Large corporations today rely upon Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to bridge the knowledge gap between executive management and Information Technology management. As opposed to an IT Director, CIOs make long-term, high-level technology planning and spending decisions as it relates to current and future business needs. While small and mid-sized companies have the same need for CIOs as large corporations, most cannot afford a full time CIO.
In addition to moving applications, data, and other services "to the cloud", many smaller organizations are taking advantage of the services of a Virtual or “part time” CIO for either a finite period or on an ongoing basis. It's a cost-effective solution that helps small and medium sized businesses take advantage of the benefits of a high level resource who can understand their business needs and align those needs properly with the right technology strategy.
According to IT experts, using a “vCIO” or "CIO in the Cloud" makes sense for small and mid-sized businesses that:
- Could use the expertise but can’t afford to pay someone full time
- Has outgrown its current IT capabilities, needs to upgrade, and wants input from someone who is vendor-neutral, and knows the marketplace well enough to suggest solutions that would be a good fit
- Has a large technology project that calls for more expertise than the company’s in-house IT resources can offer
- Is involved in a merger or acquisition and could use an outsider’s advice on how to blend different IT systems
- Want to take their IT operations “in a new direction”
There are a number of organizations today that offer this service. Is it right for your organization and it's needs?
