For companies that need to bring in an employee with an IT background to offer IT support for specific projects. There are many ways to go about bringing in IT talent for your company. However, there are many other options that can save your company money and one of those is the Virtual CIO, or VCIO. A Virtual CIO is a great way to get things done while saving money.

Issue With Using A Consulting Model

Many companies turn to the IT consulting model where they contract a firm for their IT needs. The problem with this is that the IT consulting firm will only be around for that specific project and then they are gone. They are only contracted for that specific project which means that they will stay around to ensure the job is done. This means they may only stay a few months or a year, but when they are done with the job they will no longer be there.

Managed Service Provider Options

A Managed Service Provider for IT support works very differently. Usually they are hired full time to assist with existing IT staff in your company, or to act as the IT department for the company. Additionally, they also offer services where they provide Virtual Chief Information Officers, also known as VCIOs. These VCIOs serve to improve a company’s IT operations and assist with executing IT strategies.

What Exactly is a VCIO?

VCIOs are experienced IT advisors that are employed by the Managed Service Provider. The VCIO comes to other companies to serve as an advisor and collaborates with a company’s management team. As a virtual CIO, they serve the same purpose as an in-house CIO and do things such as plan IT budgets, execute IT strategies, improve overall efficiency by researching and implementing new technologies for the company, and managing the IT infrastructure of the company. The major difference is that the VCIO is not based in the office. However, they do visit regularly despite being based out of the Managed Service Provider’s office.

What are the Major Benefits of Using a VCIO?

There are two major benefits of using a VCIO: executive level support and access to a large knowledge bank. Not only do companies get executive level IT support, they get it without having to pay the cost of high level executive. Companies do not have to pay for the salary of an executive employee to get all of the benefits. A VCIO offers things like strategic planning, providing guidance for IT projects, budgeting, and essentially giving the company a competitive edge by way of the IT infrastructure. Instead of paying for the salary, the company only pays for the monthly service through their managed IT plan with the Managed Service Provider.

The second major advantage is that the company can get well seasoned virtual “staff” with years of experience and a great range of expertise and skills. In addition to that, they also have access to a knowledge bank from the Managed Service Provider which can be helpful with getting even the most difficult of projects done. One employee may have a lot of experience in one area of IT but a problem can occur when they are faced with an issue they have not dealt with. With a VCIO, there is always someone that they can turn to in their team to get the job done. This allows a VCIO to provide the most well-rounded service to each of their clients.

As you can see, there are many benefits of a VCIO, which makes it a viable option for many companies that want executive level IT support, a vast wealth of knowledge whenever needed, and to save money in the process.