Who Is the Fractional CIO?

With more of our business operations relying on technology to function and investments continuing to grow, an IT group that only keeps the day-to-day running is no longer enough. Is it time for a fractional CIO?

Watch: Who is the Fractional CIO?

A Dedicated IT Expert

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is an executive-level professional with knowledge and skills in IT and cybersecurity and can communicate with other C-level officers about the technology in the office. Fractional CIOs are C-level IT professionals who get to know your unique business needs and effectively transfer outdated practices into a modern workplace. CIOs are responsible for the strategy around your IT and computer systems to support enterprise goals. The CIO's job is to innovate and collaborate, balance the IT budget and motivate IT staff. 

What Does the Fractional CIO Do?

• IT strategy and planning: The CIO asks, “Does the direction you are headed with your IT investments best support the current and future direction of your company?” This includes not only products but people and processes. Are your IT people spending their time on areas with positive ROI for your business over the sunk cost of running the day-to-day? Not only does the CIO plan and strategize, but they also keep systems and IT operations maintained or improved to maximize performance.

• Budgeting and forecasting: The CIO reviews the IT budget and ensures it includes the most important things that must happen in the coming year. That way, the IT strategy is managed, and IT surprises are eliminated.

• Proactive communication: The CIO expertly explains to the other executives the benefits and risks of new IT-related projects while collaborating with all the other departments in the company to understand their needs and goals. They also work to ensure the right technology is in place to support them, that IT is seen by all the other department heads as a partner, further enabling their own department's success, and that the changes made are the right changes for the entire business. The CIO also oversees relationships with vendors, contractors and other service providers to ensure good flow of communication among all business technologies.  

Why Does Your Business Need a Fractional CIO? 

You need an IT leader that strategically understands your business and technology - not a manager or director, but the CIO. The CIO must strategically guide and direct all things technology: hardware, software, business applications and services. These all need to work together for your business, or you'll end up overspending on people, resources or technology. 

The CIO:

• holds recurring monthly IT steering meetings with all functional business leaders of the business. They evaluate the existing IT plan against the changing business needs to ensure they are still the top priorities and identify new business needs to explore in the future. 
• builds the IT plan and quantifies initiatives in business terms. For example, they look at how many hours they could save the business a month, or how much revenue is at risk. 
• analyzes how each of the other business functions work while identifying new productivity initiatives to consider that would further support your business plan. 
• informs you of new risks to the business based on an in-depth analysis of your current technology footprint and areas outside of IT best practices. 

Get a Fractional CIO on Your Team 

If you’re ready to explore an innovative approach to IT with a proactive and strategic fractional CIO, schedule a FREE IT strategy session today!