What Benefits Come with a Virtual CIO?

CIO stands for Chief Information Officer, and they’re a staple of larger companies that can afford to invest in a full-time employee dedicated to managing IT systems. For small and medium-sized businesses, hiring a CIO just isn’t feasible, but the explosion of cloud-based computing has seen a rise of virtual CIOs that perform the same task remotely for several clients at once.

Here are just a few ways in which a virtual CIO can help your business.

Strategic Direction

You might be asking yourself why it’s worth taking on a CIO instead of simply seeking out IT support as and when you need it. One of the most important reasons to do so is that CIOs can look at your company’s operations and strategise for the future. They can look at ongoing IT issues instead of restricting themselves to one simple project, and they can help ensure that you remain compliant with all regulations.

Reduce Costs

An in-house CIO will be well beyond the financial reach of a small or medium-sized business, and the investment wouldn’t really be worth it for those smaller companies. However, hiring a virtual CIO can be a fantastic investment. They can provide 24/7 coverage from a team of experienced IT professionals whenever you require assistance, and their ongoing involvement means that they can make suggestions covering everything from hardware infrastructure to software updates to make sure you get your money’s worth. Virtual CIOs can help cut your costs, and they’ll work on a monthly rate with flexible terms.

Disaster Recovery            

It’s very hard to overestimate the importance of a robust disaster recovery plan. In the digital age, the loss of data and significant downtime associated with IT-related failures can be hard to recover from. A virtual CIO will maintain exceptional security, performing all necessary updates and keeping an experienced eye on your operations to spot any problems. Perhaps most importantly, they will be able to step in as quickly as possible if anything does go wrong. A fast response time matters when you’re dealing with a security breach or system failure – instead of having to call around IT support providers, you want a CIO who can instantly be in your corner.