The term “vCIO” stands for “virtual Chief Information Officer” – basically an outsourced IT department or department head. The idea of outsourced IT is becoming more viable throughout the business world. After all, if one can virtualize an entire administration crew, why not outsource C-level employees in the same way if it is more efficient?
Many companies do not have the need for a full-time CIO, yet almost every company benefits from the expertise of a digital information specialist. The vCIO is the perfect compromise. Here are a few reasons that your business should be looking to invest in one.
Saving Time and Increasing Productivity
In-house management of digital information, resource management, is a full-time job, and many companies do not have the full-time staff necessary to keep up. Your vCIO, however, focuses on the discipline, freeing up the rest of your staff to focus on their job descriptions. When people focus on their strengths, they tend to complete tasks in less time and outperform in their assignments.
A vCIO Can Reduce Operating Costs
Full time In house IT is one of the most expensive expansions a company can undertake. A competitive salary for a single IT professional who is proficient in just one industry standard can easily run into six figures, not to mention a CIO with expertise in many standards. A company must also consider perks to attract top talent and deal with the insurance benefits, retirement package and vacation time that CIO talent can easily demand.
Hiring a vCIO means that you get a full team of dedicated professionals at less of a cost than it takes to hire a single in house professional, without the need for additional perks.
Increased Protection
The CIO’s priority function is to ensure the safety of proprietary company IPs and customer data. The CIO is responsible for staying ahead of malicious hackers, which means staying well ahead of the major antivirus platforms as well. A team of professionals who are focused on that issue alone can protect data much more easily than an individual in-house.
Outsourced vCIO teams make it a point to update fixes for standard software, create policies and implement security across entire industries. They watch the movements of known malicious entities specifically to stay ahead of them. Grab a qualified vCIO team with experience in your industry, and you instantly gain access to this security. An in house CIO may become distracted with smaller minutiae, leaving your company open to attack. Your competitors will also quickly outpace you if they have access to vCIO security technology and your company does not.
Objective Third-Party Analysis
It is always good to have a qualified third eye looking in on your situation. Hiring a vCIO gives you tracking and analytics that are not tainted by the company ego. Your vCIO will send you reports customized for your company that dispassionately explain the trends from your current configuration. A vCIO can also make objective recommendations on new software, cloud tech or other technology that may help you achieve your objectives in the future most efficiently. Xecunet provides all Managed IT customers their own dedicated vCIO. Contact us today and let us help you with the business side of Information Technology.