The CIO's job has never been tougher. But it has also never been as exhilarating as it is right now. The CIO is a change agent and the buck stops at his desk. But it is still not easy to define what a CIO must do to be part of a central operation. Is the CIO a business manager or a technical manager? Is the CIO in charge of failures in the IT department or for making sure that flaws don't exist in the first place?

Luckily, there are plenty of new tools in the marketplace to help CIO deliver results. But does the CIO take a risk spending money on software and other tech that is not yet tried and trusted? In a year where there will be belt-tightening, where do you stand? Can you make good on the requirement to deliver the best technology and results at the cheapest cost? Are you the savvy professional that can cut costs without feeling an impact on your business?

We'd like to hear some of your ideas. Certainly, all eyes are on the technology gurus who can add power to the system without spending more money. Are you one of them? -Judi

P.S. By the way, don't forget to check out FierceCIO's ongoing trivia contest.