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Clear agreements,
clear communication
VCIO partnership is part of customer engagement
As vCIO, it's all about customer engagement for us. We become part of the business earlier in the process and are therefore more deeply involved. This brings us closer to you as a customer and enables us to offer you reliable information and IT consultancy.
Part of customer engagement
This is vCIO partnership
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) within a company is an internal IT manager who has many important tasks. As the importance of this function has grown rapidly, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fulfil all the tasks within it. That is where we come in.
VCIO as IT Consultant
As virtual CIO or vCIO, we take on a consultative role to help you achieve better IT results. Together, we look at what works for you. In this way, we really are a part of your business rather than a supplier of your IT products and services. Our 22 specialists bring 20 years of experience to the table, providing you with valuable input. This enables you to make choices that fit your company and business plan. We convert that into a plan. We look at where you are now, where you want to be within a certain period of time and what needs to be done to get there. What that deadline is and how often we sit down with you, we determine on the basis of your company.
What are the benefits of vCIO partnership?
As vCIO, it's all about customer engagement for us. We become part of the business earlier in the process and are therefore more deeply involved. This brings us closer to you as a customer and enables us to offer you reliable information and IT consultancy. And what exactly does that get you?
- Transparency and (budgetary) predictability: we make the necessary tools transparent and arrange everything for you. You get insight into all the services you use. This also makes IT projects more predictable from a budgetary point of view - very handy!
- A clear and concise plan: we make sure you know where to go and how. We make goals manageable, attainable, insightful and above all useful.
- Optimal security: you can rely on a security and technology standard. After all, security is a high priority for us
- Optimal customer experience: apart from the fact that it is clear what you can expect from us and on what term, we find it important that the solution is of high quality. Not a quick fix, but a solution that really helps you.
- A trusted partner: Everything is visibly open, from tickets to schedules and from conditions to endpoints. Together with you, we do an onboarding with a technology and security standard, creating a schedule that suits you. With a trusted partner at the table, you benefit from the IT knowledge and experience you need for the digital transformation
With a reliable partner at the table, you benefit from knowledge
experience and we take you along in the digital transition!
What can you expect from a vCIO?
We want only the best for our customers. That includes the partnership, or rather the commitment we make to you. We understand that for your company there are a number of factors at play when entering into a partnership. You have certain expectations and that is only logical. That is why we would like to explain what expectations we meet, what such a partnership looks like and what we can do for you as vCIO.
Passion for technology
A passion for technology
Clear reporting
Clear reporting and feedback
Clear IT goals
Working with clear IT objectives
Overview of costs
An overview of the costs
What are a SLA and XLA?
Documents with rules and Service Level Agreements (SLA) should make work easier, but in fact they do not. SLA works from control, while XLA works from trust. XLA is a mindset that helps to shift the focus to the end-user experience and to put emotions first. In time, an XLA should replace an SLA. In fact, an XLA should make an SLA redundant. We don't throw our agreements overboard just like that.
What can you expect from Lime Networks as vCIO?
We provide insight into your technique. What do you have, what has been achieved and what are the next steps in the short and long term? Will the goals be achieved or do adjustments need to be made? Where are certain tasks scheduled? There is a lot on your plate, but we are there for you to make it clear and manageable.
Does this appeal to you? Good news: even if you are not yet one of our customers, you can use this service. Contact us to see if we can become your reliable IT partner.
Frequently asked questions about vCIO partnership
The aim is to actually gain productivity. Complaining employees at the coffee machine, a dissatisfied management or an IT manager who does not get around to really important things. That is where the profit lies. The fact that this occasionally costs a little time and attention is more than recouped.
That is what we would like to see. But every organisation is different in services, hardware, software and very different in, for example, the use of a specific service, Microsoft Teams or OneDrive. Also, things like company culture and rules or legislation give a human or sometimes organisational difference which, without attention/engagement, cannot be properly managed with IT. Profit in this respect is sometimes more valuable than an average software package or a simple manual.
When you make a purchase and deliver it, as an IT professional you can send the invoice. However, sometimes there are things that you have not seen before. For example, providing additional information in the form of a manual or a short (online) course in the correct use of the service or software. Also a thank you note with a few questions asking if everything is to your satisfaction can sometimes have surprising results.
In progress. That is what it is all about. We all want perfection, but we must focus on continuous improvement. That 10 is a goal but also an end point. By measuring in dots, stars, numbers or thumbs up, you can determine where you stand and where you can improve. If there is improvement, that is a measurable gain.
