What does a Chief Information Officer CIO do
In the past theChief information officerwas merely seen as a manager who was appointed to make sure that the company had information technology systems working at the lowest cost. Information technology was not seen as part of the business process. This has now changed significantly as information technology is now viewed as a necessary resource for any company. The increased use of computers has redefined the role of the Chief information officer to the extent that they are now viewed as playing a vital role in the operations of the company. This has meant that chief information officers now have an increased role to play in the company.
1. The first role of the CIO is to make craft policies that effectively and efficiently deliver value to the company. Whereas previously the thrust was on cutting the costs by adopting technology this has now changed as companies attempt to design technology that can give it an advantage on the market place. The CIO must craft policies that support business improvement using Information technology instruments. A CIO who is working for an airline for example must design ways to improve the airline business by using information technology. This could include setting up an online booking website and electronic distributions of flight schedules.
2. The CIO must ensure that the information technology resources of a company are working every time. Network availability and level of services are key factors that will be used to judge a CIO. So the key challenge is to ensure that all workers in the company are happy with the level of service that is being offered by the Information technology department.
3. With the rapid growth of technology it is essential that the CIO develops useful applications that can be used to grow the company to grow the business. This might be in the form of useful applications. A CIO of a bank would be expected to come up with useful applications that make banking much easier and a CIO of a retail company will expected to develop products that make shopping a more enjoyable experience. So the CIO has now become a change agent in the organization.
4. Another important role that a CIO must be involved in is the recruitment and management of information technology staff .Technology is fast changing so it is the responsibility of the CIO to hire people who are capable of producing the desired results. There are also difficult choice that have to be taken by the CIO about the whether to employ someone on a full time basis or hiring consultants. All these decisions will need an explanation during meetings or when a company is struggling. The wrong choice of selection can easily cost the CIO their job.
5. A cost benefit analysis is also an important role played by the CIO. The ability to measure and manage the IT resources is crucial. The CIO must be able to deduce whether the company is actually benefiting from technology as compared to the level of injection of cash that the company is pouring in. So time and again the CIO must put into place measures and performance benchmarks that can measure the progress that has been achieved.
6. The CIO must ensure that the whole company notices and appreciates the role of technology. This then makes it much easier for them to be accepted as part of senior management. The CIO must make and convince colleagues about how useful technology can actually change the fortunes of a company.
All these roles of the chief information officer require a person who is mature, innovative, hardworking and has good communication skills to sell a product. With the emergence of the increased use of the internet there will be a lot of room for more companies to hire a chief information officer.
