And by the way, the big thing we emphasize at CrowdStrike is that to get full control and visibility, you need to combine that runtime view with that control plane view and the cloud security posture management side. I think this is another area where companies are falling down a little bit in their cloud security program. We’ve also found that many professionals initially overlook the value of an MBA. Many potential CTOs start with a technical background with the intent of becoming an engineer or other specialist. It may not have occurred to them to seek out business, finance, or marketing education.

However, the CTO frequently holds the most senior position and answers directly to the CEO (Chief Executive Officer). A CTO focuses on product and strategy, according to Mead, whereas a CIO may be more focused on day-to-day operations. This means the CTO’s focus is not on day-to-day tech issues, but rather the bigger picture. “I think the CTO can be the glue between technology implementation and product strategy, and can sort of make things really come together and come to life in a way that you don’t see in a lot of organizations today,” he said. Chief technology officers should be skilled in a number of different areas. When you read a job description for a CTO, it’s not uncommon for it to mention these different skills and competencies.

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Fletcher told GovTech that the next big thing is artificial intelligence — a space Utah has been working in for several years. Fletcher says he uses generative AI every day, and he expects Utah to be a leader in this area. “It’ll be the biggest thing since the Internet … so the biggest technological advancement in 30 years, I think,” Fletcher said.

His or her primary responsibility is to make sure that the hardware and software an organization uses are secure, helpful, and supports business effectively. An important distinction to keep in mind is that not all CTOs manage the IT side of a business. While some CTOs manage help desk professionals and make decisions about the tech tools companies use, many businesses are opting to let a chief information officer (CIO) handle these things. The CIO focuses distinctly on IT and ensures those issues are in line with company goals.

What are the Chief Technology Officer’s key responsibilities?

A master’s program that focuses on the technical area of business administration, such as an online cybersecurity master’s, can help students develop skills in management-related areas, such as accounting and finance. While the title chief technology officer (CTO) has been around for decades, its definition has varied over time and across industries and types of organizations. In our experience, as the role was originally conceived, the CTO provided a single “buck stops here” point of view on the technology trends, policies, and procedures critical to developing or enhancing a company’s products and services. The BLS estimates that an aspiring CTO may need to have over 10 to 15 years of work experience in various IT roles before qualifying for the job. In addition to a bachelor’s and master’s degree, in order to become a chief technology officer, you need to acquire many years of real-world work experience. CTOs must have a solid foundation of high-level technical, financial, organizational, and leadership experience.

This versatility provides opportunities for CTOs to advance to the highest levels of organizations. Knowing how technology works is crucial, but it’s also important to be able to explain the business value of a particular technology to C-level colleagues who might not be technically inclined. It’s also vital to be able to see how technology fits with strategic business goals. The CTO role naturally requires a strong knowledge of various technologies, and “real technology acumen, especially in the architecture, software, and technology strategy areas to address legacy technology challenges,” Stephenson says. A CTO carries the power of envisioning how technology can help a company excel, and the responsibility of implementing feasible changes based on time, budget, and necessity.

Watch: A Wall Street chief economist explains what could be the saving grace for mega-cap tech companies

Business rules are evolving, from goods and services to business models and procedures. What a CTO performs, the skills they require, how they collaborate with other technological leadership skills, and the qualities of a strong CTO will all chief technology officer responsibilities be broken down in this article. How successfully your organization can maintain a competitive advantage in a world where technological discoveries and development are accelerating will depend on the caliber of your technology resources.

In technology-focused organizations, the CIO and CTO positions can be at the same level, with the CIO focused on the information technology and the CTO focused on the core company and other supporting technologies. Chief technology officers usually hold a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, information systems or a related field. Many candidates also possess a master’s degree in computer science or a related discipline, and some go on to complete a PhD. Upon graduation, professionals may work between 10 to 15 years in IT-related roles, with five years spent in a manager position. Relevant entry-level positions include technical support specialist, software developer and QA analyst. Top performers can work their way up and gain leadership experience through roles like engineering manager and information security manager.

Education

A chief technology officer (CTO) is responsible for overseeing the development and dissemination of technology for external customers, vendors, and other clients to help improve and increase business. They may also deal with internal IT operations if a company is small and doesn’t have a chief information officer. A chief technology officer https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ (CTO) is a senior executive in charge of the whole IT department and incorporating business requirements and demands into IT strategy and operations. While the positions above may only need a few years of experience, professionals must have five to 10 years of experience before applying for a managing or directorial position.

• As such, CTOs are among the most important hires organizations are making today, and it can be challenging finding the right person who possesses all the right skills.
• And again, the runtime security in many of the situations will stop it at the last minute.
• However, the duties and responsibilities of a CTO have evolved more lately, and they are now more externally focused on the company’s technology resources for clients.
• Building a culture where technical people can thrive and build their careers.
• Chief Technology Officers need to hire, build, grow, and develop high-performing technical teams.
• Hype is the operative word, because it’s vital that CTOs don’t allow the latest technology trends, no matter the buzz around them, to cloud their decision-making.

We’re going to break down the steps of how to become a CTO, take a look at the skills you must possess, and show you how choosing certain education paths over others will deliver the biggest advantages in your career. The average CTO compensation, according to PayScale, is $164,349 per year. Without question, companies look to their CTOs to assist with making their tech-related projects profitable. CTOs must also develop strategies and plans to enable the project to provide higher ROIs than anticipated. The most difficult part of adopting the cloud for CTOs is how they must use cloud infrastructure to make their company a secure and sustainable enterprise. There is no denying that cloud computing has integrated itself into how businesses operate globally.

What kind of CTO are you looking for?

CTO is one of the highest-ranking IT positions in a typical corporate hierarchy, and professionals who want to know how to become a CTO should be ready for a lifetime of learning. They need to ensure that all instruments – in this case, applications, software and services – are in harmony. The CTO’s role is more than just simply selecting and deploying technology to drive innovation, enhance efficiencies and improve performance for customers, though. The CTO needs to be in tune with the wider business goals and has to conduct the digital transformation in a way that helps the company to achieve these goals. Besides making critical decisions alongside other company leaders, a CTO must develop policies regarding technology so that organizations run smoothly.

But it also means if I make a mistake, that mistake now gets magnified a thousand times over. And again, going back to why adversaries are focusing on cloud and identity, it’s because of the ROI. If I can find a misconfiguration in a cloud application, I can then exploit that a thousand times over because of the scale, versus having to go manually [compromise] one application at a time.

Chief Technology Officer Responsibilities

Based on the comparison above, they both contribute to the company’s proper functioning from a different scope (CIO/internally and CTO/externally) and participate in the company’s profit (CIO) and revenue (CTO) growth. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects the number of director and manager-level positions, including CTO positions, to increase by 48,100 between 2019 and 2029. With the rising number of opportunities, there are ample prospects for professionals to reach top IT positions. A CTO must also be able to manage teams, communicate effectively across departments, and work with other executives. While each type of CTO can be successful, it is crucial to identify quickly which approach will work best within a particular company.