CIO- CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

“A chief information officer (CIO) is the executive in a company who is responsible for the
management, effectuation, and usability of information and of computer technologies.”

CIO- ORIGIN

 The role of the CIO dates back to the late 1950s when businesses began to subsume
computing into business operations. As such, the CIO position was initially a
technical job throughout much of the second half of the 20th century. This was the
mainframe era, a period spanning roughly from the 1960s to the early 1980s and so
named for the mainframe computers procured by enterprises to computerise back-
office processes.

 First-generation CIOs were typically senior or middle managers in data processing

or information systems (IS). During this time CIOs focused on carrying out new IT
systems on time and on budget and streaming existing systems with a high level of
accessibility. They were rarely involved in ascertaining the enterprise's IT strategy,
preferring to let the dominant vendor (usually IBM) set the course.

 The job of the CIO started to shift with the rise of the internet in the 1990s. Public
access to the World Wide Web or internet during that time quickly extended the role
of IT into business operations, which opened the door for the CIO to become involved
in business strategy and help the company understand how to take benefit of the
internet, which was radically changing how business was being done.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The role of the CIO has increased in eminence and importance in the current world. The
changing dynamics of the global scenario as well as the changing trends, has made it
important to restructure the systems we work in. The CIO analyses how various technologies
can benefit the company or improve an existing business process and then integrates a system
to realize that benefit or improvement.
The CIO modifies IT. They put an eye to the data system working and try to strengthen up
the systems in case there is a possibility of breach. They work on making the system more
efficient in nature.

If something technical goes wrong at the end, it is likely to be the CIO who gets the call or
makes the call, even if someone else ultimately has the duty of fixing the problem. While the
rest of the business talks about the importance of game-changing digital transformation, most
CIOs recognise they will be judged first and primarily on their ability to do the basics right. A
grand e-business strategy will faulter if the CIO neglects to ensure that cybersecurity or
business continuity is taken seriously.

As a C-level executive, the CIO is accountable for setting the IT strategy and ensuring that
this works with the broader business strategy. In many digital businesses the IT strategy will
be the central element driving the business strategy. This means the CIO needs be able to
understand the wider business requirements and which is to be mapped through the use of
technology. Another big role for the CIO is building and maintaining a productive and
motivated team.

When it comes to transformation, too many vendors think CIOs are focused on leading a
cutting-edge technology. The reality check is that while most IT leaders keep a watchful eye
over hyped technologies, such as AI, VR and IoT, others are still trying to make use of
existing technologies that are only now reaching the tipping point, such as cloud
computing and big data analytics. So, while marketing folks talk about the need to disrupt or
be disrupted, most of them, are still concentrating on building the platform to enable digital
change.

The role of CIO has changed over the decades. In the 1980s, the position was more applied as
companies maintained their internal computers, databases, and communications networks. In
the 2010s, thanks to cloud computing, wireless communications, big-data analytics, and
mobile devices, CIOs can work out strategies and computer systems that will keep their
businesses competitive in a fast-paced global marketplace. One major responsibility of a
contemporary CIO is to predict the future of computer technology trends that give a business
an edge over others. The day-to-day operations of maintaining a computer system generally
falls on a person known as a chief operating officer of IT.
Qualification: In Businesses, generally a CIO having a bachelor's degree in a related field,
such as computer science, computer information systems, IT management, or database
administration is required. A master's degree in business administration or simply a MBA,
coupled with a computer-based degree, can help a CIO run the business side of strategy,
development, hiring, and budgeting.

The number of CIOs has increased four folds with the expansion in the use of IT and
computer technology in businesses. The CIO deals with matters such as designing a website
that allows the company to reach more customers or integrating new inventory software to
help better manage the use of inventory.

CIOs also report that they are taking a strong role in the governance and project management
aspects of their organizations’ digital transformations. Sixty-one percent of CIOs take a
leadership role in governance and 54% lead project management.
Budget determinations for digital transformation are most likely to originate from the CEO’s
office (35% of survey respondents said chief executives are among the participants in setting
budgets), CFOs (29%), or the production and manufacturing operations function (20%) than
they are to come from the CIO office (18%).

CIOs at leader companies direct digital transformations nearly three-quarters (73%) of the
time, whereas CIOs at follower firms are in charge of these projects 50% of the time.

SKILLS OF CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

The identified set of CIOs’ skills stresses the important role that a CIO has within an
organization. They are professionals that need to consider and understand technologies and
the organization business process, acting judiciously and respond ing to changes and
marketplace needs; to have the ability to interact and communicate effectively with top
management, as well as with the organization environment, and guarantee that the
organization follows the existing innovations in the enterprise environment.
 Change management
 Leading a company through change like reengineering, organizational restructuring,
new strategic direction is the most critical skill of a CIO. When a company is
changing all the time, it is necessary to keep IT organization moving forward.
Changing and adopting new technology in an organization is inevitably a stressful
process, and there is often lots of pushback. The CIO has to know how to effectively
manage the concerns of all involved parties to make the transition as smooth as
possible.

 Organizational leadership
A CIO must try to interact with company senior executives, as well as with her/his
team; and ensure that a whole range of IT/IS is aligned with business processes,
therefore ensure the success of the organization. For these actions to be successful, it
is essential that the CIO possess a diverse set of skills.
 Relationship building
CIOs should be able to build a bridge between IT and sale, marketing, and other lines
of business. This relation may make or break an IT strategy; hence a CIO should have
a good relationship building skill. The CIO oversees all the company’s digital tools.
Therefore, their decisions will have a direct impact on every department, and they
should be able to collaborate responsibly with those parties.

