What Is a vCIO (Virtual CIO) and Why Do You Need One?

Among rapid digital transformation, unpredictable growth, and intense competition, many modern job roles are being virtualized. This new kind of job role is gaining traction as a cost-effective way to provide certain companies with the senior experience and expertise of an executive role.

What is a vCIO?

A virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) is a dedicated resource who serves as a Chief Information Officer on a flexible basis. The primary role of a virtual CIO is to formulate strategic IT goals for your company and then manage an IT strategy and budget that meets those goals. Most vCIOs are hired through a reputable IT consulting service firm and have years of experience working as IT strategy consultants for companies across various industries.

Why You Need a Virtual CIO

Regardless of what your business does, you use technology to help run it. Your technology infrastructure is the backbone of your organization—without it, your business would likely fail.

Whether it's remote collaboration, processing payments, scheduling appointments, paying your employees, creating and managing content, or even just sending emails, your technology is essential to business operations.

Every single business has some sort of IT support, but a few common setups include:

1. Making a phone call to a contact when things go haywire.
2. Relying on a couple of staff members who pinch hit when needed.
3. Employing your own internal IT team.
4. Outsourcing some or all of your IT services.

If you fall into category 3 or 4, your business can probably benefit from the strategic expertise of a vCIO. Their degree of involvement might range from a one-time project to a few hours a month on an ongoing basis to help keep your business ahead of the curve.

Strategic Advantages of Using a Virtual CIO

Technology is complex, and it changes fast.

Most companies have a hard time keeping up with their core business challenges, let alone managing their technology stack properly. Even experienced internal IT teams are often overwhelmed with simply trying to keep internal systems and operations up and running, never mind making progress on any strategic planning.

Many companies are stuck in a rut, continuing to maintain outdated technology that is hindering performance. The ultimate goal is to leverage technology to increase revenue and decrease expenses. But if you’re not using the right technology and systems to help you reach those goals, there’s a good chance that a big chunk of your budget is simply going down the drain.

When was the last time you took a good look at which applications you’re actually using? Better yet, which apps are you wasting money on because no one is using them?

You might have a great in-house IT team that is terrific at keeping your infrastructure up and running, but it often takes third-party IT consultants to bring a fresh perspective and progress organizational goals.

An objective third party is usually in a better place to identify issues that might have been overlooked and make recommendations about improving or replacing legacy systems and practices. Managed IT services are a great way to lower costs while getting access to expertise and technology you probably can't afford to provide in-house! This can include access to vCIO and related services.

Most Managed IT Service Providers offer vCIO services as part of their portfolio, so it's worthwhile to shop around to find the best fit for your company’s needs.

Investing in vCIO Expertise

Developing a strategic technology plan can be a complex and difficult task, and not everyone has the skills to do it effectively.

A seasoned vCIO has the advantage of having seen hundreds of other companies struggle with the same challenges as yours and knowing which technologies are best for solving specific problems.

Beyond having in-depth technical expertise and being on top of the latest industry trends, a vCIO needs to have a good understanding of business management. This is a critical skill that’s required to understand business goals, ultimately turning your objective into a robust, long-term strategic technology plan that aligns with your company’s unique needs and vision.

Below are 6 ways a virtual CIO can provide value to virtually any organization:

1. Help set strategic priorities, key initiatives, and identify ROI
2. Provide methods and processes to drive change
3. Offer valuable input on regulatory and compliance matters
4. Evaluate current team skills, systems, and alignment
5. Manage your day-to-day technology direction
6. Support strategic vendor relationships

Read the Case Study: How a Virtual CIO Can Drive Strategic Business Growth

Keeping Your Network Secure with a vCISO

Security is one of the most important roles a vCIO plays in a company. In fact, there is now a special designation for a vCIO who has extensive cybersecurity experience: a virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO).

Just like a vCIO, a vCISO is a service designed to make top-tier security experts available to organizations that need cybersecurity expertise and guidance. This has quickly become a huge need, as cyber risk is now a major concern amongst executives.

The sophistication of attacks, the technologies designed to defend against them, and the global regulations emerging to address them are evolving rapidly—and it's incredibly challenging for businesses to keep up. If you don’t have an internal cybersecurity expert or it doesn’t make sense to hire one full-time, you may want to consider hiring a vCISO.

