In this President's Letter, Jeff Hunt is suggesting that the new role of the CIO is evolving to be "President of Technology" in their organizations. Judy President, JB Homer Associates

Change is continually present in various aspects of day-to-day life. This is especially true in the business world, even more so as technology grows and advances at an exponential rate.

The evolving CIO is a bridge between the business and technology and is adapting from a tactical player to a strategic business partner to contribute the most to their company, its employees, and their constituents; but most importantly, their business needs.

The CIO could be deemed "President of Technology" because technology touches every aspect of the business. They are focusing their time on establishing relationships with the corporate CEO and other members of C-Suite and the Board. As it becomes clearer that their role has a much larger influence on the business by utilizing innovative technologies, they will transform and strengthen the business.

The CIO is a key player to the success of a company which is achieved through strategic partnerships. The CIOs surround themselves with subject matter experts within different areas of the business. They also develop their IT organizations by attracting talent who bring skills such as data management, cloud vendor management, business intelligence/analytics, and BRM's who have strong business acumen.

Innovations in technology have the capability to lead to innovations in business, making the CIO a prominent figure on many levels that go far beyond the technology itself. One of the major changes in the way technology is evolving has less of a focus on hardware/physical servers and more of a focus on new forms of technology, such as Cloud Computing and its convergence with Mobility. This places a much larger emphasis on digital technology which is automated to improve efficiency, help reduce costs, and allow more direct-to-consumer contact, while reducing risk. If utilized correctly, the CIO has a much larger influence on the business than ever before.

The evolving CIO must have the ability to change people's mindsets through business process and human re-engineering in order to convince them that change is beneficial to the company's success.

The traditional role of the CIO will be difficult to maintain in a technological world that is rapidly changing. The CIO must be on the forefront of change, thus "Chief Information Officer" may no longer be an appropriate title -- perhaps Chief Technology Strategist or Chief Business Technology Officer, or President of Technology, or what do you suggest?