 Knowledge of business
An effective technological strategy cannot exist without business process acumen.
While the business may own its individual processes, it is the CIOs responsibility to
understand the business and how its processes integrate across the enterprise and how
employees engage in them

 Running IT like business

According to Accenture’s CIO Frank Modruson, this is more than just sitting in on
business strategy meetings and learning to speak in business terms, “We are a service
provider and need to act like one. If you do things like presenting IT as a menu of
products and services from which the business heads choose their service and pricing,
you will create a real partnership with your business peers”
  Financial acumen
All starts with and end with financials. One needs to understand the revenue stream of
the company and where IT fits into it. Every IT investment should have an ROI.

 Learning
A CIO needs to learn from each new experience and apply that learning
experimentally into the IT group. Technology and its application to business are in
constant flux. It is necessary to learn from the success and mistakes of a company,
otherwise one cannot exploit new technologies in the best interest of our companies.

 Core knowledge of IT
One should have a core knowledge of technology issues and not fall for smoke
screens. Have implacable knowledge of IT and the technical landscape. They must be
informed on all the latest developments in business technology and the digital tools
that will serve the company.

LIST OF COMPANY HAVING CIO POSITION

S.No Companies
.
1. CARE Ratings
2. ITC
3. PI Industries
4. HDFC Bank
5. Lendingkart
6. Universal Sompo General Insurance Co.
7. Mahindra Group
8. Bangalore International Airport Limited
9. Columbia Asia Hospitals
10. DB Corp
11. Sai Life Sciences
12. IndusInd Bank
13. Digi Agro consulting
14. TCS
15. Infosys
16. Corteva
17. UPL
18. Syngenta
 19. Bayer
20. Yara International India Pvt Ltd
21. Britannia

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HOW CIOs HAVE BROUGHT CHANGES?

In the recent years, the role of the CIO has been subjected to many rapid customisations and
developments. The ever-evolving technological advances in the workplace plays an
essential part in this, but so do many other factors.

Five ways through which this change has contributed to the evolution of the CIO role over
the years:

1. The CIO has transitioned from maintaining IT systems to innovating technical

business strategies

Conventionally, the role of the CIO was to manage and operate an organization's IT
systems. However, the heavy confluence of IT with various fields has started to turn
the tables. Rather than just maintaining the technical aspect of the organization, they
 have also assumed the responsibility of utilizing IT for the company's benefit. CIOs
are now expected to develop IT related business solutions and help integrate them
into the core of the company. They are also tasked with strengthening current IT
systems to efficiently increase revenue.

2. CIOs have become multidimensional C-level executives

Due to the ever-increasing importance of technology in most companies, CEOs now

keep their CIOs close. Yet while CIOs are still accountable for the company's usage
of IT, in many cases the projects they work on, reach beyond their line of work.
Consequently, they must be well versed in a myriad of other fields to be able to
perform their tasks correctly and without problems.

3. CIOs are now strategic drivers of the company's vision

Today, CIOs are tasked with analysing their company's position and how far it is
from achieving its objectives. They then use IT to create innovative strategies that
can bring the organization closer to reaching its goals and have an impact on its
position. CIOs have become visionaries who study examples of successful
businesses and learn from their best practices. This gives them ideas and inspiration
for creating valuable business solutions.

4. CIOs have been assigned the role of ensuring that their company's IT systems
comply with new laws and regulations

Most companies are now obliged to adhere to cyber security regulations such as the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). CIOs have assumed
the responsibility of ensuring that their organizations comply with such laws.
Additionally, the rising fear of cyber-crime has been keeping them busy trying to
find strong, efficient and innovative cyber-security solutions to ensure that their
companies remain protected.

5. CIOs are tasked with reducing the business's operating expenses

They do this by uniting the technology and business aspect of the organization
through building and maintaining sustainable relationships with the company's
executives. Additionally, outsourcing non-vital IT jobs to external organizations
 helps the company concentrate on its core initiatives and goals as some company’s
approach IT service providers to look after their end-use technologies. Doing so
makes it easier for the CIO to manage and reduce expenses.

HOW CIO IS BECOMING THE NEW CHANGE AGENTS?

The characteristics that the CIO’s are developing are

1. Business strategist

2. Team leader

3. Master marketer

4. Legacy maker

5. Cultural evangelist

6. Tribal loyalist

New operating imperatives

1. Cultivate a cascade of change

2. Build new business models

3. Equip front line for manager –level decision making

4. Constrain shadow IT

5. Develop adaptability

6. Update metrics

CONCLUSION

The days of simply taking orders for hardware, software, and connectivity are long gone.
The new CIO is now the proud purveyor of business solutions. Building customer
experiences and improving business processes is what a CIO is about now. The CIO’s role
will continue to evolve past being the steward of information and technology, reaching far
into the realms of business strategy, leadership, marketing, culture, and beyond. The CIO of
tomorrow will spend more time in reshaping the industry standards and cultivating strategic
vendor relationships than extinguishing fires in the server room.
Sources:

https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2019/9/cio-chief-information-officer-role-explained

https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2019/9/cio-chief-information-officer-role-
explained#:~:text=The%20CIO%20investigates%20how%20the,adjusting%20the
%20organization's%20operating%20model

https://deloitte.wsj.com/cio/2017/11/08/cio-job-descriptions-vary-by-need/

https://www.cio.com/article/3454977/new-cio-appointments-in-india.html