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In our industry the title "vCIO" gets thrown around a lot. What is a vCIO and how are vCIO Services different at Nucleus? We sat down with Jeff, Toronto, Ontario-based vCIO to gain some insight as to what exactly a vCIO does and how vCIO services can elevate small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Read through to the end of this interview to learn about his global IT experience, Brazilian roots and some of the passions that drive him in life. Olé Jeff!
What is the role of a vCIO at Nucleus?
At Nucleus, our vCIO is an executive IT Consultant whose key objective is to fully understand the business of a client and apply tailored IT solutions based on their business needs. A vCIO’s relationship with the client is dynamic, fluid and interactive. Their performance is measured by achieving positive change in the client organization and meeting key objectives that are continuously reviewed. Similar to a CIO in a larger enterprise, a vCIO will assess the entire information and communication ecosystem within an organization to fully understand needs and priorities to ensure technical performance, stability, security and scalability.
The vCIO performs its role by developing IT strategy and technology-focussed policies and governance through collaboration with leaders from all areas of the business.
What is the first step in initiating vCIO services?
The first task a vCIO will engage in will be a series of one-on-one interviews with a client’s management team. Most often management teams include the CEO/President and leaders from human resources, finance, and operations. These interviews are key to gain a deep understanding of the current business processes, standard operating procedures, operational priorities, and short and long-term business goals.
- Assessment of Current Technology: Understanding the status quo; identify weaknesses and opportunities for change. This is typically the starting point of an IT Strategy project that culminates in the presentation of a formal all-encompassing and formalized IT strategy. The Strategy, in turn becomes an annual business optimization project rooted in continuous improvement.
- Routine Executive + vCIO Meeting Cycle: The goal is to maintain an understanding of the ongoing operation of the business and any impactful changes that happen in real-time. This provides an opportunity for the vCIO to provide insight into new developments in the technology sector.
- Project Oversight: The vCIO also provides oversight for key projects beyond the scope of typical MSP-driven/single-phase infrastructure developments. Examples of these projects are:
- Multi-party/multi-discipline projects, such as deployment of a new accounting/ERP system
- Multi-phase cloud migrations
- Management of the implementation of specialized business applications
- Development of IT/IS Policy
- Compliance, governance, certification and audit projects related to: ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, GDPR and NIST, as well as SOC 2 Readiness Expert review
It is important to note that not all businesses that engage a vCIO have complex IT needs. In some cases, a client may have a solid vision for their IT strategy and may work with a vCIO to specifically execute a single specialized project.
How do our vCIO Services at Nucleus compare to competitors?
Based on experience with other vCIO/IT Directorship consultancies we've met, there is a lack balance – they are either solely focused on the infrastructure/support side, or on the policy, process and governance side.
What should the leader of a SMB look for in an MSP’s vCIO team?
Look for diversity in vertical market experience (from publicly-traded companies to non-profits); a keen instinct for leveraging technology efficiently with a priority for the end user and fiscal responsibility. Most important, however, is empathy, a term not generally used when describing the attributes of a MSP, but it's important that they have an empathetic team that listens to client’s needs and has good intuition.
Beyond the traits listed above, a business with an enterprise focus, should look for a vCIO that has a strong balance between infrastructure knowledge and information governance.
How do we make the virtual – personal?
A Virtual CIO engages with clients beyond a checklist. Our philosophy is to engage with our clients at a personal level and to build a relationship at that level. This reinforces trust and allows the vCIO to anticipate options and the direction of a business through an understanding of the people driving it.
What areas of business is Nucleus able to help assess and improve efficiency throughout the year?
- Integration of diverse applications and IT systems
- Identifying areas for improvement and/or simplification
- Establishing policies, processes, and procedures to make better use of technology, reduce errors, and risk
- Improve work/life balance for users through more effective use of technology
- Improve visibility of information, technology investment and risk and security posture for management
- Empower management through a clearer understanding of technology
Go with an MSP that sees beyond infrastructure and basic IT support, an MSP that listens to the specific and unique features of your business. –Jeff Nantais, vCIO Nucleus Networks
Who is Jeff Nantais?
Married for 25+ years, father of two fine young ladies, lover of arts and culture. Speaks English, Portuguese and loosely conversational in Spanish. Former CEO of a Canadian/Brazilian multinational IT consultancy firm for 16 years, Jeff has had the privilege of travelling and working in some very unique locations from the Amazon in Brazil and Ecuador, the deserts and mountains in several states of Mexico, to incredibly high altitudes in the Atacama of Chile and Peru. He has travelled to half of the states in Brazil and holds a deep love of the country's culture and music.
Jeff works closely with our mining partners to provide efficient, reliable and secure IT to enable remote and global collaboration.
What do you like to do for fun?
I am deeply invested in modular synthesis and spend much of my personal time exploring and creating electronic music. I also enjoy cycling and downhill skiing. I’ve had European sport cars in the past (Alfa Romeo, Porsche and BMW), but that hobby has been put on hold. I still ride a vintage BMX bike for kicks.
When you first chose your career – what interested you about the world of IT before you entered the field?
My father was an engineering manager in the petrochemical industry, so I was raised with AutoCAD, Lotus 1-2-3, and dBase all of which I explored for fun. I was never interested in video games – I love information, its lifecycle, how it can be integrated, cataloged and managed. I got my start working for Silicon Graphics (SGI), and the pioneering days of 3D visualization and immense computational development inspired me to look at technology holistically.
Cold vacation destination or hot? If you could pack up and travel for fun tomorrow – where would you go?
HOT. Favourite place in the world: Ipanema and Copacabana beaches in Rio de Janeiro. Although I do love downhill skiing – I grew up spending weekends at Sunshine Village and Lake Louise.
Leafs or Raptors?
Neither. I am a Flamenguista when it comes to Brazilian football; and my other two sports are watching Formula 1 racing, and the Tour de France.
Muskoka or Toronto?
Toronto. I’m a metro kind of guy. Small-venue concerts, restaurants, disco lounges and shopping. But I also like to get away for camping – sleep in a tent, eat over a fire, lay on a beach.
Guitar or Piano?
Both. I started as a bass player at a very young age. I have played guitar professionally and performed on very large stages in my past. I have also spent the last 30 years exploring synthesizers, and over the past 3 years have published a large body of ambient/electronic music… over 500 recordings!
Favourite Artist/Musician?
Pretty diverse… but definitely not pop. All-time favourites range from Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, The Cure, Duran Duran to Tame Impala, and electronic artists like Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, The Orb, Ian Pooley, and Boards of Canada.
If you are interested in a dedicated vCIO who will help you plan for your future growth, map out requirements, align business goals, and identify the right technology solutions to make sure your IT is supercharged talk to us!
