What IS a CTO Anyway?

Submitted by Holly on Tue, 07/01/2008 - 1:14pm

Flickr Photo: Timmy ToucanFlickr Photo: Timmy ToucanI admit it: I use the terms CIO and CTO almost interchangeably. To me, the CIO/CTO split was like the distinction between Executive Director and President -- a matter of taste.

Turns out, I'm totally wrong. According to TechRepublic, there's a big difference betweeen the CIO and the CTO, and it has to do with who you serve. The CIO serves an organization's internal audience, or its staff. The CTO focuses on an organization's external audience, or clients, stakeholders, donors, etc. Check out the full breakdown.

So, what happens if you're the only techie at your organization? Are you the CT&IO?