The Value of the CIO
by: Mack Jackson Jr
The Value of the CIO
Back in the day, as a software consultant, the IT manager of an organization was managed by the CFO or the accounting department who managed and overseen computer hardware expenses and IT operations. The CEO of companies back then would think of the IT department as a liability rather than an asset. Back then, trying to convince management on upgrading MS Windows 97 to XP was a challenge. We all have heard this line from management, “if it still works, don’t fix it.” The company would always run into problems with old equipment, updates and would try to resolve these issues with no budgets. As a means to cut costs, management would outsource IT by hiring consultants to manage IT operations. Today, companies have established a CIO, CISO, and CTO positions within the IT department to head up operations and strategic planning. The CIO is now a member of the board and reports to the CEO on IT operations. However, some companies may look to reorganize the CIO value by involving the position in other areas of the organization (Chun & Mooney, 2009).
Some organizations perceive the CIO value in driving business innovation, cultivating partnerships, and developing business strategy (Nash, 2014). These organizations have used the assistance of the CIO to address new laws and regulations like information governance, SOX, GDPR, and HIPPA. The CIO is needed to maintain compliance with these new laws (Pinho & Franco, 2017). An example that I have worked with the CIO of an organization was in the cybersecurity awareness training of employees. As an outside consultant, my company was able to assist the CIO in developing a training program that keeps the organization compliant with the new data protection laws and regulations. Other roles that organizations are evolving the CIO include the assistance in product research and development by inhouse software development tools (Krotov, 2015). From my perspective, there is a great deal of value in the role of the CIO that can help an organization meet the strategic goals.
About the author
Mack Jackson Jr is a cybersecurity consultant, speaker, TV host, and professor of business management. He has work in cybersecurity for over 15 years and has over 25 years in the information technology industry. For further information, please email mjackson@mjcc.com.
References
Chun, M., & Mooney, J. (2009). CIO roles and responsibilities: Twenty-five years of evolution and change
Krotov, V. (2015). Bridging the CIO-CEO gap: It takes two to tango
Nash, K. S. (2014). The great schism: Digital strategist or traditional CIO? our 13th annual state of the CIO research reveals the great career divide. Cio, 27(4), n/a.
Pinho, C., & Franco, M. (2017). The role of the CIO in strategy for innovative information technology in higher education institutions. Higher Education Policy, 30(3), 361–380.