Cloud computing changes redefine CIO role

The cloud has the potential to change the way businesses go about enterprise computing and, in some cases, may redefine the role of a company's chief information officer.

In a recent article for Datamation, the managing director of THINKstrategies, Jeff Kaplan, wrote about the notion of the data-centric platform as changing the infrastructure concerns of these IT professionals.

Essentially, he believes that, while the job specific duties of these individuals may change, their overall mission remains the same.

"In my view, the CIO should not allow today’s turbulent environment or promise of cloud computing distract them from focusing on the historic mission of their role - enabling and encouraging their enterprises and end-users to capitalize on information to achieve their corporate objectives and meet their job responsibilities respectively," he wrote.

Furthermore, Kaplan claims that the current landscape of the computing field is focused on the speed in which the cloud can be developed and this represents a continuation of the IT troubleshooting duties of CIOs.

According to Computerworld, CIOs should also focus on how the cloud may change integration requirements and data security regulations for many business-critical computing functions.