CIOs are viewed as key contributors to formulating organizational goals as the storage, transmittal and analysis of electronic information grows in importance across industries. As a result of their increased strategic responsibilities, CIOs in large organizations typically delegate the oversight of day-to-day IT operations to a technology deputy and rely on a team of specialists to manage specific areas of IT. The role of the CIO continues to rapidly evolve as organizations become more digital.

The chief information officer at one organization could have an entirely different set of responsibilities from the CIO down the street. A very high-level definition describes CIO as “a job title commonly given to the person in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals.” It is the CIO’s job to innovate, collaborate, balance the IT budget and motivate IT staff.