Business Process Solutions

Virtual IT Officer

“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been,”
- Henry Kissinger.

If you are frustrated that your IT Department seems to be in the same place as they have been for years (e.g. crisis mode, laggards in technology, unresponsive to changing business requirements, etc.), then OST can help. At OST we recognize that IT Leadership comes in many different forms and OST has the right IT Leadership for your company. We have professionals with CIO, CTO, IT Director, IT Manager, and Project Manager experiences ready to help your company.

Finding the right leader is critical and should not be taken lightly. John Wooden is quoted as saying, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” OST can provide quick response and seasoned IT Leadership with our Virtual IT Officer service while you take your time to find that permanent IT Leadership.

The purpose of our Virtual IT Officer (VITO) service is to bring executive IT leadership to companies who...

• Have complex IT issues, but not the seasoned IT Leadership to address / oversee them
• Are in transition between the old & new IT leadership
• Have grown in IT requirements but can’t afford a full time IT Executive, yet
• Need a “business / process–focused” liaison between the technical & executive management teams
• Need to create extra value for your Supply Chains (e.g. Customers & Suppliers) through Information Systems

Today’s CIO spends over 60% of their time with:

• Relationship Management with Business Leaders / Departments
• Strategy Issues with Company Executives
• Relationship Management with IT Partners & IT Staff
• Addressing IT Governance Issues

Source: Information Week, November 19, 2007

OST VITO examples

Additional capabilities and experiences OST can bring to the VITO role for your business

Strategic IT officer capabilities

• Create three–year IT Plan that Supports the Business Strategic Plan
• Create a detailed Capital Budget
• Participate in Executive Meetings and provide input / feedback on relevant business and technology related topics

Tactical IT officer capabilities

• Provide Project Management expertise to manage the largest and most important IT projects
• Provide Temporary Executive Leadership when either the workload is above the peak capacities or an unexpected turnover situation has occurred and your business requires continuity of projects while a permanent replacement is found
• Lead or assist with ITIL Roll–out across the IT area

IT personnel experience

• Assess and Design an effective IT Organizational Structure
• Perform Technical Staff Assessments and Evaluations including developing training & mentoring programs
• Assist with the Recruiting, Interviewing, and Hiring of all IT positions

IT vendor relationships

• Manage and Evaluate IT Suppliers based on quality of performance, responsiveness, cost, and value provided to the organization
• Establish dependable Contract Resources to assist with niche projects or overload situations that require a temporary increase in IT staffing
• Create and communicate a process for selecting future IT providers including qualifications, deliverables, methodologies, and shared risks/rewards

Business process/IT liaison

• Function as the Liaison between Executive Sr. Management and the IT Department by working closely with the Department Managers
• Focus on enabling the Business Process with technology
• Provide 20+ years of experience & examples to streamlining & improving the Business Process
• Where appropriate, assist with Designing the technical solution to handle the business requirements

System requirements gathering & selection studies

• Ensure the Business Requirements are documented & prioritized and communicated to potential IT Solution providers in a way that they are easily measureable
• Provide Input during the System & IT Provider Evaluation process
• Assist with Vendor Negotiations and Contract signing

Ensuring IT governance

• Establishing security policies and controls
• Reviewing system controls related to system integration and external reporting
• Testing normal backup & recovery plans as well creating disaster recovery & business continuity plans