Reasons Why CIO as a Service is Right for Your Business
The fast moving nature of technology has meant that a growing number of companies have seen the benefits of enlisting the services of a dedicated Chief Information Officer. The overarching role of a CIO is to develop and oversee the implementation of IT strategies in order to maintain the organization’s competitive edge, while staying in line with their financial and operational goals. It’s an extremely specialist role and one that requires flexibility, agility and, above all, the ability to remain abreast of, move quickly with updating technology.
The Role of the Chief Information Officer
For any business, technology plays a huge and vital role, not only in the day to day operational aspects, but also in growing the organisation. For this reason it is extremely important to get it right and failure to invest in the appropriate technology assets, software and strategies can result in falling behind in terms of efficiency and maintaining a competitive edge.
A CIO will develop strategies that are aligned with a company’s identified goals and overall vision, to ensure that the technology engaged is working in tandem towards their broader priorities. Because they work with and report to the senior management of an organisation, the role establishes a solid connection between IT and operational leadership. Having a dedicated professional who understands the challenges of both business and technology allows them to create more effective and profitable solutions to drive growth within the organisation.
The Risks of Not Having a CIO
There are multiple long and short term risks of not having a CIO to oversee the IT of a company. Without a professional to focus on technology an organization can run a very real risk of not keeping up with advances in technology and, therefore, not identifying valuable opportunities to capitalise on developing growth and operational strategies.
By the same token, it’s also all too easy to miss identifying critical issues and challenges that are occurring in productivity and operations and, as a knock-on effect to that, the longer these are left unchecked the harder these problems are to rectify.
Contracting an External Professional
Regardless of the size of a company, IT is a critical aspect to get right; for those who neglect it, address issues incompetently, or don’t consider it alongside the overall business strategies, the results can have a huge impact. But it does require an experienced and agile professional with extensive experience in the IT space to undertake the role, and that can be a costly venture.
Rather than making the investment of employing a permanent full-time CIO on staff, many of our clients prefer to take up the option of contracting an external provider to do the job on a regular basis, as agreed upon. The consultant becomes immersed in the organization and its personnel at an executive level (often sitting in on board meetings), and will undertake a full audit of the business at every level in a structured way. They then work on the development of a made to measure IT strategy (including expenditure, software, scalability, hardware, security, network performance, as well as future initiatives) to work in conjunction with its established goals and operational strategies.
Depending on their size and individual requirements, a company may opt to contract a CIO on a once a month basis, once a fortnight, weekly, or on an ad-hoc agreement when the need arises to confront particular challenges or issues. There are plenty of benefits to employing an ‘on demand’ service like this.
The most obvious benefit is the cost. Contracting an external CIO on an on demand basis can represent a significant financial saving compared to investing in a full-time or even a permanent part employee.
Using a contractor also means that the time of valuable staff members can be freed up to focus on the job they’re skilled at and focus more efficiently on the core business.
Flexibility is vital and an external service provider will develop a bespoke strategy that moves and grows with your business. Maximum value and ROI can be achieved when you can choose a service package that suits you best.
Having someone outside the business overseeing IT allows them an independent and unbiased ‘birdseye’ view. This impartiality is often hugely beneficial when making decisions in the best interests of the organization, not only operationally, but also strategically.
Because an external professional CIO is in tune with the latest developments and innovations in technology, they can offer advice and strategies based on industry best practice - which, in turn, assures the most effective and efficient solutions.
Future Proofing Business
An experienced, dedicated CIO affords a company the peace of mind that their IT assets and strategies are not only working appropriately for them, but that they’re also focused on future proofing their organization by remaining at the cutting edge rather than trailing competitors. By improving the efficiency and productivity of the company’s IT in alignment with the overarching business goals, they’re able to offer and implement solutions to scale a business and increase profitability.
If this service appeals to you and you’d like to explore it further, get in touch with one of our consultants who would be happy to discuss your business’ needs.
