Chief Information Officers

Serving Chief Information Officers (CIOs), other IT leaders, as well as the ecosystem that surrounds and interacts with them, CIO.com, CIO Executive Programs, CIO Strategic Marketing Services and CIO magazine are produced by CXO Media, an award-winning business unit of IDG Enterprise

The award-winning CIO Strategic Marketing Services leverages the strength of the CIO brand to provide new and unique information resources for IT marketers to communicate with customers. Extend the value and reach of your advertising message with in-depth, content-rich vehicles in an integrated program of print, online, events and collateral tailored to meet your objectives. CIOs and CDIOs play an important role in businesses that use technology and data because they provide a critical interface between the business needs, user needs, and the information and communication technology (ICT) used in the work.

In recent years it has become increasingly understood that knowledge limited to just business or just IT is not sufficient for success in this role. Instead, CIOs need both kinds of knowledge to manage IT resources and to manage and plan “ICT, including policy and practice development, planning, budgeting, resourcing and training. Additionally, CIOs are playing an increasingly important role in helping to control costs and increase profits via the use of ICT, and to limit potential organisational damage by setting up appropriate IT controls and planning for IT recovery from possible disasters.

The chief information officer of an organization is responsible for several business functions. First and most importantly, the CIO must fulfill the role of a business leader.^[7] The CIO makes executive decisions regarding matters such as the purchase of IT equipment from suppliers or the creation of new IT systems. Also as a business leader, the CIO is responsible for leading and directing the workforce of their specific organisation. A CIO is typically “required to have strong organizational skills.”^[8] This is particularly relevant for the chief information officer of an organization who must balance roles and responsibilities in order to gain a competitive advantage, whilst keeping the best interests of the organisation’s employees in mind. CIOs also have the responsibility of recruiting, so it is important that they work proactively to source and nurture the best employees possible.