vCIO Services for SMBs

Every Managed Service Provider (MSP) is unique; we all have our strengths, some of us only work in specific sectors, others service any business that fits the mold of a typical office, and of course, every MSPs culture is different given the people and leaders that make up our companies. But one widespread differentiator among MSPs is the function of the Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO); some MSPs say they deliver vCIO Services, but it’s really an Account Manager handling these duties. At Nucleus we have a team of dedicated vCIOs and this is their only responsibility. In this blog post, we will outline the key functions of Nucleus’ vCIOs and how they can deliver a valuable contribution to technology leadership in the small business world. 
 
What is a vCIO? 
 
First, let’s define a Chief Information Officer: A Chief Information Officer (CIO) is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise who works with information technology and computer systems to support the goals of an enterprise. The CIO is a leader within the business. 
 
In the small business sector, organizations with 20 to 100+ computers or users, often do not have the resources for a full-time CIO. A Virtual CIO is a contracted consultant that fulfills this role on either as a single-time engagement with a determined scope, or as an ongoing monthly contracted consultant role that has a variable and broad scope. 
 
As opposed to the typical MSP approach of applying an IT stack to a client organization, a vCIO focuses on fully understanding the business of a client, including requirements, integrations, operational requirements, and applies IT solutions that are tailored to their business needs. 

Our vCIOs, Chris Duzenberry and Jeff Nantais

The Nucleus Approach

The goal of our vCIOs is to fully understand our client’s business (from the CIO-lens) to direct the implementation and use of technology to best suit their needs. Their focus is to increase and/or balance the performance, security, and profitability of a client through structured organization of information and customized implementation of technology. The relationship with the client is dynamic, fluid and interactive. Performance is measured on achieving positive change in the client organization and meeting key objectives that are continuously reviewed. 

What is often overlooked is that a vCIO does not work through tickets or perform against a Service Level Agreement. Nucleus’ vCIO Services are a monthly service or delivered on a per-project basis; our vCIO Services are separate from our Managed Services. What this means is that we have some clients, who are only retained for vCIO Services, this is particularly common in sectors where there exists a higher need for Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC).  

Governance, Risk and Compliance 

One of the vCIOs key functions is to create Policies and Controls, typically through one or more governance frameworks, to ensure security, utilization and effectiveness of technology in the client organization. These frameworks are a set of requirements that are established best practices in various areas of business, some of the most common include: 

• InfoSec/Cybersecurity: CISv8, NIST 
• Public accountability: ITGC for Sarbanes-Oxley (USA) or NI52-109 (Canada) 
• Service Trust: SOC2 or ISO27001 
• Privacy: PIPEDA (Canada), GDPR (EU), and others based on region 
• Industry specific: PCI-DSS (Credit), FedRamp (US Government) 

This process involves an assessment which then forms the foundation for planning and budgeting, project implementation and IT oversight.  

Is my Business a Good Fit for vCIO Services? 

Given the increasing dependency on technology and expanding regulatory/compliance standards in many small business sectors, vCIO services are becoming more common. However, there are a few telltale signs to consider a vCIO: 

• There is a need to evaluate technology implementation as a whole 
• A greater analysis of IT is needed due to GRC  
• You have a need for services that are outside of the scope of most MSP services, such as business audits, product evaluations, etc. 
• Your technology isn’t aligned well with your business goals  

If your business is facing any of the issues above, talk to us to learn more about how a vCIO can help you “Do IT better.”