
The chief technology officer focuses on creating and using technology in order to help the business grow – typically improving offerings that the company’s customers purchase with the help of new technologies. Management and communication skills are also essential: a CIO can oversee dozens of IT employees and a variety of IT teams, and the CIO must also be able to communicate needs and strategies with other executives and department managers.
Collaborating with ISPs and vendors to drive productivityįor a CIO to be successful in the role, general knowledge of a wide variety of technology is essential, though a CIO can’t be expected to have expert knowledge of every system. Focusing on the requirements of internal employees and internal business units. Aligning and deploying technology to streamline business processes. Overseeing IT operations and departments. Some responsibilities of a CIO include, but are certainly not limited to: For example, if a business unit seeks technology to digitize, improve, or even automate processes, the CIO is responsible for managing these processes, even if a specific IT team performs the actual implementation. IT traditionally has a nebulous reputation with other business units – so it is the role of the CIO to improve the image and reputation of IT services within the company.īut the CIO isn’t only tech-focused: a good CIO integrates the entire IT department with other business units, so knowledge of the common as a whole is imperative. The CIO can be seen as the ultimate cheerleader for all in-house technology and digital processes. The explicit impact of a CIO can be determined with a variety of metrics, though improving the company’s bottom line is a must. The CIO is responsible for managing and ensuring ongoing operations, mission critical systems, and overall security, from help desks and enterprise systems to service delivery and program management. Short for chief information officer, the overall role of the CIO is ensuring business processes run efficiently, with a goal of promoting the productivity of individual employees and business units as a whole. Let’s take a look at the difference between CIO and CTO roles as well as whether your company should employ one or both. So, what is the difference between these two roles? How does one focus on technology while the other focuses on information?Ī simple distinction is that the CIO typically looks inward, aiming to improve processes within the company, while the CTO looks outward, using technology to improve or innovate products that serve the customers. As technology has become imperative to businesses large and small, two executive-level roles have become standard:īut the distinction between the two can be confusing, as “information” and “technology” typically go hand-in-hand.