Editing Chief information officer (section)

==Roles and responsibilities==
The chief information officer of an organization is responsible for several business functions. First and most importantly, the CIO must fulfill the role of a business leader.<ref name="Business Leader Journal">{{cite journal |last1=Peppard |first1=Joe |title=Unlocking the Performance of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) |journal=California Management Review |date=August 2010|volume=52|issue=4|page=5|doi=10.1525/cmr.2010.52.4.73 |s2cid=154762904 }}</ref> The CIO makes executive decisions regarding matters such as the purchase of IT equipment from suppliers or the creation of new IT systems. Also as a business leader, the CIO is responsible for leading and directing the workforce of their specific organization. A CIO is typically "required to have strong organizational skills."<ref name="Roles and Responsibilities Journal">{{cite journal|last1=Lawry|first1=Rachel|last2=Waddell|first2=Dianne|last3=Singh|first3=Mohini|title=Roles, Responsibilities and Futures of chief information officers (CIOs) in the Public Sector|date=2007|page=3|url=http://www.hadjarian.com/esterategic/tarjomeh/arzi1.pdf|access-date=26 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027220432/http://www.hadjarian.com/esterategic/tarjomeh/arzi1.pdf|archive-date=27 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> This is particularly relevant for the chief information officer of an organization who must balance roles and responsibilities in order to gain a competitive advantage, whilst keeping the best interests of the organization's employees in mind. CIOs also have the responsibility of recruiting, so it is important that they work proactively to source and nurture the best employees possible.

CIOs are required to map out both the [[Information and communications technology|ICT]] strategy and ICT policy of an organization. The ICT strategy covers future-proofing, procurement, and the external and internal standards laid out by an organization. Similarly, the CIO must develop the ICT policy, which details how ICT is utilized and applied. Both are needed for the protection of the organization in the short and long term and the process of strategizing for the future. Paul Burfitt, former CIO of [[AstraZeneca]], also outlines the role of the CIO in IT governance, which he refers to as the "clarifying [of] accountability and the role of committees".<ref name="Roles and Responsibility Computer Weekly">{{cite web|last1=Computer Weekly|title=What exactly does a chief information officer do?|url=http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240061366/What-exactly-does-a-chief-information-officer-do|website=www.computerweekly.com|access-date=26 October 2014}}</ref>

In recent years, CIOs have become more closely involved in customer-facing products. With the rising awareness in organizations that their customers are expecting digital services as part of their relationship with an organization, CIOs have been tasked with more product-oriented responsibilities.