Loretta W. Prencipe

It's the million-dollar question:

In this difficult economy, CEOs are looking over IT's shoulder more than ever, getting deeply involved in IT strategy and buying decisions, say CTOs and other IT executives involved with technology purchases.

Innovative technologies such as Web services and wireless are taking root across the enterprise, and they're spawning even newer, bleeding-edge ideas. Leading the charge into the future of IT are Graham Glass, who is developing service-oriented Java; Alexei Trifonov and Audrius Berzanskis, who are building quantum encryption hardware; and Peter Stanforth, who is breaking new ground in mesh networks.

The marriage of personal conviction and professional opportunity convinced Debra Stouffer to sign on as the first CTO for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "I can carve out what the CTO position will be," Stouffer said. "I was very attracted to the mission

Jeff Skrysak feels pretty lucky these days. He's two years out of college and working as a senior Internet developer in Rosemont, Ill., for a large multinational company that manufactures fluorescent and HID (high intensity discharge) ballasts.

Jeff Skrysak feels pretty lucky these days. He's two years out of college and working as a senior Internet developer in Rosemont, Ill., for a large multinational company that manufactures fluorescent and HID (high intensity discharge) ballasts.

It's been a tough year or two all around the IT job market. With high-profile layoffs, some of the largest bankruptcy filings ever, and sagging markets, it became clear that IT salaries, which once seemed on a continual rise and which fuelled the growth of industries around IT recruitment, were not immune to the economic slide.

Finding a career-making CTO position is as much about technology as it is about personal networks. When such an opportunity is identified, it is the steps prior to signing an employment contract