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Virtual CIO

Call on a Virtual CIO to Chart Your Future Growth

Senior IT experts in the U.S. are in short supply and high demand.  The best tend to work at IT consulting companies (like PlanetMagpie) where they can get a steady stream of challenging projects and a chance to work with the latest technologies.

At the same time, many businesses would love the guidance of an IT expert who understands C-level objectives, but they can't afford a full-time CIO.

Enter the Virtual CIO.

The Virtual CIO provides you with the services of a CIO, but on a project basis.  Having worked in many IT environments over the course of their careers, they can bring that industry knowledge to bear for your business and help you develop a sound IT strategy that will stand the test of time.

Your IT may be your disadvantage now, but it can become your competitive advantage!

Download our "Case for the Virtual CIO" White Paper

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Why Work with a Virtual CIO?

Ever experienced a major strategic issue like this?
  • The company's IT backbone can't keep up with employee demand.
  • You've just had a network breach.
  • The company needs to grow, but doesn't have a strategy for making the growth effective & efficient.
  • You're a publicly-traded company with a SOX audit on the horizon.

Then it's time to engage a Virtual CIO.

Many companies turn to Virtual CIOs not only for one-time consulting projects, but for long-term partner engagements.  PlanetMagpie's Virtual CIO is a trusted resources for our clients and often times become part of their inner advisory team.  Our Virtual CIO has helped open international offices for U.S. companies, scaled start-ups at speed, helped their clients pass SOX audits, prepared IT strategies and budgets for publicly-traded companies, deployed unified communications for onsite and remote workforces, and planned rapid merger and acquisition IT deployments.  All the while being an on-demand resource.

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PlanetMagpie’s Virtual CIO has decades of experience running Microsoft-centric SMB and enterprise IT departments.  Our expertise runs the gamut—datacenter operations, network security, SOX compliance, IT staffing models, IT budgeting, hardware and software, cloud service options, software applications, telecom, end-user support, merger & acquisitions hiring, and employee separation.

"I've heard of 'Fractional CIOs.' Is there a difference?"
Not really. A business may contract a Fractional CIO part-time, or ad-hoc, to meet specific strategic needs. A Virtual CIO fulfills the same basic role.

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PlanetMagpie's Virtual CIO Services

  • IT Turnaround—A comprehensive assessment of your IT environment (hardware, software, communication lines, environmental, SOX/HIPAA, applications, staffing, etc.) with recommendations for a path forward including pain point remediation and IT solutions that will meet your growth projections and company objectives.

  • Project Management—Your Virtual CIO can lead in-house IT staff in project implementation (software upgrades, hardware upgrades, workstation rollouts, VoIP installations, training on maintenance of systems).  Use their knowledge of the latest technologies to replace aging systems and boost overall productivity.

  • Network Planning—A secure network is critical to conducting a successful business. Our Virtual CIO will assess the threats and traffic on your network and recommend a network structure able to fend off attacks today and for the foreseeable future.

  • SOX-HIPAA Compliance—Is your company compliant with SOX/HIPAA?  Our Virtual CIO will create IT policies and procedures and testing that will get you across the finish line.  (Quick Tip – Using a public cloud strategy makes it harder to be SOX/HIPAA complaint. However, a Private Cloud strategy helps with compliance, since you have more control over your data.)
  • IT Budgeting—Without an IT budget, you risk leaving a critical system under-built and exposed to cyberattack.  Our Virtual CIO will analyze your IT spend, needed infrastructure replacements and upgrades (such as buying vs. leasing IT hardware, or cloud adoption), planned projects and growth projections, and create a three-year IT budget.  Once approved, our Virtual CIO will work with your Finance Department on budget-to-actual quarterly reporting.

  • Disaster Recovery Planning—Be prepared! Our Virtual CIO will review your disaster recovery plan, or create one, that will give your network a reasonable recovery period after the unexpected strikes.

  • Quarterly Board and Shareholder Meetings—Virtual CIOs attend your quarterly board and shareholder meetings.  They advise on IT strategy, technical underpinnings, budget projections, and plans to meet your organization's goals with IT enhancements.

Ready to put your IT into the hands of a fully-qualified Virtual CIO?  Use the Contact Us form at right to explore the possibilities.