Starting with a risk assessment, your vCISO will develop a strategic security plan that spans your entire organization. This may include security policies, training programs, business continuity planning and disaster recovery, reporting and regulatory compliance, and much more.

Larger organizations will sometimes have both a vCIO and a vCISO, dividing up the tasks and responsibilities as appropriate.

But keep in mind these are just titles. A good vCIO should have all the expected technical skills and certifications that are necessary to keep your company safe and secure!

How Much Does A Virtual CIO Cost?

Many smaller-scale or private businesses can’t afford a full-time CIO. The salary for a CIO at a large company is around $450,000, dipping down to about $100,000 at smaller organizations. Of course, there is often overhead on top of this in the form of benefits, bonuses, and profit sharing.

While pricing structures vary, a vCIO generally charges either an hourly rate or a flat fee, with the latter working as a subscription model where the client pays on a monthly basis. The hourly rate can vary widely based on your location and a few other factors, but generally starts at around $200 an hour and goes up from there.

A subscription service (monthly recurring) is even harder to calculate, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 a month, depending on the size of your organization and the services you require.

If your business is growing quickly, you’re going to need to do quite a bit of technology planning to make sure that your IT infrastructure keeps up—not to mention your security protection.

Most small to mid-sized businesses (SMB) have at least one person, if not a whole team, who is experienced with their company’s IT systems, but many aren’t even sure where to begin when it comes to devising a long-term technology plan.

Here are the top 3 ways a vCIO saves you money:

1. You save the cost of hiring and retaining hard-to-find, expensive talent.
2. You can optimize the costs of your current IT environment and infrastructure.

You keep your business secure and protected from cyberthreats (many SMBs wildly underestimate the cost of a data breach.)

Virtual CIO FAQs

How does the role of a virtual CIO evolve as a company grows and its IT needs become more complex?

As a company expands and its technological needs become more intricate, the role of a virtual CIO undergoes a transformation to offer tailored strategic guidance. This evolution involves adjusting IT strategies to correspond with the company's progression, with a focus on expanding IT infrastructure, fortifying cybersecurity protocols, and seamlessly integrating innovative technologies.

The virtual CIO facilitates smooth transitions through varying phases of growth and complexity within the IT landscape by ensuring that the IT strategy remains in harmony with the company's objectives. This ability to adapt and align with the evolving technological demands of a growing company is essential in driving continued success and efficiency in the ever-changing business environment.

Can a virtual CIO effectively manage and protect against specific cybersecurity threats that a business might face?

A virtual CIO is a crucial asset in managing and protecting against specific cybersecurity threats that a business might face. By conducting comprehensive risk assessments, they can pinpoint vulnerabilities and recommend robust cybersecurity strategies to fortify the company's defenses. Implementing the latest security standards and practices, the virtual CIO ensures that the IT infrastructure remains secure and resilient.

Drawing on their expertise, they anticipate potential threats and guide the deployment of advanced security solutions to stay ahead of evolving risks. Developing tailored policies to mitigate cybersecurity risks, the virtual CIO safeguards the integrity of the business's digital assets and data. Their proactive approach to cybersecurity ensures that the company is well-prepared to counter any potential threats and maintain a secure digital environment.

What are the key differences in responsibilities and outcomes between a virtual CIO and a full-time in-house CIO, particularly in terms of long-term strategic planning?

The key differences between a virtual CIO and a full-time in-house CIO hinge on flexibility, cost-efficiency, and perspective. A virtual CIO can offer a broad range of experiences and insights from working with multiple companies, which can be beneficial for innovative and adaptable strategic planning. However, an in-house CIO may have a deeper understanding of the company's culture and inner workings, potentially leading to strategies that are more tailored to the specific organizational context.

Virtual CIO FAQs

Planning for the future of your business while trying to keep up with rapid technological growth is tough. Having an IT expert in your corner to manage these obligations can help alleviate some of the pressure on your company, employees, and clients.

If you would like to dig deeper, check out our case study which details how our vCIO services helped an architecture and design firm with their global expansion plans, ensuring they had the right technology in place for future growth.