the dynamic nature of Information Technology
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Due to the dynamic nature of Information Technology, the roles of a Chief Information Officer would be said to be flexible and malleable depending on the needs that arise. In the 21st century, the roles of the CIO range from simple maintenance of company infrastructure and applications, to the provision of innovative IT measures that lead to the organization gaining competitive advantage. Further, as mentioned earlier, the ever changing and dynamic world of IT results in a need for serious hands on management, a responsibility that squarely falls on the shoulders of the Chief Information Officer. This is more so in terms of securing the right kind of infrastructure necessary for driving the required changes in information technology. Finally, the chief information officer is also responsible for ensuring that actions taken by the information technology department are in line with organizational goals and needs. These roles are however hierarchical in nature, as only by being able to successfully fulfill the role of effectively maintaining the infrastructure and applications can a CIO then proceed to the other two roles.
In order to be able to effectively fulfill these roles, there are a number of characteristics that a modern day CIO must have. Key amongst these abilities, is an ability to not only speak in a language that the board can understand, but also to transform board requirements into solutions for the problems presented. This ability is usually the result of years of management experience within non IT business functions, which normally puts them within the unique position of understanding the overall business functions as well as the IT functions they are driving, a key issue when it comes to communicating IT ideas in an understandable language for those involved.