What's the difference between a CIO and CTO?

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

The difference between a CIO and a CTO is the role's focus. The CIO typically looks inward, aiming to improve processes within the company, while the CTO looks outward, using technology to improve or innovate products that serve the customers.

While these roles are fairly similar, they have different primary focuses, day-to-day tasks, and areas of strategic involvement.

The CIO is responsible for managing and ensuring ongoing operations, mission-critical systems, and overall security, from help desks and enterprise systems to service delivery and program management.

The explicit impact of a CIO can be determined with a variety of metrics, though improving the company's bottom line is a must. But the CIO is not only tech-focused: a good CIO integrates the entire IT department with other business units, so knowledge of the common as a whole is imperative.

On the other hand, the chief technology officer focuses on creating and using technology to help the business grow. This is typically done by improving offerings that the company's customers purchase with the help of new technologies.

The CTO focuses on external customers: those who buy your company's products, even if the product itself isn't digital or technology-based.

As customers become savvier and more knowledgeable about the products they use, the CTO must stay innovative and on the cutting edge of technology to ensure the company is offering the best products.

To that end, the CTO is often responsible for the engineer and developer teams who focus on research and development to improve and innovate company offerings.