Chief Technology Officers are most closely aligned with tech startups and software developers. But those are far from the only use cases for adding a chief technical officer to the C-suite.

The reality is that every company today is a technology company. At the very least, the company likely has a website, digital customer contact information, and some type of software solution to manage finances, inventory or other data. Plus, as any conscientious business owner will tell you, there are those niggling worries that can keep them up at night — things like wondering whether the company is vulnerable to a cybersecurity attack that will release their customers’ private data to the universe.

Does that mean you need to hire a full-time Chief Technology Officer or Chief Information Officer? Not necessarily. But you definitely need someone who has the strategic insights and decision-making power to manage the rapidly evolving technology landscape. If you don’t yet need or can’t justify hiring a full-time CTO, a part-time or fractional CTO or CIO can oversee your tech needs at a far lower cost.

But, first, let’s look at the role of a CTO in technology management.