CIO Magazine has some eyecatching research that underlines how critical it is for CIOs to report to the CEO rather than the CFO. The impact can clearly be seen in various ways, such as how much access the CIO has to other senior execs to how much time is spent on tactical rather than strategic IT issues.
Regulators, investors and customers are demanding that businesses become far more effective in how they utilise and control their IT investments. That is why IT governance will without doubt become one of the top boardroom issues of the next few years. However, until it becomes understood and accepted that the correct reporting line for the CIO is straight to the CEO any moves towards proper IT governance will be seriously hindered.
