How to Get C-Suite Tech Strategy for Half the Cost

Does your business technology drive you up the wall with uncertainty? Are you reacting to IT problems when you would instead prefer to proactively leverage technology to drive your business’ growth? It’s not your fault; it’s the result of a phenomenon known as the Executive IT Gap, and it’s keeping you trapped in an endless cycle of reactive, costly, and inefficient technology decisions that are slowing your business down.

Normally, this problem would be addressed by a Chief Information Officer, or CIO, but SMBs struggle enough with maintaining daily IT operations, let alone planning years into the future. Hiring an in-house CIO is expensive and time-consuming, though, which makes it prohibitive for SMBs with limited resources.

So, what’s a SMB to do? Hire a Virtual CIO, of course, through a managed service provider like Direct Technology Group. There are many benefits to doing so:

You Get Immediate Access to Enterprise-Level Expertise and Strategic Planning

There’s a significant difference between your average IT technician and the CIO. A technician is tactical in that they solve the immediate problem, whereas a CIO is thinking strategically about how to design a system where the problem doesn’t exist in the first place. This kind of thinking requires experience, and it’s what allows the CIO to build out effective technology roadmaps that align with your business’ goals. While hiring an in-house CIO takes time—time that you don’t have, mind you—onboarding a virtual CIO gives you immediate access to this level of expertise and the benefits it brings.

You Convert a Massive Fixed Cost Into a Predictable, Scalable Expense

When you hire an in-house CIO, you’re signing up for a massive fixed cost: the annual salary, benefits, bonuses, and other overhead associated with onboarding this professional. Depending on the complexity of your business, this could cost you serious cash, sometimes even as high as $250,000 or more per year. When you work with a managed service provider, you’re paying a fraction of that for the same level of expertise. You can then scale up or down depending on where your business is and what it needs at the moment.

Your Team is Free to Pursue Core Business Functions and Revenue Generation

Your staff shouldn’t be making technology-related decisions for your business, especially when their attention is better served elsewhere. This especially goes for other members of the C-Suite, like your CEO or COO. Every moment they spend dabbling with cloud providers or negotiating with technology vendors is time taken away from serving customers, developing new products, or closing on sales. A virtual CIO can help your business offload the IT burden to focus on other tasks that are more likely to generate revenue and grow the business.

Look, you’re already paying someone to manage your business’ technology, but it’s not their only job, and it’s likely getting in the way of their other responsibilities. By incorporating high-level executive accountability, your business can transform its IT from an expense generator into a well-oiled, growth-oriented machine. To get started with Direct Technology Group on your side, give us a call at (954) 739-4700.