Definition:
The CIO (Chief Information Officer) or Chief Information Officer is an executive job title commonly given to the person in a company in charge of the information technology (IT) and computer systems necessary to support a company’s goals and its goals.
In many business organizations, the CIO reports to the ceo and in some companies the CIO has a seat on the executive board. CIOs work closely with their IT staff and recent studies show that there is a benefit to strengthening the CIO-CMO (chief marketing officer) relationship. It is a position that has been gaining a lot of importance over the years and the rise of Information Technologies, currently any important company that wants to make the most of the use of these technologies within the business unit.
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Functions of a CIO
Among the main tasks of a CIO in his job we can highlight:
- Prospection and recommendation of technologies to be used within the company: knowledge is one of the strengths of every CIO, he must be aware of all the novelties that are emerging in terms of information technologies and how to apply it efficiently within the company.
- Create business value through technology: Undoubtedly the ROI is the cornerstone of companies in what economic objectives are concerned, in this sense from the general direction it is understood that investment in technology has to return in the form of economic benefit for the company so the CIO has to know how to make the most of all his economic resources.
- Ensure that the company’s technologies are aligned to achieve the general objectives:the implementation of IT by the CIO requires a perfect knowledge of the operation of the company so that they adapt to the maximum to the needs of the same.
- Personnel management of the IT department:as director of information technology, it is assumed that you have a team in your charge that you must organize and supervise.
- Supervise and approve the acquisition of technology by the company:ultimately, it will be the CIO who must decide whether or not to proceed with the purchase of our technologies by the company, giving the go-ahead to each new acquisition.
- Establish IT policies and standards:implement quality control processes and standards of conduct that involve the use of these technologies.
- Create and approve technology investment budgets:economic and financial skills are required, manage the budget and invest it in those projects that are most profitable for the company.
- Coordination with the rest of the departments:The CIO must be in constant communication with the rest of the departments of the company: Finance, Human Resources, Digital Marketing, Sales…
Requirements to be a CIO
The characteristics of the job require technical training in the field of new technologies, with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer engineering or similar, and a minimum experience of 5 years in an IT department. The growing importance of new technologies in companies has meant that what was originally only a technical profile, today requires greater skills focused on a managerial profile such as organizational, financial or leadership.
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