Reactive, Not Proactive
Break‑fix support responds to incidents after they occur rather than preventing them through planning and governance. This can result in repeated outages, security gaps, and staff time lost to avoidable issues.
Should Your Strata Company Have a More Strategic Approach to IT?
Most strata companies rely on break‑fix IT support that keeps systems running but offers little direction on security, compliance, growth, or technology investment. As portfolios grow and regulatory expectations increase, that reactive model can leave strata managers exposed to cyber risk, inefficient spending, and missed opportunities to use technology as an enabler. This is where a virtual CIO (vCIO) steps in to help companies move beyond generic IT support to a more strategic, business‑aligned approach.
The Limits of Generic IT Support
Generic IT support is typically focused on keeping email, devices, and servers working, and resolving issues as they arise. While this is essential, it does not provide a view of how technology supports your portfolio growth, compliance obligations, or risk profile, and it often leads to ad‑hoc spending and fragmented systems. For strata companies managing multiple schemes and sensitive owner data, that lack of strategy can create hidden operational and security risks.
No Alignment with Business Goals
Generic IT support rarely connects technology decisions to your portfolio strategy, scheme acquisitions, or regulatory changes. This often leads to your IT investments misaligning with what the business is trying to achieve.
Limited Visibility of Risk and Spend
Without a strategic view, it is difficult to understand your true cyber risk, where technology spend is going, or which systems are critical to your operations. This makes it harder to justify investment or prioritise improvements to boards and committees.
What a vCIO Adds
Microsolve’s vCIO service provides executive‑level IT guidance without the cost of a full‑time hire, giving strata companies a clear technology roadmap, budget planning, and security strategy aligned to business goals. The vCIO works alongside your existing IT support to ensure that day‑to‑day operations are underpinned by a coherent plan that addresses compliance, growth, and risk. This shifts IT from a cost centre to a strategic capability that supports your portfolio and governance obligations.
Technology Roadmaps
The vCIO develops a multi‑year technology roadmap that outlines key initiatives, dependencies, and investment priorities across infrastructure, security, and business systems. This gives leadership a clear view of where IT is heading & why.
Budget Planning and Forecasting
IT spend is planned and forecast in line with your portfolio growth and risk profile, so you can budget confidently and avoid surprise capital outlays. The vCIO helps prioritise initiatives that deliver the most value for your strata company.
Board-Ready Reporting
The vCIO provides clear, non‑technical reporting for boards and executives on IT risk, performance, and investment, so leadership can make informed decisions. This elevates IT from an operational topic to a strategic discussion.
Vendor Management and Coordination
The vCIO acts as a single point of strategic oversight across your technology vendors, from practice management systems to network and cloud providers. This reduces finger‑pointing and ensures that vendors work towards a shared plan.
Security and Compliance Strategy
The vCIO aligns security controls, policies, and training with your regulatory obligations and risk appetite, and ensures that IT decisions support your compliance posture. This is particularly important for strata companies handling large volumes of personal and financial data.
How Microsolve Delivers vCIO for Strata
We understand that a vCIO is not a one-size-fits-all generic advisory service. Microsolve tailors the vCIO engagement to the realities of strata management, including multi‑scheme operations, committee governance, and regulatory expectations. From there, we dive further into understanding your current IT environment, business objectives, and pain points, to then build a vCIO engagement that provides practical, actionable guidance best suited to your organisation.
Discovery and current‑state review
We review your existing IT environment, support arrangements, security posture, and technology spend, and speak with leadership and key staff to understand strategic priorities and pain points. This forms the basis for a targeted vCIO engagement.
Roadmap and governance design
The vCIO develops a technology roadmap, budget plan, and governance framework that align IT with your portfolio strategy, compliance obligations, and risk profile. We define key initiatives, timelines, and ownership so execution is clear.
Ongoing advisory and reporting
The vCIO provides regular reviews, vendor oversight, and board‑ready reporting so IT remains aligned with business changes and emerging risks. This includes support for major projects, security incidents, and strategic decisions as they arise.
How do I know if a vCIO is right for me?
Great question! Ask yourself if you feel like your approach to IT is strategic or more of an afterthought (or headache!) If you fall into the latter category or want to change up your strategy, book a consultation with Microsolve and see where you could go from here.
Frequently asked questions
What is a vCIO and how is it different from regular IT support?
A vCIO provides strategic IT leadership, including technology roadmaps, budget planning, and security strategy, rather than just fixing day‑to‑day issues. Regular IT support keeps systems running and a vCIO ensures they are aligned with your business goals and risk profile.
Do we need a vCIO if we already have an IT support provider?
Many strata companies keep their existing IT support for operational issues and engage a vCIO for strategy, governance, and vendor oversight. The vCIO works alongside your support provider to ensure everything fits a coherent plan.
How does a vCIO help with compliance and security?
The vCIO aligns your security controls, policies, and training with regulatory obligations and risk appetite, and ensures that IT decisions support your compliance posture. This reduces the chance of gaps that could lead to breaches or regulatory issues.
Is a vCIO suitable for smaller strata companies?
Yes. A vCIO is designed for organisations that need strategic IT guidance but do not require or cannot justify a full‑time CIO. The engagement can be scaled to your portfolio size and complexity.
What does a vCIO engagement look like in practice?
Typically, the vCIO meets with leadership periodically, provides a technology roadmap and budget plan, oversees key vendors, and delivers board‑ready reporting on IT risk and performance. The exact cadence and scope are tailored to your needs.