Obama's CIO, CTO and security leader have defined roles

President Barack Obama has already named a Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer for the federal government. He's expected to soon name a cybersecurity "czar," possibly within the National Security Council. Proposed legislation in Congress would require such an office. The distinct duties of each role are only just emerging. The CIO's mandate is to improve the ways the federal government uses technology and how that technology is purchased. The CTO, on the other hand, will be in charge of propelling technology adoption outside government. If a cybersecurity position is created, that person will likely be charged with coordinating cybersecurity issues across government agencies, said Jim Flyzik, a technology consultant a former senior adviser to Tom Ridge in the White House Office of Homeland Security. Any conflicts among the three offices should be easy to resolve because all three will be under the umbrella of the White House, said Mark Boster, chief operating officer of Platinum Solutions and former deputy assistant attorney general for information resources management at the Justice Department.