Ever since managed services have been a thing, MSPs have been told that they need to become their customers’ “trusted IT advisors.” Although that phrase has been repeated ad nauseam, it’s true – your customers can shop online for technology, but they need your expertise to advise them on what to get, what to avoid and how to manage and protect their IT investments.
Over the years, many MSPs formalized their business advising skills, and some even made it a separate line-item branded as a virtual CIO (vCIO) service offering. The role of vCIO is particularly appealing to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which are technology-dependent, but don’t have a CIO on staff to guide them.
Offering vCIO services is an excellent way for an MSP to transition from an IT provider to a business advisor. However, some critical differences exist between what some MSPs call virtual CIO services and what SMBs actually need. And failing to make that distinction can be disastrous.
CIOs’ (and vCIOs’) Top Priorities
To distinguish between the roles of “consultative seller” and vCIO, let’s start with what actual CIOs are focused on. According to a CIO.com article, “8 Top Priorities for CIOs,” CIOs are focused on are:
- Developing cybersecurity talent
- Replacing manual processes with automation
- Advancing sustainability initiatives
- Recruiting and retaining IT talent
- Integrating cloud technology
- Protecting consumer/client privacy
While technology plays a role in some of the points listed above, it’s easy to see that the CIO’s role is much broader and requires a good balance of business acumen and IT expertise. MSPs that bill themselves as vCIOs in the hopes of “faking it before making it” put themselves in the position of overpromising and underdelivering, which can quickly compromise a customer relationship.
It doesn’t mean you must be an expert in all aspects of your customers’ businesses. It just means you need first to identify your strengths and weaknesses and set clear guidelines on which vCIO services you offer and which you don’t.
It’s also important to recognize that companies consume vCIO services differently than other managed services like security, BDR, VoIP, and mobile technologies, which they need 24/7 with limited tolerance for downtime. On the other hand, some companies’ vCIO needs may only be weekly, monthly or even quarterly. This is one reason you should not try to bundle vCIO with other managed services (especially if you’re selling it at a flat rate). Many MSPs who bundle everything in one offering can easily price themselves out of the market, or they may undercharge a customer for their vCIO services, leading to cutting corners and focusing on short-term technical solutions over longer-term business strategies.
For additional tips and insights on developing a solid vCIO services offering, be sure to check out XaaS Journal’s Virtual CIO Services landing page along with the following articles:
- How to Build the Best vCIO Offering
- Best Practices That Should Be A Part of Every Virtual CIO Offering
- 4 Virtual CIO Services Mistakes You Must Avoid
- Virtual CIOs Must Adapt to the Post-Pandemic World
- The Market for vCIO Services is Growing
- Is Specializing as a Cybersecurity vCIO the Right Move for Your Business?
- Businesses Are Outsourcing IT – Stand Apart with vCIO Services
