Editing Chief information officer (section)

==Educational background and technology skills==
Many candidates have a [[Master of Business Administration]] degree or a [[Master of Science in Management]] degree.<ref>{{cite web |author=Meridith Levinson |url=http://www.cio.com/article/122507/Should_You_Get_an_MBA_ |title=Should You Get an MBA? - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership |publisher=CIO.com |date=2007-07-05 |access-date=2012-03-28 |archive-date=25 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225053435/http://www.cio.com/article/122507/Should_You_Get_an_MBA_ |url-status=dead }}</ref>  More recently, CIOs' leadership capabilities, business acumen, and strategic perspectives have taken precedence over technical skills. It is now quite common for CIOs to be appointed from the business side of the organization, especially if they have [[project management]] skills.

Despite the strategic nature of the role, a 2017 survey, conducted by [[Logicalis]], of 890 CIOs across 23 countries found that 62% of CIOs spend 60% or more of their time on day to day IT activities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.logicalis-thinkhub.com/|title=Logicalis CIO Survey 2017-2018 {{!}} Think Hub {{!}}|date=2017-11-15|website=www.logicalis-thinkhub.com|language=en|access-date=2018-01-22}}</ref>

In 2012, [[Gartner]] Executive Programs conducted a global CIO survey and received responses from 2,053 CIOs from 41 countries and 36 industries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2304615|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130713025218/http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2304615|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2013|title=Gartner Executive Program Survey of More Than 2,000 CIOs Shows Digital Technologies Are Top Priorities in 2013 |publisher=Gartner |access-date=12 July 2013}}</ref> Gartner reported that survey results indicated that the top ten technology priorities for CIOs for 2013 were [[analytics]] and [[business intelligence]],  [[mobile technologies]], [[cloud computing]], [[Collaborative software|collaboration technologies]], [[Software modernization|legacy modernization]], [[IT management]], [[customer relationship management]], [[virtualization]], [[security]], and [[enterprise resource planning]].

''CIO'' magazine's "State of the CIO 2008" survey asked 558 IT leaders whom they report to, and the results were: [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] (41%), [[chief financial officer|CFO]] (23%), [[Chief operating officer|COO]] (16%), corporate CIO (7%) and other (13%).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cio.com/article/147950/_State_of_the_CIO_2008_Data_Shows_CIO_Salaries_Influence_Rising |title=State of the CIO 2008 Data Shows CIO Salaries, Influence Rising |publisher=CIO |access-date=27 February 2010 |archive-date=14 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314170218/http://www.cio.com/article/147950/_State_of_the_CIO_2008_Data_Shows_CIO_Salaries_Influence_Rising |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Typically, the CIO is involved with driving the analysis and re-engineering of existing business processes, identifying and developing the capability to use new tools, reshaping the enterprise's physical infrastructure and network access, and identifying and exploiting the enterprise's knowledge resources.  Many CIOs head the enterprise's efforts to integrate the Internet into both its long-term strategy and its immediate business plans. CIOs are often tasked with either driving or heading up crucial IT projects that are essential to the strategic and operational objectives of an organization. A good example of this would be the implementation of an [[enterprise resource planning]] (ERP) system, which typically has wide-ranging implications for most organizations.

Another way that the CIO role has changed is an increasing focus on service management.<ref name="servMgmt">{{cite web |url=http://www.cio.com/article/558564/Recession_Shifts_IT_Service_Management_Into_Fast_Lane |title=CIO Magazine: Recession Shifts IT Service Management into Fast Lane |publisher=Cio.com |date=2010-02-26 |access-date=2012-03-28 |archive-date=20 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520014840/http://www.cio.com/article/558564/Recession_Shifts_IT_Service_Management_Into_Fast_Lane |url-status=dead }}</ref> As [[Software as a service|SaaS]], [[Infrastructure as a service|IaaS]], [[Business process outsourcing|BPO]] and other flexible delivery techniques are brought into organizations the CIO usually manages these 3rd party services. In essence, a CIO in the modern organization needs business skills and the ability to relate to the organization as a whole, as opposed to being a technological expert with limited functional business expertise. The CIO position is as much about anticipating technology and usage trends in the market place as it is about ensuring that the business navigates these trends with expert guidance and strategic planning aligned to the corporate strategy.