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Why Use A Virtual CIO? 

The fast-paced world of IT can make it very difficult for small businesses to keep up. Having a full IT department to not only maintain the day to day core functioning but also to strategise for the future of the organisation comes at great expense. Fortunately, there are ways for enterprises to enjoy the value of a strategic IT department, without the significant costs and impact on the whole business budget. Introducing a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO).

What Is a Virtual CIO?

A Virtual Chief Information Officer provides all of the services of an on-site IT department, such as maintaining computers, protecting servers and troubleshooting IT issues. However, as you do not need staff, it is a service that provides IT protection at a significantly reduced cost.

As well as maintaining IT systems in a way an IT team or managed IT service provider can offer, a virtual CIO has the ability, knowledge and skillset to strategise your IT requirements and plan for the future.  Using in-depth analytics and expertise in strategy, budget planning and operations, a virtual CIO can go beyond traditional IT services and be proactive for your organisation. This advanced skillset can not only help your business to save money, but by utilising a virtual CIO instead of employing a full-time CIO, you can enjoy superior services for less.

Having a virtual CIO allows your business to remain competitive. Your organisation can enjoy an advanced strategic role without the staffing costs. With a virtual CIO, you have the flexibility and reduced costs that your business needs. You can utilise virtual CIO services for a few hours a week or choose a service on an as and when basis. At Cyan Solutions, we will work with your organisation to plan your virtual CIO needs so that you have the right level of virtual CIO assistance that your business requires.

What can a virtual CIO do?

Ultimately, a virtual CIO can seek out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for your business and help your organisation to be proactive in its response. One aspect in which small businesses can particularly gain an advantage is with risk, governance and compliance. Penalties in the technology sector can be rife, particularly when it comes to data. With a virtual CIO, you can stay ahead of the changes in the industry and make sure that you put your compliance plan in place before any deadlines.

Other areas that a virtual CIO can help with is improving all aspects of your IT planning both in the short-term and long-term, to help lessen the impact on your bottom line. Virtual CIO service may help you to evaluate aspects of your IT that you have yet to consider. Looking beyond the architecture and service you provide, a virtual CIO can help with elements including;

  • Performance analytics
  • Web and communications strategy
  • Telecommunication
  • Knowledge sharing and information database
  • Auditing
  • Change and change management.

With all of these aspects considered, a virtual CIO can be a great investment to help reduce costs and improve productivity and efficiency.

Benefits of a virtual CIO

Comprehensive coverage:As discussed above, a virtual CIO covers all of your IT requirements, from day to day maintenance to long-term strategy and planning solutions. With no hidden charges or separate billing, you receive the services you require for the time that your organisation needs. For some organisations, this can mean a fixed monthly cost with 24/7 protection and monitoring. For others, they may require more from a virtual CIO at peak demand periods.

Proactive prevention: A virtual CIO managed system can help to monitor your current IT health with the help of dashboards and analytics. By forecasting and real-time monitoring, you can be sure of a proactive response which can eliminate problems before they arise. With full visibility through an impartial system, your business can make the right decisions based on accurate information.

Increased productivity: By making sure your IT system is well structured and carefully managed, you can reduce the risk of downtime and impacted operations. With a virtual CIO, you can make sure that everything is running efficiently. With updated software, hardware and cloud technology, you can seamlessly increase staff productivity and project uptake to maximise success and keep your projects profitable.

Virtual CIO with Cyan Solutions

Of course, the core benefit of a virtual CIO is how cost effective it can be. By covering all services from a comprehensive IT department in a virtual manner, your business can reduce costs and increase efficiency leading to further savings. At Cyan Solutions, we want every company to realise their potential. After a comprehensive IT audit, we can explain the benefits a virtual CIO can bring to your business and tailor a virtual CIO package to suit your needs.

Find out more about what we can do to help your business and take the first steps to IT efficiency by arranging your IT audit with Cyan Solutions by contacting us.

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