Cheif Information Officer

Chief Information Officer

The chief information officer (CIO) is a job title for the board-level head of information technology within an organization. The CIO typically reports to the chief operations officer or the chief executive officer. In military organizations, they report to the commanding officer. The prominence of the CIO position has risen greatly as information technology has become a more important part of business. In some organizations, the CIO may be a member of the executive board of the organization.

No specific qualification is typical of CIOs in general. In the past, many have expertise in computer science, software engineering, or information systems, but this is not universal. Increasingly CIOs, especially those from a technical background, hold Master of Business Administration or Master of Science in Management degrees. More recently CIOs' leadership capabilities, business acumen and strategic perspectives have taken precedence over technical skills. It is now quite common for CIOs to be appointed from the business side of the organization, especially if they have project management skills.

The CIO role is also sometimes used interchangeably with the chief technology officer role, although they may be slightly different. When both positions are present in an organization, the CIO is generally responsible for processes and practices supporting the flow of information, whereas the CTO is generally responsible for technology infrastructure.

As information technology and systems have become more important, the CIO has come to be viewed in many organizations as a key contributor in formulating strategic goals. Typically, the CIO in a large enterprise delegates technical decisions to employees more familiar with details. Usually, a CIO proposes the information technology an enterprise will need to achieve its goals and then works within a budget to implement the plan. Typically, a CIO is involved with analyzing and reworking existing business...