My Journey in Technology
I began my coding journey in the 90s and landed my first paid jobs during the dot.com bubble in Germany. Since then, I’ve transitioned from being a coder to a manager, offering my expertise as an Interim CTO.
Almost all the clients I’ve worked with, and all the companies I’m familiar with, have a CEO, a CTO, and potentially other roles. However, for tech startups, the role of the CTO is particularly crucial.
Last week, I had a conversation with Christian who asked me, “Why don’t you also offer your services as an Interim CIO?”.
That got me thinking. It made sense.
But what exactly differentiates a CIO from a CTO in contemporary companies?
The Role of a CTO
Truth be told, most modern software startups I’ve encountered don’t have a CIO. But they all have a CTO, and this is intentional. If a company’s primary focus is software, then the “Tech” aspect is a significant success factor. It’s about developing user-oriented products, motivating your tech teams, and possibly leading product and tech teams jointly if there’s no CPO (Chief Product Officer).
However, it often also involves overseeing internal IT, including all the mundane but critically important tasks, from ensuring functioning logins to all services, VPN for internal systems, to procuring and setting up software for internal use (HR systems, MS Office, Laptop provisioning, etc.). It also means assisting with certifications like ISO 27001 and regular security audits.
But when you’re a software company, your CTO will focus on creating excellent products for clients. The priority won’t be on setting up an efficient HR system.
The Role of a CIO
A CIO, or Chief Information Officer, is the traditional title for the C-level role that manages everything related to IT. Companies that do not sell software, such as mineral or medical companies, typically have CIOs.
Their business model isn’t to sell software. However, it became evident at some point that IT is becoming increasingly crucial for the entire company. Software is ubiquitous nowadays, and software projects must be well-managed, even in non-software companies.
The CIO is ultimately responsible for ensuring that software operates flawlessly. In many instances, the CIO isn’t as externally visible as the CTO. The CIO typically does not lead internal product teams.
The CIO’s focus will be more on internal IT, certifications, and security.
Summary
The job descriptions for a CTO and a CIO largely depend on how the company defines these roles. For instance, Microsoft has a CTO, but also regional CIOs for their subsidiaries in various countries. It varies.
In my experience, CTOs are more common in companies where software is the main product. CIOs are more prevalent in companies that sell other products but need their IT to operate flawlessly.
As an Interim Manager, this implies that an Interim CTO role will require more support in developing client-facing software products. On the other hand, Interim CIOs need to be capable of coordinating in-house projects for large corporations that don’t have software at the core of their product. Each role comes with its own unique challenges and enjoyable aspects!
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- Awesome photo on top by Maksym Kaharlytskyi
