Which of the following is a CIO responsibility for government personnel?

• A. Designating Senior Information Security Officer
• B. Publishing Security Marketing Plans
• C. Approving All Software Purchases
• D. Managing Daily IT Operations

Answer: (A)

In government security, leadership and clear accountability for information security come from appointing a senior security leader who reports to the CIO. The CIO designates a Senior Information Security Officer to provide top-level security direction, own the security program, and ensure policies, risk management, and compliance efforts are properly structured and resourced. This role oversees developing security policies, managing risk, and ensuring adherence to laws and standards like FISMA and NIST, while communicating security posture to agency leadership. That centralized authority ensures there is a definitive point of accountability for protecting information assets across the agency.

Other activities described are more operational or unrelated to governance. Publishing marketing plans isn’t part of security governance, approving every software purchase is typically handled through procurement and security review processes rather than direct CIO leadership, and managing daily IT operations is about routine upkeep rather than the executive responsibility for steering the security program.