vCIO CISO and CTO

What is a vCIO?

Otherwise known as a Virtual Chief Information Officer, they’re an external IT expert that provides the business with ongoing IT operations and infrastructure management on a flexible ad-hoc basis.

What is a vCISO?

A vCISO works closely with the IT security and legal departments and is ultimately responsible for the security of the organisation’s data, systems and networks.

What is “v”?

V – meaning virtual, represents remote and up to 10% weekly hours of consultancy. In some organizations, remote IT professionals can achieve 90-100% performance of a regular on-site consultancy. But in some industries, such as manufacturing, partial on-site existence is needed for CIO and CSIO.

Part-Time vs Full-Time CIO and CSIO Services

A full time CIO and CSIO salary ranges from $165k to $270k in Canada (data from Economic Research Institute, Payscale and Glass Door). Although there is available resources and amount of work to justify those roles in enterprises, it is almost impossible to justify and finance a full time role even for medium size businesses.
A part time CIO and CSIO is still available to handle whatever issue may arise. The needs of the client still come first and being on the same page is of the utmost importance.
A part time CIO and CSIO gives a business owner access to expertise at the highest level without the commitment of a full-time salary.

Virtual

1-4 hours/week
Advisory leadership up to 10%

Part-Time

1-3 days/week
Where full time dedication is not necessary or affordable, up to 60%

Temporary

4-6 days/week
Full-time during an unplanned or forced vacancy

Why the IT Break/Fix-it Model Is Not Working for Some Organizations?

The break/fix-it model used to be a popular option for SMBs (small and medium-sized business) who were looking for a quick and hassle-free way to fix their IT problems when hardware would break down. However, over time, IT systems have becoming increasingly more complex and interconnected with other facets of business.
The break/fix-it model fails to acknowledge this changing nature of the industry, as it does not offer any continued IT involvement or ongoing support – leaving companies susceptible to further breakdowns at any time. Today, IT problems are more holistic and require faster response times.
Clients expect that their IT service provider knows the clients’ business and will manage and implement the IT infrastructure accordingly. Service providers expect that the clients will tell them the problems, and they will fix the problems they are told to. This causes a big gap for the clients’ operations, which may end up with critical problems.
A valid example is cyber security. Break\fix model fixes problems, only after things break. Managing cyber security with this model is an acceptance to lose data and manufacturing due to outages and closure of all operations up to 2 weeks.

1. Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) – Strategic IT Leadership

  • Service: Provides executive-level IT strategy, budgeting, and technology roadmaps for SMBs that lack an in-house CIO.
  • Implementation:
    • Align IT investments with business goals.
    • Conduct quarterly reviews, risk assessments, and cost optimization.
    • Vendor management and procurement oversight.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • IT governance frameworks (COBIT, ITIL).
    • Financial planning tools (QuickBooks, BrightGauge).
    • Project management (Asana, Trello).

2. Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) – Cybersecurity Leadership

  • Service: Delivers enterprise-grade security strategy, compliance, and risk management for businesses without a dedicated CISO.
  • Implementation:
    • Develop and enforce security policies (GDPR, HIPAA, NIST).
    • Oversee incident response planning and regulatory audits.
    • Conduct security awareness training for executives.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • Compliance platforms (Drata, Vanta).
    • SIEM tools (Splunk, AlienVault).
    • Risk assessment tools (Qualys, Rapid7).

3. Virtual Chief Technology Officer (vCTO) – Innovation & Digital Transformation

  • Service: Guides technology adoption, cloud migration, and digital transformation for growing businesses.
  • Implementation:
    • Evaluate emerging tech (AI, IoT, automation).
    • Optimize cloud architecture (AWS, Azure, hybrid setups).
    • Lead software development and DevOps strategies.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • Cloud platforms (AWS Well-Architected Tool, Azure Advisor).
    • Agile/DevOps tools (Jira, GitHub, Docker).

4. Compliance & Governance Advisory

  • Service: Ensures adherence to industry regulations (PCI-DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001) through policy development and audits.
  • Implementation:
    • Gap analysis and remediation planning.
    • Employee training on compliance requirements.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • GRC platforms (LogicGate, OneTrust).
    • Audit management tools (AuditBoard).

5. Technology Budgeting & Cost Optimization

  • Service: Identifies cost-saving opportunities in IT infrastructure, software licensing, and cloud spend.
  • Implementation:
    • Analyze current IT expenditures.
    • Recommend scalable, cost-efficient solutions.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • Cloud cost management (AWS Cost Explorer, CloudHealth).
    • IT asset management (Lansweeper, ServiceNow).

6. Board-Level Reporting & Risk Communication

  • Service: Translates technical risks into business terms for executives and stakeholders.
  • Implementation:
    • Monthly/quarterly reports on IT performance and threats.
    • Cybersecurity posture dashboards.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • Data visualization (Power BI, Tableau).
    • Risk scoring frameworks (FAIR, NIST CSF).

7. Vendor & Contract Management

  • Service: Manages relationships with MSPs, cloud providers, and cybersecurity vendors.
  • Implementation:
    • Negotiate SLAs and contracts.
    • Oversee third-party risk assessments.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • Vendor risk platforms (BitSight, SecurityScorecard).

8. Incident Response Leadership (On-Demand)

  • Service: Acts as the executive lead during cyber incidents, ensuring compliance with legal/regulatory requirements.
  • Implementation:
    • Coordinate breach response and communication.
    • Post-incident reviews and improvements.
  • Tools/Technologies:
    • Incident management (PagerDuty, IBM Resilient). 

Why Choose Koza’s Virtual Executive Services?

✅ Cost-Effective: Fraction of the cost of a full-time executive.
✅ Strategic Focus: Aligns technology with business growth.
✅ Risk Reduction: Proactive security and compliance oversight.
✅ Flexible Engagement: Scalable from advisory to hands-on leadership.

Overview of Koza’s experience

Founded in 2005 by electronics and computer engineers, Koza IT – Cyber Security Services has been helping small to medium size businesses, associations, not for profits, government departments and global enterprises to lower their IT Infrastructure support, application support, and portfolio costs while boosting cyber security, business continuity, and performance.
Owner of Koza, Ken A. Hoca assists small to medium size businesses and Not-for-profits as a part-time Chief Information Officer and IT Systems Architect. He has been in the IT world for 27 years, after graduation B.Sc. Electronics Engineering with major on Computer Control Systems in 1995. His degree involves robotics including CNC machines and AI, making him a top of the line IT consultant for manufacturing and related industries.
His project portfolio spans 3 continents North America-Europe-Asia, including global corporations based in New York City and Chicago. He has saved over US$15 million to enterprises and SMBs.

Our service area covers all Ottawa including Stittsville, Orleans, Nepean, Barrhaven, Manotick, Carlton, Westboro, Byward Market, Vanier, Merivale, Bells Corners. We supply on-site services for clients at Arnprior, Calabogie, Pembroke, Carleton Place, Smiths Falls, Perth, Kemptville, Merrickville, Prescott, Brockville, Rockland, Hawkesbury, Casselman, Cornwall.