The ACT Virtual CIO Program

According to PC Magazine, the Chief Information Officer, or CIO, is defined as: the executive officer in charge of information processing in an organization.

All systems design, development and datacenter operations fall under CIO jurisdiction. CIOs have demanding jobs as information systems in an organization are often taken for granted until something breaks down.

Information technology and its systems have become so important that the CIO has come to be viewed in many organizations as the key contributor in formulating strategic goals for an organization. The CIO manages the implementation of the useful technology to increase information accessibility and integrated systems management. As a comparison, where the CIO adapts systems through the use of existing technologies, chief technology officer develops new technologies to expand corporate technological capabilities. When both positions are present in an organization, the CIO is generally responsible for processes and practices supporting the flow of information, whereas the CTO is generally responsible for technology infrastructure.

Virtual CIO (or Fractional CIO’s) differ from traditional CIO’s in that they serve as a working member of a company’s executive management team as a contractor and may-or-may-not serve on the company’s board of directors. They use portfolio management skills as a way to align the company’s information technology strategy and spending with the overall business objectives of the company.

A Virtual CIO or “CIO on-demand” is an experienced, multi-faceted professional who serves as the part-time chief information officer of a small or medium-sized business that otherwise could not afford or would not need a full time executive to hold the position of chief information officer. The key business benefit of retaining a fractional CIO is that they provide the same expertise and capability of a full-time CIO without the associated level of overhead and benefits associated with adding another top level executive. Care, however, must be taken to ensure the skills of the fractional CIO align primarily with the needs of the business, and not weighted with technical expertise in order to achieve the best results.

A Virtual CIO typically serves several companies and may-or-may-not engage in the day-to-day management of a company’s IT staff or other resources.

Our services include IT strategic planning, business application development and deployment, and IT infrastructure deployment. For all these services we would first help you develop a set of metrics to ensure that you have ways to measure their effectiveness on an on-going basis.

Compliance and Security for Your Business

Does your business have security policies in-place that that protect confidential data?

Does your IT department have a WISP (Written Information Security Plan) that governs how and where sensitive data is accessed and controlled?

Are you in compliance with all state regulations as well as industry and federal compliance rules?

Do you need to meet PCI or HIPAA Compliance initiatives?

Do you know where to start?

ACT Network Solution’s experienced staff will work with your organization to create a base set of security policies that decreases the liability for your organization. The process is not expensive to your organization, consisting of interviews with stakeholders and a brief interactive review process.

Key areas covered in the interview process:

• Vetting overall business requirements and concerns
• Identifying key areas of risk
• Classifying confidential data types and establishment of related processes/procedures
• HR and training policies
• IT systems and policies

The deliverables:

• Solid, well developed security policies that allow your staff to continually tailor content as the business evolves
• Assessment results and recommendations that aid you in reaching your compliance initiatives
• Forms that assist in training and adoption of the policies within your organization
• Recommendations and optional assistance in the implementation and adoption of the policies. (i.e. corporate communication, ownership, logging, and achieving employee acceptance to ensure policies become living practices integrated into daily workflow)