Workplace glossary

What is CTO (Chief Technology Officer)?

Definition & practical guide1 min read

The chief technology officer owns technology strategy. Depending on the organisation the role centres on the product being built, on internal technology, or both; where there is also a CIO, the CTO usually faces the product and the CIO faces internal systems.

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In workplace decisions the CTO or CIO is the gatekeeper for anything joining the stack: does it support SSO and SCIM, does it have a real API, where does the data live, and will it create shadow-IT problems or solve them. Workplace platforms that answer those questions in the first meeting tend to make the shortlist.

Common questions

What does CTO (Chief Technology Officer) mean in simple terms?

The chief technology officer owns technology strategy. Depending on the organisation the role centres on the product being built, on internal technology, or both; where there is also a CIO, the CTO usually faces the product and the CIO faces internal systems.

How is CTO (Chief Technology Officer) measured and reported?

In workplace decisions the CTO or CIO is the gatekeeper for anything joining the stack: does it support SSO and SCIM, does it have a real API, where does the data live, and will it create shadow-IT problems or solve them. Workplace platforms that answer those questions in the first meeting tend to make the shortlist.