For most businesses today, IT plays an increasingly critical role. Digital and online systems have revolutionized the way we communicate with customers, suppliers, and team members, store and share documents, and handle many other core business functions. However, keeping up with the latest technology and ensuring that your IT stack is delivering what you need from it is a complex, time-consuming, and never-ending task. Most businesses don’t have the luxury of a team of highly skilled in-house IT staff ensuring that all the equipment is working properly, software is regularly updated, sensitive data is secure, and a plethora of other business-critical IT tasks are handled. There are many managed IT service providers that can efficiently and cost-effectively take care of your basic IT needs. But for many businesses, that isn’t enough. Instead of a reactive approach to IT (for example, calling in a technician after a PC or printer malfunctions), they’re looking for a proactive solution to ensure that they have the IT infrastructure and processes that the business needs to thrive. A vCIO is one of the most cost-effective ways of accomplishing this.

What Is a vCIO?

A vCIO, or virtual Chief Information Officer, fulfils the same role as a traditional CIO. However, instead of operating as a full-time high-level executive, a vCIO is an externally contracted strategic tech consultant who provides executive-level IT services remotely on a part-time or as-needed basis.

In essence, a vCIO offers the same services as a traditional CIO but with greater flexibility. While managed IT services providers will handle everyday IT tasks like network monitoring and software updates, vCIOs provide C-suite-level services. These typically include analyzing your business processes and the technology they require, aligning your technology strategy with your business goals, developing IT budgets, and providing long-term strategic IT planning.

Benefits of a vCIO

There are several compelling reasons why the vCIO market is growing rapidly in the U.S. and around the world. For small- to mid-sized businesses that don’t have the budget for a full-time CIO or businesses with specialized expertise, in many respects, taking on a vCIO is a no-brainer.

With so many companies transitioning to the cloud, digitizing their business processes, deploying mobile devices, implementing AI solutions, and more, many have found that their IT environments have grown so complex that they can’t manage them without a CIO. But that involves including the salary of an additional staff executive in your expenses. A vCIO is an effective way to ensure that these important processes are undertaken timeously, efficiently, and within your budget.

What Services Do vCIOs Provide?

As an external contractor, a vCIO is typically not responsible for the day-to-day management of a business’s tech infrastructure. Instead, they act as tech advisors for companies, working closely with their IT teams and providing strategic guidance to help the company develop and implement its IT strategy optimally.

The main services that a vCIO should provide are:

Tech Expertise

A vCIO should be extremely knowledgeable about the various technologies relevant to your business and keep abreast of the latest developments and products. If your business operates in a specialized sector, the vCIO you select should obviously have a thorough understanding of the space and the particular technology best suited to it.

Planning New IT Projects

As a C-suite level executive, a vCIO should be able to translate your IT objectives into concrete, workable plans. They should identify which processes will be most effective to achieve your objectives, which equipment and software are best suited to the job at hand and budget, and what personnel and training will be required. vCIOs should also be able to identify whether the projects you have planned are indeed the best fit to achieve your strategic goals, and recommend appropriate solutions if they aren’t.

IT Budgets and Cost-Optimization

One of the main roles of a vCIO is in delivering IT solutions that both fulfil your objectives and are cost-effective. A vCIO will typically thoroughly assess your existing IT stack and workflow, compare these against what you’re intending to achieve, and then work out budgets so that these processes can roll out smoothly and without unanticipated expenses.

Maintaining Standards

A vCIO should define strategies for maintaining high levels of operational quality throughout their IT-related operations. In particular, a vCIO should conduct ongoing risk assessment and ensure that whatever IT processes you implement, the business remains in full compliance with all relevant regulations and laws.

Improved Decision-Making

A vCIO can be an important link in the decision-making process, aligning executives and the IT staff who implement the company’s IT programs. In fact, designing and implementing more effective communication channels within a business’s hierarchy is often one of the key responsibilities with which a vCIO is tasked.

Agility and Flexibility

Technology is ever-changing, and your vCIO should have their finger on the pulse of your sector, so that they are able to adapt quickly to respond to new opportunities, risks, and shifting market conditions. This high level of strategic thinking helps your business stay in front of the market and entrench your competitive advantages.

Trust the Experts

The position of vCIO is a relatively new development, only really taking off as a result of the challenges presented during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The hybrid office is now seemingly here to stay, and a stream of new technologies like AI and IoT (Internet of Things) are delivering further disruptions. Accordingly, demand for vCIO services is rising, and there are an increasing number of vCIO providers to choose from.

However, it can be challenging and stressful to identify the right vCIO for your specific business and sector.

With almost 80 years of experience in the office technology space, Da-com Digital Office Solution’s vast experience and ability to stay ahead of the game, while also delivering quality IT solutions for clients, speak for themselves. Our specialist vCIO team is one of the best in the business, so if you’re based in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri, or western Illinois, contact us today for a free consultation.