A managed it services is a company or individual contractor that acts as a company’s Chief Information Officer on a flexible basis. Typically, vCIO services are contracted through an IT consulting services company. A virtual CIO performs all of the tasks a traditional Chief Information Officer would typically perform, including:

Developing an IT strategy

Developing an IT budget

Maintaining current IT infrastructure

Analyzing and optimizing business processes

Identifying opportunities for innovation

Facilitating technology changes

A vCIO works closely with an organization’s IT department. Many businesses that employ vCIO services have limited IT resources or lack a formal IT department. Companies may grant a virtual CIO more decision-making power and technology deployment responsibilities in these situations.

If you are familiar with managed service providers (MSP), you might think that a virtual CIO sounds very similar to an MSP. However, they are different in scope. MSPs typically focus on technology service delivery. On the other hand, a virtual CIO offers a broader service that aligns business goals and IT strategy.