For most small to medium size companies, its not feasible to employ a dedicated CIO. In many cases these responsibilities fall on the shoulders of the CEO, or the community leader and that distracts leaders from focusing on the key interests of the organization. There is, however, an alternative: the virtual or remote CIO. Provided by a knowledgeable partner, a virtual CIO can help you plan and manage the deployment, support and design of your IT systems and even assist with purchasing and vendor management.