Chief Information Officer
The job title of the CIO goes to one of the senior-most executives within an organization and he/she is charged with the responsibility of taking care of computer systems and information technology in the organization. This system helps to support the goals of the enterprise (CIO 2008). The CIO executes and manages useful technology to enhance information accessibility.
Chief Technology Officer
Within an organization, the position of a chief technology officer is often treated as an executive one. In this case, the occupant of this position deals with the technological and scientific issues that affect the company in question. By and large, the position of a CTO entails overseeing the research and development activities within an organization. In addition, a CTO is also charged with the responsibility of formulating long-term strategies and visions for the company, at the officer level (Medcof & Yousofpourfard, 2006, p. 5). The CTO also facilitates the transformation of intellectual, political, or monetary capital into technology, to ensure that the objectives of the company are realized. It is important therefore for the CTO to integrate strong scientific and technical background with sound business development skills.
Chief Security Officer
In an organization, the main reasonability of the chief security officer is to act as the business leader in charge of the implementation, management, and development of the company’s corporate security strategy, vision, and programs. As such, the chief security officer is directly involved in the identification, development, maintenance, and execution of various security processes within the organization.
This is to help the firm effectively respond to incidents, reduce risks, as well as reduce exposure to potential liability in the different areas of physical, financial, and personal risk. In addition, the chief security officer has to ensure that the most suitable risk and control standards have been established, as far as the intellectual property of the organization is concerned (CSO Online, 2008). Moreover, the CSO is also charged with the responsibility of overseeing the development and implementation of various procedures and policies that have to do with data security at the firm level.
Chief Privacy Officer
The position of the chief privacy officer is normally reserved for one of the senior-level executives who have a lot of experience in privacy policies and laws. The position of the CPO is relatively new and the reason why companies deemed it necessary to create it is to enable them to respond quickly to the concerns of the consumers regarding the issue of the use of personal information. This also includes financial information, medical data, legislation, laws, and regulations on the protection of the medical records of patients. In addition, the CFO is also charged with the responsibility of safeguarding the banking and financial transactions of the consumers (for example, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act).
Chief knowledge officer (CKO)
The CKO acts as the custodian of the organization’s Knowledge Management practices, in addition to overseeing the intellectual capital of the company. The CKO is in a better position to help a company ensure maximum return on the various investments made in knowledge (that is, people, intellectual capital, and processes). In addition, the CKO can also assist the organization to fully exploit their tangible assets (that is, patents, know-how, and customer relationships), share best practices, repeat successes, avoid the loss of knowledge once an organization has been restructured, and improve innovations (Dalkir, 2005).
Therefore, the responsibilities of the CKO entail the collection and compiling of the most useful and relevant data that the firm needs as a source of knowledge. In addition, the CKO is in charge of developing a knowledge management framework at the organizational level. This is in addition to his/her active involvement in helping to promote the knowledge agenda not just at the organizational level, but beyond the firm as well. Moreover, the CKO attends to the knowledge management infrastructure and is also involved in facilitating coordination, communications, and connections.
Reference List
CIO. (2008). State of the CIO 2008 data shows CIO salaries, influence rising. Web.
CSO Online. (2008). What is a Chief Security Officer? CSO Online. Web.
Dalkir, K. (2005). Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice. Jordan Hill, Oxford: Elsevier Inc.
Medcof W. J., & Yousofpourfard, H. (2006). The CTO and organizational power and influence. Web.