The IT person who is highly skilled at providing cybersecurity might not enjoy providing patient, friendly help desk support. And the person who’s great at proactively maintaining your existing systems might not have the time, the resources, or the expertise to tell you what needs to change. 

Add the fact that there’s typically a huge communication gap between business leaders and their IT staff, and it’s no wonder that small to midsize businesses with limited in-house IT capabilities are falling behind in their adoption of technology. So in this blog, I’ll explore what a CIO can bring to the table, where these skills can make a big difference, and how to acquire them without paying CIO prices. 

What Is a CIO? 

A chief information officer (CIO) is ultimately responsible for developing a strategy that leverages technology to improve and protect the business.

In addition to managing IT budgets, CIOs are expected to work closely with other C-suite executives to make sure an organization’s technology is aligned with its goals.

CIO vs. CTO

In a smaller company, these roles tend to be combined. But for companies that have both a CIO and a CTO, here’s how their focuses differ. 

Benefits of Having a CIO 

Every organization is different, and the ROI you might expect to get from having an elite level of IT talent at your disposal depends on a number of factors. However, here’s where having a CIO can make a significant difference for a wide variety of organizations.

Optimizing Your Tech Stack 

Aligning your tech stack with your goals can help you focus your resources on where they will have the most impact, bringing you more ROI for the same tech budget. 

This takes strategy and, often, a deep technical knowledge of how all the moving parts work — or don’t work — together. But it tends to be worth it. According to a recent survey, of the 66% of organizations that reported they were using tech to advance their business, most experienced significant growth in profitability or performance.

Simplifying Decision Making 

CIOs can help business leadership to identify trends and potential risks through advanced analytics in real time. They also can help drive a data-driven culture organization-wide. 

Giving You a Competitive Advantage

By leveraging technology more strategically, businesses with a CIO can gain a competitive edge in the market.

The Downside To Having an In-House CIO: Cost

The going rate for a CIO isn’t going to break the bank for a large company. But for a small to midsized one, that’s another story. 

A CIO’s salary will depend on their CIO’s resume, as well as your company’s size and location. But here’s just one example: A CIO for a 200-person business in the DC Metro area can typically command roughly $180,000 each year in salary alone. But with additional benefits, some CIOs pull in over $2M annually. 

How IT Consulting Services Are Filling the CIO Gap

Most small to midsize organizations will struggle to afford a skilled CIO. But even with an unlimited budget, there’s another problem to overcome: CIOs are currently in short supply, along with tech talent in general.

That’s where a virtual (or fractional) CIO comes in, where smaller companies invest in a “share” of a CIO’s time to ensure access to these elite skills at an affordable price point. 

The Unique Benefit of IT Strategy Consulting: Flexibility 

With IT consulting services, it’s no longer all or nothing. 

Businesses can choose to use a vCIO or a virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) for a limited period of time. In some cases, these functions are bundled with a complete managed services package to provide an organization with comprehensive IT services in a one-and-done solution. 

But that depends on the managed services provider you choose. Managed IT isn’t all the same, and it can be difficult to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. 

Finding an IT Consulting Company

In addition to providing managed IT, we also offer project-based IT solutions as well as fractional CIO and CISO services. And for small businesses that just want help securing or optimizing their Microsoft environment, we’ve recently developed a right-sized IT solution called ACE365. 

If you know your organization would benefit from some form of outsourced IT support, but you’re not sure where your dollars would go the furthest, just ask! To explore this topic further and get a feel for how we approach IT consulting, our Consulting Services Manager, Charles Brandt, and Senior Virtual CIO Don Hoversten hosted a recent webinar on the topic. 

Click the link here to watch it!