CIOs are more business-savvy than ever. They don't have a choice. After all these years of struggling to align IT with the business and striving to meet the needs of business leaders and business unit employees, successful IT leaders find themselves working alongside their business peers, including fellow C-level executives.

Of course, I would be remiss not to mention that a growing number of CIOs have transitioned over from business roles in the last several years. Still, whether you're business leader-turned-CIO or a CIO who grew from within the IT organization, it's critical for IT leaders to find a way to stay on top of the latest technology trends, particularly as consumer electronics continue to invade the workplace and spread their influence.

As we examine this question, it's important to recognize how the roles of both the CTO and the CIO are changing.

In many enterprise organizations, CTOs are responsible for setting technology strategies and establishing standards while ensuring that technology that's used by the business adheres to those criteria. Meanwhile, CIOs are accountable for working with business and functional leaders to set business strategy and to make sure that the IT organization is aligned in meeting the needs and expectations of the business.