Why Should I Hire a vCIO?
What is a VCIO anyway?
Is this just another technical acronym to baffle us? I can sense the eye-rolling!
A VCIO is a virtual CIO (Chief Information Officer)
You’ll need a CIO as your business starts to grow. They are responsible for your technology strategies, processes and support any IT-related projects. They will steer you to success with their insight on how technology can drive a business forward.
Unfortunately, despite the benefits, most SME’s won’t have a budget to employ their own full-time CIO immediately.
A vCIO is the next best thing. In fact, it’s possibly better. More SMEs should consider hiring one.
Here are 4 reasons why;
- Cost Saving
Most importantly It’s much cheaper than having a CIO. You can access all the valuable benefits of a CIO without the 6 figure salary. They can work flexibly for a fraction of the cost.
A vCIO will focus on using technology to solve your business challenges thereby saving you money and labour costs.
As your business is growing it will prove invaluable to have a technology expert to tap into who is up to speed on the latest technology trends.
They will be already working with similar SME’s and solving business technology challenges just like yours.
You will have access to a helpdesk with no additional bills
After mapping out your current and future technology requirements they will then stay on top of the goals set in place to ensure your business can compete with those that might have a CIO or more vast resources.
- Objective
You may already have an in house IT team - but who is appraising them? How do YOU know you are taking the right path?
A vCIO is responsible for the alignment of IT and Business Goals. They will take an objective look at your current practices and processes and then make technology recommendations to improve your business IT strategies and goals
- Safe and Secure Network
The importance of Security is bigger than it’s ever been before for any size business, but SME’s are now the most prominent target when it comes to cyber-attacks.
A proactive vCIO will take responsibility for and manage the multiple security measures of your business
- Risk Assessment
Detailed reports and analysis of existing company IT infrastructure, management, security, processes, and performance will give you the big picture and flag opportunities for improvements.
- Data Protection and Security
Data loss Is a huge concern for any business. A vCIO can minimize risk by implementing a layered security approach to include a Firewall, Malware and Virus protection, and all-important Disaster Recovery
- Continuous diagnostic monitoring
You can’t rely on your busy in-house IT team to immediately react and patch the latest vulnerability. Proactive security and 24/7 monitoring and patching are required.
A vCIO is responsible for keeping network protection up to date to eliminate these and any other potential gaps in your network security.