The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is the executive level role responsible for overseeing how a company uses technology to attain its goals. They create the policies and procedures that determine which technologies to obtain. They also figure out how to best utilize these to help employees work better and how to enhance products and services for customers.

Here’s an analogy that might help understand the role of the CTO. A professional sports team usually has a head coach that directs the team’s strategy. But the coach may have assistant coaches who specialize in specific areas, such as defensive strategy, or which player to call on in certain situations. The CTO is like an assistant coach, and he is an expert in technology.

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