concentrate on their core job, as well as opening up your organization to the expertise of a highly seasoned professional that you couldn’t otherwise afford. Your vCIO will uncover holes in your processes that only someone at their level can find.

2. A vCIO will keep your organization up to speed with the tech industry

Does your organization lack an internal IT department or have a limited IT staff? Rather than risking the time and effort to rush the process of hiring a whole team, a vCIO could be your perfect solution to keep your organization up to speed as you grow. Regardless of what you lack, most businesses rank technology as a primary driver to reach future business objectives. Keeping your organization up to speed with the rapidly evolving tech industry is essential to its success.

The technology that organizations have a hard time keeping up with are:

• Security
• Utilizing and managing data that’s available but not easily accessible
• Replacing aging software and equipment
• Data storage

If you own or manage an organization, these technology challenges might sound very familiar. Most organizations that are growth-oriented, generally plan to increase their IT spend to help them achieve that growth. If your organization is increasing your IT spend and does not yet have an internal seasoned tech specialist, then part of that spend should include a top-notch leader with a proven track record.

3. Improve your security

Last year, a large percentage of small to mid-size business had at least one security breach that their cybersecurity defenses could not deflect. Unfortunately, most hackers go after smaller businesses because they’re much easier targets. If you’ve hired inexperienced contractors or employees to focus on this, then you’re setting yourself up for significant risk. The number one root cause of a successful breach is a negligent employee or contractor.

If your firm is not equipped to build a roadmap for risk mitigation and cybersecurity, a vCIO can help you bridge the gap and spend money where it’s most needed.

If you have a specific interest in increasing your cybersecurity defenses, here is a short webinar about cybersecurity

To summarize:

• vCIO identifies and formalizes your organization’s core technology goals by creating a plan or technology roadmap
• your vCIO will explain how to accomplish the plan in the most cost-effective way
• the roadmap will sync your company’s needs and expectations with the corresponding technology tools required to meet them
• if you’re a growing organization, or between CIOs, then a vCIO will help you avoid rushing the long process of hiring the right full-time CIO
• a vCIO is a specialist at keeping your organization up to speed with the tech industry
• a vCIO can uncover specific gaps in your security
• the cost model can be extremely flexible, with flat monthly fees or hourly rates being the norm.

Feel free to reach out to us for further information about how working with a vCIO can help your business.

Number: (855) 646-3267

Email: digital@mind-core.com

More info on vCIO services here.

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