Why should you choose a vCIO over a traditional IT provider?
Well, we like to think of this way.
Consider your traditional IT provider is a doctor. As good as this doctor is at giving you medicine when you are sick, you’re not getting any healthier, in fact you seem to come back with the same ailments year on year.
Now, consider your vCIO. They’re a doctor too, but they’re also a nutritionist, a personal trainer and a life coach. Not only do they give you medicine, but they work with you to improve your diet, get you exercising and living a healthier life. Within time you’re stronger, fitter, happier and don’t need so much medicine.
While a traditional IT provider is great at treating your IT problems when they occur, a vCIO worth their salt is working tirelessly to strengthen your systems, evolve your processes, future proof your business and achieve growth.
In this blog, we look at some of key reasons to partner with a vCIO, and why your MSP (managed service provider) should offer these services.
What is a vCIO?
The term vCIO refers to a Virtual Chief Information Officer; a high ranking technical staff member who, rather than being on site every day, completes their duties virtually.
As well as the usual tasks completed by an MSP, such as virus protection, health monitoring and disaster recovery, a vCIO looks at the big picture and creates future plans for IT within the business. A vCIO will:
- Advise IT departments on a range of critical decisions
- Formulate strategic IT goals
- Plan the IT budget
- Analyse and evolve business processes
- Facilitate technological change
A good vCIO can revolutionise a business. Thanks to their broad knowledge and strategic planning, partnering with a vCIO can help you to focus your business, align your IT spend with your broader business goals and identify new opportunities.
While having someone on hand in the office may seem like a necessity, virtual CIOs prove that as long you choose an experienced vCIO you can design technical solutions that take your business to the next level.
A vCIO creates roadmaps for the future
No matter if you’re a tiny startup or a global juggernaut, planning and strategizing are essential practises for any company. When you hire a vCIO you get just that, a technological roadmap for the future of your business.
When you first engage with a vCIO you will begin your relationship by closely examining your technical assets, discussing your business goals and creating a clear picture of your industry landscape.
Using this information your selected vCIO will create a detailed roadmap, selecting the technology that will empower your business to meet your goals. This roadmap will be highly detailed and contain:
- The expectations of the project
- Key process metrics
- System performance metrics
- Budgets
- Infrastructure life cycles
By having this detailed plan in place, you hold your vCIO accountable, you know what to expect and where your investment is going. This complete visibility into your IT projects allows for a totally transparent relationship - no one can over promise or under perform.
A vCIO is proactive not reactive
The problem with traditional IT service providers is they can only react to problems when they have already happened. This means that if your business is unlucky enough to be hit by a ransomware attack, by the time you know about it, it may already be too late to prevent costly disruption.
By contrast, when you partner with a vCIO you don’t just receive state of the art, reactive protection but proactive protection too. Thanks to the vCIO model your business receives 24/7 remote system monitoring, meaning problems can be detected and dealt with long before they disrupt your business.
Furthermore, while traditional IT providers may rack up expensive repair bills, 24-hour support is often part of the service offering. This means you can rest easy knowing your critical systems are safe.
Prioritise business growth
You may think of a vCIO as an unnecessary luxury, and if you have little ambition to grow your business you may be right. However, for competitive businesses looking to give themselves an edge, a vCIO offers a world of opportunity.
Here at Pensar, we are more than just an MSP. If you would like to find out what we can do for your business, why not book your free business technology consultation today?