We can use our services for IT projects that get stuck, migrations that (threaten to) fail, capacity problems with internal staff or logistical problems. Think of successfully deploying hardware and software at the right time and in the right place. Sometimes you need a little extra help.
The worst thing that can happen to you is that you get smarter or get extra tips. But does your company already have Office 365? Then ask yourself the following question: "Are we using all these solutions the way we should? Quite often, there is no answer to that. Adoption, education goals and plans allow a vCIO to take care of complex issues that are daily work for him/her.
You profit optimally from all the knowledge of the underlying Managed Service Provider. This allows you to strengthen your position in security and sleep peacefully. Matters such as ISO 27001, NDA and a processor's agreement ensure that your company benefits but does not run any (extra) risk in this area.
A stable, high-performance and scalable IT infrastructure is essential for a business. Without a comprehensive and clear strategy, things quickly become complicated when the business starts to grow or when you are faced with situations such as a lockdown. Such a strategy is rather unclear territory for many companies and IT managers.
No, definitely not. An IT manager has many tasks but often too little time. Also, knowledge building can sometimes be difficult or the IT manager is subject to one-sided knowledge building within the framework of your company. We bring diversity of knowledge and experience to the table and help your IT manager where necessary. Cooperation is more the motto. If you do not have an IT manager, we will take on this role if required.
Think of it more as a collaboration and strengthening of knowledge and experience. So we go hand in hand to give you the speed in digital transformation that you deserve.
An XLA helps the IT manager with insight and direct feedback, but also staff with bottlenecks that may not always be obvious, or things that are simply missed in daily IT management. It also allows a manager/board of directors to better put wishes and frustrations on the table outside of daily IT in a natural way. Proactive management, security, continuity, monitoring... it is all useful and necessary. But you also have to deal with people. There is still a great deal of profit to be made in this area.
Moving forward with IT, employees and collaboration. It provides insight into the state of IT and allows you to spot and respond to dissatisfaction or wishes early on.
Above all, gaining insight into how we can give your company and your staff a better experience in IT resources and use. So creating insight, making improvements and above all measuring progress.
Yes, it does. An XLA must eventually replace an SLA. In fact, an XLA should make an SLA redundant. We don't throw our agreements overboard just like that.
That depends on the contract we have agreed together. Our Premium services give you the very highest standard that we offer, for example.
No, that would not be enough. It is a constant improvement to help your business go further and further. It also includes the use of IT resources to achieve business goals. There are sometimes qualitative or quantitative agreements attached to this, but that is not necessary. Just the insight you gain is very valuable in the management of employees, IT and your business.
Organisations are filled with procedures, KPIs and frameworks, but often forget the human experience. Documents with rules and Service Level Agreements (SLA) should make work easier, but actually do not. SLA works from control, while XLA works from trust. XLA is a mindset that helps to shift the focus to the end-user experience and to put emotions first.
eXperience Level Agreement -> IT traditionally focuses on improving processes. XLA is a mindset for (re)designing people-centric IT services and processes.
We use various tools to support you with insight into your current IT, customer satisfaction and planning for the future.
Engage more with your customers. This will lead to more cooperation and a better quality result, with more value for the customer.
An IT supplier is often reactive to customer queries. This can be very useful. However, you see that building up knowledge in IT within companies is often difficult due to tunnel vision on your own company. With an IT partner, you get more help in making important decisions in IT and steering for the medium and long term. You are never alone with a partner.
It is difficult for companies to get the right knowledge in house for IT. As an MSP, you have the knowledge and experience to help customers with difficult IT issues. By sitting down at the table earlier and working together better, you can even advise customers and show them how IT delivers value to your business. We do this in a managed role as vCIO.
A Managed Service Provider (MSP) is a company that remotely manages a customer's IT infrastructure and/or end-user systems, usually on a proactive basis and according to a subscription model.
That we take you through various issues to gain insight into your IT in the short, medium and long term. This can include planning, security, concrete IT solutions, but also goals, how IT will contribute to your growth strategy and knowledge to achieve these goals.
Always in consultation, but we discuss your IT and what IT can add value to your business. In terms of performance, security and continuity, your company needs a vision of where you want to be and how we are going to get there together with you.
A vCIO is the abbreviation for virtual Chief Information Officer.