How to Fire Your CIO without Hurting Your Business
Let’s be honest – not every person you hire is going to be the perfect fit for your organization. Personalities can clash, resources might shift, sometimes people simply don’t live up to expectations. It’s bound to happen. But it may get a little trickier when things aren’t working out with your Chief Information Officer, who holds the keys to the IT castle. How do you fire your CIO without hurting your business?
If you’re looking to part ways with your IT lead but are nervous about how to keep your business safe, here are a few things to consider before you fire your CIO.
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Get Access to All Passwords
It’s critical to make sure you have access to all system passwords before you fire your CIO. This should be the case at any point in time. But, it’s even more important if you’re preparing to let go of the person responsible for maintaining this list.
Even if a list of passwords exists, confirm that they are up to date. Don’t forget to collect login information for:
- All system, devices and application passwords
- Any passwords to online applications
- Any passwords for websites for IT vendors or used for IT purchases
- Company domain DNS or registrar information website
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Get Access to All Vendor Contracts
In addition to getting access to all system passwords, make sure to secure current copies of all IT-related vendor contracts before you fire your CIO. This will ensure you know which companies are providing IT services and help you understand key relationships.
Contracts to secure include:
- Support agreements
- Third-party contracts
- Contracts for line-of-business software
- Cloud hosting contracts
- IT service provider partner contracts
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Explore Replacement Options
After contracts and passwords are secured, it’s time to think about replacement options if you’re planning to fire your CIO. But before reposting the existing job listing, we suggest taking the time to explore whether there are any other options that may work better for your business.
Hiring a C-suite executive with a high salary and benefits may – or may not – be the optimal solution. Perhaps working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to provide fully managed services or co-managed services instead might be a more productive and/or cost-effective choice.
If you’re in a position where you want to fire your CIO, we recommend having an exploratory conversation with an MSP. They can review your existing IT infrastructure and offer advice for replacing the CIO. They also may be able to fill short-term IT needs until the transitioning CIO function is addressed.
If you’ve decided you want to fire your CIO, contact us today. We’d be happy to help you protect your business, strategically address the issue and plan for the future.
