Federal CIOs' Power on the Rise

For CIOs, some good news from the latest CIO survey conducted by Tech America, the industry association that was formed with the merger of the Information Technology Association of America and AeA.

In 2008, 38 percent of federal chief information officers said they reported to the head of their agency - that would be the secretary or bureau chief. Another 50 percent to the second in charge. That 38 percent is close to what you find in the private sector, where 41 percent of CIOs working for corporations said they report to their chief executive officer, according to CIO Magazine's latest survey.

Why is that important? CIO Magazine says it's "because that relationship is a good predictor of a CIO's success or failure." And you can add the success or failure of the company.