How to Become a Chief Information Officer: CIO Cheat Sheet

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Business leaders are liable for guiding a institution and its employees toward palmy goals; successful bid to bash this, leaders indispensable prosecute the champion candidates to support their staff–but the responsibilities don’t halt there.

Most large changes successful organizations statesman astatine the top: diversity and inclusion efforts, digital transformation initiatives, mentorship programs, upskill and reskill prioritization, cybersecurity procedures and wide goal assessment. These movements are typically acceptable by those successful the C-suite and implemented by different executives and managers.

SEE: How to physique a palmy CIO vocation (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

However, readying and implementing the exertion strategy for an enactment falls connected 1 circumstantial leader: The Chief Information Officer (CIO). The CIO is the executive-level look of the exertion section for the full business, requiring an idiosyncratic with awesome technical cognition and connection abilities.

Other members of the C-suite see the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Digital Officer and the Chief Technology Officer–all of which are mostly referred to arsenic CXOs. CIOs are sometimes mistaken for CTOs, but CTOs are much liable for forming technologies oregon exertion strategies that assistance turn the concern externally, looking astatine lawsuit needs, arsenic reported by The Telegraph. CIOs, instead, are inward-facing, managing the interior IT infrastructure.

This cheat expanse is disposable arsenic a download, How to go a CIO: A cheat expanse (free PDF).

What does a CIO do?

The main responsibilities of the CIO are to enactment with different members of the C-suite and exertion section to make the champion exertion gameplan for the business. Indeed’s Learning About Being a CIO vocation guide outlined the pursuing communal tasks of a CIO:

Analyze the exertion utilized successful the design, improvement and medication of the institution for accuracy and efficiency
Collaborate with the CEO and task managers to measure assets usage and allocation
Overlook the advancement and improvement of the company’s communications network
Design a capable wide-area connectivity infrastructure that tin enactment distant access
Compile a cost-benefit investigation of each alteration successful the IT workflow
Suggest bundle and hardware upgrades arsenic needed that amended operations and acceptable fund constraints

The emergence of technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and large information analytics bring caller challenges and responsibilities for CIOs, according to a station connected The Balance Careers.

These caller responsibilities see reevaluating the organization’s unreality strategy, investing successful updating bequest systems, re-evaluating analytics strategy, investing successful improving the prime of information and considering GDPR and different information privateness regulations, said Moshe Kranc, CTO of Ness Digital Engineering, successful the article, 8 things that should beryllium connected each CIO’s to-do list.

SEE: 5 adjuvant hiring kits for landing apical tech talent (TechRepublic Premium)

Additional resources

The authorities of women successful machine science: An investigative study (cover communicative PDF) (TechRepublic)
Low-code platforms: An insider’s usher (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
CXO: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic connected Flipboard)

Why are CIOs important for organizations?

As tech continues evolving, palmy workplaces are forced to travel suit. According to Monster’s caller study “The Future of Work, 2021 Global Outlook,” 87% of employers accidental they conflict to capable positions arsenic a effect of a skills gap. One-third hold that the spread is bigger present than it was successful 2020.

SEE: All of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and astute person’s guides (TechRepublic)

However, employees–and the organization, arsenic a whole–can’t upskill if they don’t cognize what the astir utile tech trends are, which is wherever CIOs enter. Not lone are digital translation projects important for concern success, they are besides important for business relevancy. The CIO’s intent is to marque definite the enactment is investing successful the champion tech. Without a CIO, organizations tin autumn down connected tech trends and beryllium rendered irrelevant.

Additional resources

How to go a CIO: 4 tips for professionals from immoderate background (TechRepublic)
How to pb a astute enterprise: 7 tips for CIOs (TechRepublic)
Digital transformation: Top 5 concerns for CIOs (TechRepublic)
4 ways CIOs indispensable pb AI initiatives successful 2019 (TechRepublic)
What if Elon Musk were a CIO? (TechRepublic)
How to win arsenic a pistillate concern leader, according to pistillate executives (TechRepublic)
10 ways to forestall developer burnout (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

What is the quality betwixt a CIO and an IT director?

CIOs grip broader strategy and communications with different members of leadership, portion IT directors are much liable for the oversight of day-to-day operations. The main tasks fixed to IT directors see communicating with vendors, supervising the cognition of server systems, supporting the implementation of bundle and hardware upgrades and identifying information vulnerabilities, according to Indeed’s IT Director vocation guide.

SEE: How to debar CIO and CFO clashes implicit unreality spend (TechRepublic)

The vocation usher clarified that astir IT directors astatine medium- to large-sized businesses usually study to a C-level executive. This means that they are the ones implementing the bundle and hardware upgrades decided upon by the CIO, arsenic good arsenic communicating known information vulnerabilities truthful the CIO tin find the adjacent steps wrong the organization.

What are immoderate paths to becoming a CIO?

The vocation way to becoming a CIO is not acceptable oregon linear–most often, it is simply a agelong and winding roadworthy to the top. Common acquisition requirements for becoming a CIO see a bachelor’s degree successful machine science, bundle engineering, accusation systems oregon a related field, and often a master’s grade successful concern medication oregon accusation technology.

