Not all small businesses can afford to carry a dedicated Chief Information Officer on payroll. While many small businesses do realize IT is important to their day-to-day operations, the IT department is often one person wearing many hats, including the role of a CIO.

Wearing many hats can make the life of an internal IT person very hectic. First it’s an issue with the server. Then it’s trying to resolve an issue with an employee’s workstation. Then it’s tracking down a license to add a necessary software component to another employee’s workstation.

At the end of the day, this model isn’t efficient.

Your employee wears down. There is no long-term planning. Sure, there is a to-do-list, but it’s long, and long-term processes like technology assessments, strategic planning and drawing up a refresh schedule are so far down the list you have no idea when or if ever they will get completed. The role of a CIO is just that. A singular role. You can’t expect one or two people to carry an IT department, outside of day-to-day duties.

This is where a virtual CIO services come in as a majorly effective IT strategy for a small business.

Don’t blame your employee, blame your system. Virtual CIO services makes sense for small businesses, because they allow your internal team to focus on the day-to-day issues that arise while someone else assumes the role of a CIO and creates a roadmap for future success.

What is a Virtual CIO?

The role of a CIO is to develop strategic planning and incorporate technology into your company. A good CIO knows your business processes inside and out and continuously works to find ways to improve them. A CIO heads most company’s IT departments, driving the success of products and optimizing your technology and processes to improve return-on-investment.

This role is an ongoing process, because technology is ever-evolving. Today’s solution will not address tomorrow’s problem. Having a knowledgeable, skilled CIO is important to the success of businesses small or large, but a good CIO is costly.

A virtual CIO is simply an outside consultant a company trusts to assume these vital roles, working remotely with their internal team at a much lower rate than hiring a dedicated individual who could turn out to be a goat!

Implementing virtual IT solutions like virtual CIO services may be the right move for your business. Consider these three benefits of a virtual CIO before streamlining your IT department with virtual CIO services.

Why Virtual IT Solutions Can Work For You

Outside Evaluation from an Expert

Getting an opinion on your technology from an outsider gives a refreshing take on how your department actually does business. The first step to a virtual CIO engagement is a network assessment, taking inventory of your current IT systems, pinpointing any potential risks, such as security lapses, evaluations of your data backup system and what happens to your business when power outages or system downtime occur.

These insights allow the virtual CIO to draw up a comprehensive line of defense and list of recommendations to keep your systems running at peak performance. Virtual CIO services can expose issues your internal team wouldn’t have had the time to uncover otherwise, and that alone could be a huge cost-saver.

Technological Foresight and Experience

Just like a good CIO looks to the future to define ongoing success of your business, a virtual CIO will assess your company’s technological needs, whether that be replacing machines six months down the line or developing a long-term strategy that is still relevant six years from now.

Virtual CIO services can help your company make impactful, important technical decisions, whether they are simple or complex. It could be something as simple as implementing an instant messaging platform into your operations or something more daunting, like shifting your entire server to the cloud.

Everything your virtual CIO uncovers and plans for will be reported on and presented to your company, along with approximate costs. Virtual IT Solutions are actionable and within reach.

In-House Benefits without the Price Tag or Hurdles

Having a virtual CIO is just like having an in-house CIO that understands your vision for success. A virtual CIO can do everything an in-house CIO can do, without having to take on additional responsibilities to supplement an over-worked IT department. A virtual CIO has one job and one job only; the job of a CIO. Going virtual is much cheaper than hiring a top level employee. Virtual CIO services can also save a company money by uncovering and resolving issues that could escalate into costlier problems down the road.

ThrottleNet provides virtual CIO services that integrate directly with your management team to help grow your business, streamline your processes and plan for what’s ahead. Interested in increasing your businesses’ efficiency and cut costs? Learn more about virtual CIO services today or contact ThrottleNet to put these virtual IT solutions to work for your company.