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Fractional CIO
CIO as a Service (CIOaaS)
Every organization is a digital organization, and every organization needs a leader who is knowledgeable and skilled at setting information strategy and policy. For growing organizations that aren’t large enough to justify adding a full-time Chief Information Officer (CIO) position to the leadership team, Aerie Partners provides CIO expertise on a fractional basis; you don’t need a full-time CIO to get the insights and strategic leadership a CIO provides.
A Fractional CIO can also help during leadership transitions by acting as an Interim CIO. Unlike an IT manager or IT director, a Fractional CIO sits in the executive suite reporting directly to the CEO to provide a strategic business perspective of how your organization uses technology.
We are able to work with you and scale up or down as needed. Let’s talk and see how a Fractional CIO can help you meet your strategic objectives.
Benefits
What we do
Outcomes
Cost Effective
A Fractional CIO allows your organization to have the the same expertise and capabilities of a CIO without committing to a expense of a full-time CIO. Further, we can scale up or down to meet your needs. For example, you may need a .2 FTE fractional CIO most of the time, but scale up to .5 FTE while a major strategic technology initiative is underway, or even to a full FTE to get through an unexpected vacancy on your executive leadership team.
A Fractional CIO will ensure that your organization has an IT Strategy that aligns with its mission and/or business strategy. The costs associated with a Fractional CIO can be limited in duration which provides budget flexibility. If you find that funds can be better invested in other areas, a Fractional CIO engagement can be easily modified or terminated so you can make strategic pivots.
When compared to the cost of unaligned technology or bad technology related decisions, a Fractional CIO is a very cost effective way to increase the value you organization is able to realize from its technology investments.
Agility
A Fractional CIO provides your organization with agility. You can engage Aerie Partners for Fractional CIO services much more quickly than conducting an executive search. This is useful when a quick strategic pivot is necessary, or when unexpected events require a quick response. Fractional CIO services can be tailored to your organization’s unique requirements and easily changed when your needs change. Engagement can be for a set period of time, or ongoing.
Experience
A Fractional CIO brings broad technology leadership expertise. This can be leveraged on an ongoing basis, or in conjunction with a major initiative, such as integrating technology as part of an acquisition, or a major system deployment. Our experience working with many vendors is another way that a Fractional CIO can benefit your organization.
Independent Point of View
A Fractional CIO is an unbiased independent executive leader who brings a fresh perspective to your organization. This perspective is the result of extensive experience with many organizations in different industries. Having someone who’s point of view isn’t shaped by extensive history with your organization brings new opportunities.
Needs Assessment
Fractional CIO / CIOaaS services are customized to each organization’s unique needs. Aerie Partners will engage with your leadership team to identify the desired outcomes and determine the scope and scale of the services required. This will be memorialized in a Statement of Work (SOW) that specifies the ongoing commitment of all parties, the duration of the services, and details about the role the Fractional CIO will play, e.g., as a Trusted Advisor, an accountable member of the senior leadership team, or a limited focus on a specific initiative.
Service Delivery
Once all parties agree on the details in the SOW, Aerie Partners will execute according to the plan. Regular check-ins with the senior executive sponsor will ensure that outcomes are achieved and any needed course corrections will occur quickly. Depending on your needs, a Fractional CIO engagement can take on many different shapes:
- 10 – 15 hours per month (.1 FTE) provides sufficient time to participate in leadership meetings, review outcomes, and make recommendations.
- 24 hours per month (.2 FTE) provides the benefits listed about and allows for additional time to do deep dives, for example, to keep a major IT initiative on track.
- 80 hours per month (.5 FTE) might be warranted when there is the need to rescue a major initiative that is at risk of not meeting the expected goals.
- 160 hours per month (1 FTE) can fill an unexpected gap on your leadership team, for example, from the sudden departure of a full-time CIO.
In all of the examples given above, the duration of the engagement can scale from one month to ongoing.
Related Services
Other related services include assisting with recruitment of a full time CIO or other senior IT leader, and coaching of new technology leaders.
Your goals are Aerie Partners’ goals. We are not successful unless you are successful. Your desired outcomes will be identified in the initial assessment and regular check-ins with senior leadership will ensure that we stay on track to achieve those outcomes. Desired outcomes can include: