Why Shared CIO Services Are the Ideal Solution for SMEs and Small Businesses
For SMEs, small businesses, and associations, managing a high-performance IT infrastructure without a complete IT department is a daily challenge. Shared CIO services offer a pragmatic and economical answer to this growing need.
The IT Challenge for Small Organizations
Small and medium-sized enterprises face a paradox: their technological needs continue to grow (cloud, cybersecurity, GDPR compliance, fleet management), but their size doesn't always justify hiring a full-time Chief Information Officer.
💡 The Reality
70% of SMEs report lacking internal IT skills, while the costs of a full-time CIO often exceed €80,000 per year (salary + benefits).
What Is a Shared CIO?
A shared Chief Information Officer (or outsourced CIO) is a service that provides a company with the expertise of an experienced CIO and a technical team, part-time or on-demand, for a fraction of the cost of hiring.
Concretely, this means:
- A single point of contact who understands your business needs
- A technical team available when you need them
- An IT strategy adapted to your growth
- Responsive support for your users
- Professional tools (ABM, Intune, M365) without initial investment
5 Reasons to Choose a Shared CIO
1. Cost Control
For a company with 20 to 50 employees, a shared CIO typically costs 3 to 5 times less than an internal hire, while offering a superior level of expertise.
Annual cost comparison:
- 💰 Full-time CIO: €80,000 - €100,000 (salary + benefits + tools)
- ✅ Shared CIO: €15,000 - €35,000 depending on needs
2. Immediate and Extensive Expertise
With a shared CIO, you instantly access:
- A multidisciplinary team (developers, cloud experts, security specialists)
- Permanent technology watch
- Certifications on key technologies (Azure, M365, GDPR)
- Multi-sector experience (healthcare, manufacturing, associations)
Impossible to find all these skills in a single internal CIO, especially in a context of IT talent shortage.
3. Flexibility and Scalability
Your IT needs evolve? Your shared CIO adapts:
- 📈 During growth: progressive scaling without recruitment
- 🔄 One-off project: mobilization of specific experts (cloud migration, GDPR compliance)
- 📉 Quiet period: service reduction without layoffs
This agility is particularly valuable for SMEs in scale-up phase or with seasonal activity.
4. Professional Fleet Management (5 to 250 Devices)
We manage daily fleets of 5 to 250 devices (Mac, PC, smartphones, tablets) with professional tools:
- Apple Business Manager (ABM): simplified deployment of Macs and iPhones
- Microsoft Intune: centralized PC and Android management
- Microsoft 365: productivity and collaboration
- Pureview: data governance and compliance
✅ Concrete benefits
- • New employee deployment: 30 minutes (vs 3-4h manually)
- • Security update: automatic across all devices
- • User support: remote resolution in minutes
5. Focus on Your Core Business
By delegating your IT to experts, your teams can concentrate on what they do best: growing your business, satisfying your customers, innovating.
No more need to:
- ❌ Manage IT emergencies
- ❌ Understand technical jargon from service providers
- ❌ Choose between 10 solutions without expertise
- ❌ Train internal staff on complex topics
Who Is Shared CIO Right For?
Ideal Company Profiles
🏢 Growing SMEs
20-100 employees, need for scalable infrastructure, digitalization projects
🏛️ Associations
Local or national, budget constraints, need for GDPR compliance
🏥 Market Access Agencies
Sensitive data management, HDS/GDPR compliance, secure infrastructure
🏭 Manufacturing
Sports mechanics, manufacturing, need for robust infrastructure
How Does It Work at Ethan Consulting?
Our 4-Step Methodology
- Initial Audit (Free)
Analysis of your existing infrastructure, identification of needs and risks. Duration: 1-2 days.
- Personalized Proposal
IT roadmap, transparent budget, intervention schedule. You choose the level of commitment.
- Implementation
Deployment of tools (ABM, Intune, M365), migration if necessary, team training.
- Ongoing Support
User support, proactive maintenance, strategic advice, evolution according to your needs.
Our Commitments
- 📞 Availability: 2-hour response time for critical incidents
- 🎯 Transparency: Monthly activity reporting and key indicators
- 🔒 Security: GDPR compliance, automatic backups, 24/7 monitoring
- 📈 Scalability: Infrastructure that grows with you
Client Testimonial
"Before Ethan Consulting, we were losing 2-3 hours per week on IT issues. Today, our fleet of 35 Macs is managed end-to-end via ABM, updates happen automatically, and in case of problems, support intervenes remotely within minutes. The return on investment was immediate."
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a shared CIO cost?
It depends on the size of your fleet and your needs. For an SME of 20-50 people, expect between €1,500 and €3,000 excl. tax/month, 3 to 5 times cheaper than a full-time CIO.
Do I keep control of my IT?
Absolutely. We are your technical right-hand, but you keep all strategic decisions. You can also bring your IT back in-house at any time (we facilitate transitions).
What is the minimum commitment period?
We offer flexible contracts starting from 6 months. No surprises: you can reduce or increase the service level with 1 month's notice.
What if I already have an IT service provider?
We can work complementarily (we take the strategic CIO role, your provider remains on level 1 support) or take over complete management.
Conclusion: IT Finally Serene for SMEs
Shared CIO is not just about costs: it's a strategic partnership that allows SMEs, small businesses, and associations to benefit from enterprise-level IT expertise, without the constraints and costs of hiring.
With 10 years of experience managing infrastructures (from 5 to 250 devices), our team of 7 experts masters the entire chain: from initial audit to daily management through strategic projects (cloud migration, GDPR compliance, cybersecurity).