By Dana Deasy, Adjunct Faculty, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
Over the course of my forty-year career, I’ve watched technology and business steadily converge. When I started, IT was often seen as a support function. Today, the reality is very different: technology is the business.
That shift has profound implications for the role of the Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO). To succeed in this position, it’s not enough to be a technologist. You must also be recognized as a strong business leader.
From Support Function to Core Driver
Not long ago, technology was treated as something separate–a tool to enable business processes. That distinction no longer exists. Whether we’re talking about supply chain, customer experience, or product development, technology is at the center of how organizations compete and grow.
CIDOs now carry responsibility not just for systems and infrastructure, but for the very performance of the enterprise.
The Impact of Emerging Technologies
Artificial intelligence makes this convergence even more pronounced. AI is becoming woven into the fabric of every industry, every function, every decision. It’s not a specialized technology anymore–it’s part of the business model itself.
For today’s technology leaders, this means staying ahead of change, anticipating how new tools will reshape the business, and ensuring that innovation translates into value.
Why the CIDO Must Be Seen as a Business Leader
Technical skills are table stakes. What separates great CIDOs from the rest is how they operate as business executives. Can you sit at the table with the CEO, CFO, and board and be perceived as their peer? Can you articulate technology decisions in terms of growth, risk, and customer value?
Your credibility as a business leader is what enables your credibility as a technology leader. In today’s environment, you cannot have one without the other.
Continuous Learning and Adaptation
The pace of change will only accelerate. For CIDOs, that means committing to lifelong learning–staying current with technology shifts, but also strengthening business acumen. Programs like the CIDO Executive Education at Heinz College exist for this reason: to help leaders sharpen both sides of their expertise.
Final Thought
The role of the CIDO is no longer about keeping the lights on. It’s about transformation, innovation, and enterprise leadership. The organizations that thrive will be those whose technology leaders embrace their dual identity: technologist and business leader.
Dana Deasy is the Chief Information Digital Officer and Senior Vice President of Information Digital Technology & Security at The Boeing Company, where he leads enterprise IT, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and physical security. Before joining Boeing in 2025, he served as Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Defense, advising the Secretary of Defense on information management, space systems, cybersecurity, AI, and advanced technology development.
Previously, Deasy held global CIO roles at JPMorgan, BP, General Motors, Tyco International, and Siemens Corporation. As an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University, he brings decades of leadership at the highest levels of government and industry to the CIDO program, helping digital executives strengthen their strategic, technical, and leadership impact.
Learn from leaders like Dana Deasy in the Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO) Executive Education Program at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College.