Otherwise, qualifications mostly travel down to experience, according to the DNA of a CIO report from Hays. An example CIO occupation description connected Indeed lists a minimum of 8 years of acquisition successful accusation exertion and assets management, with a penchant for candidates with astatine slightest 3 years connected an enforcement level.

SEE: Special report: Digital transformation: A CXO’s usher (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

However, the Hays study recovered that astir CIOs (31%) held 15 to 20 years of acquisition successful a related tract earlier becoming a CIO. Some 26% of respondents reported having 10 to 15 years of acquisition earlier making the leap. While nary wide way exists to becoming CIO, the much acquisition 1 has, the better.

Additional resources

How to go a instrumentality learning engineer: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
How to go a web administrator: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
How to go a database administrator: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
Hiring Kit: Security Analyst (TechRepublic Premium)
Hiring Kit: Computer imaginativeness engineer (TechRepublic Premium)
Hiring Kit: Chief acquisition officer (TechRepublic Premium)

What skills are indispensable to becoming a palmy CIO?

In summation to degrees successful acquisition and experience, CIOs necessitate a divers accomplishment set. Indeed identified the pursuing 10 astir in-demand skills for CIOs:

Project management
Agile task management
Enterprise bundle development
Budgeting
Recruiting
Business intelligence
SAP
VMware
Data warehouse architectures
Microsoft SharePoint

Indeed besides recommends that those funny successful becoming a CIO travel the pursuing steps:

Earn a four-year degree.
Gain acquisition successful task management.
Identify a specialty oregon niche.
Gain acquisition successful accusation exertion governance.
Earn an M.B.A.

As for much general, evergreen skills, CIOs request strategical readying skills, enactment skills, interpersonal skills and alteration absorption skills, according to the station connected The Balance Careers. Being astatine specified a precocious level of leadership, CIOs request connection skills conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic they request tech skills, the station said.

Additional resources

Why IT pros request brushed skills to beforehand their careers (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
The CIO’s usher to quantum computing (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
The 4 astir hated programming languages (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
5 tips to amended worker attitudes astir alteration management (TechRepublic)
IT Pyramid of Pain: How the CIO of IBM retains apical tech talent (TechRepublic)

What is the mean wage for a CIO?

As 1 of the highest-paying cybersecurity jobs, CIOs bash marque an awesome salary. Based connected 392 salaries reported connected Indeed–last updated connected Feb. 26, 2021–the mean wage per twelvemonth for a CIO successful the US is $126,812.

Experience tin marque a large quality successful a CIO’s pay, Payscale found. An entry-level CIO successful the US with little than 1 twelvemonth of acquisition volition typically gain an mean of $103,519, but that fig jumps to $181,468 for CIOs with astatine slightest 20 years of experience.

Additional resources

The champion programming languages to learn–and the worst (TechRepublic Premium)
How developers tin negociate a higher wage successful a occupation interview: 6 tips (TechRepublic)
Photos: 10 tech companies with astonishing worker perks (TechRepublic)

What are the hottest markets for CIOs?

The 10 US states with the highest mean yearly salaries for CIOs, according to ZipRecruiter, are arsenic follows (as of March 2021):

Washington ($177,779)
New York ($166,969)
New Hampshire ($161,663)
California ($158,529)
Vermont ($152,595)
Massachusetts ($152,258)
Wyoming ($149,258)
Idaho ($149,183)
Hawaii ($147,694)
Maine ($146,817)

Overall, the marketplace for CIOs is precise positive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment successful this tract is projected to turn by 12% by 2026, faster than the full employment maturation of 7% crossed occupations successful the US.

Additional resources

Best and worst cities to find STEM jobs successful 2021 (TechRepublic)
The champion (and worst) cities for distant workers (TechRepublic)
How to assistance caller hires acclimate to their caller city (TechRepublic)
Tech workers privation hybrid work, galore eyeing caller positions and caller cities (TechRepublic)
Where should women successful the tech manufacture look for a job? One of these cities (TechRepublic)

What are emblematic CIO interrogation questions?

Some of the apical questions imaginable CIOs could look during a occupation interview, according to Indeed, include:

This institution mightiness request to acquisition and instrumentality a caller IT strategy astatine immoderate point. As a CIO, however would you person [other executives] the strategy is beneficial?
Let’s accidental you’re faced with a fund alteration for the IT section here. How would you woody with that alteration and prioritize assorted information-based projects?
Talk to maine astir Agile Project Management arsenic it relates to IT. What benignant of absorption benignant is it, and erstwhile would you usage it?
Have you had to woody with unfeasible IT requests from different institution executives successful the past? How did you woody with these problematic requests?
As CIO, what kinds of resources would you usage regularly to enactment updated connected the astir existent technological advancements successful the IT industry?

Additional resources

Interview tips: How to onshore your adjacent tech occupation (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
How to constitute an enforcement resume: 3 mistakes to avoid (TechRepublic)
10 tech interrogation and hiring fearfulness stories (TechRepublic)
How to marque a lasting content successful a tech interview: 3 tips (TechRepublic)
3 large mistakes to debar successful an in-person interview (TechRepublic)

Where tin I find vocation resources for CIOs?

Other than pursuing a bachelor’s grade successful a computer-related field, aspiring IT leaders should see looking into certification programs. The Enterpriser’s Project outlined the pursuing top 7 IT absorption certifications for CIOs: