Michael J. Ragunas has been appointed chief information officer for Cetera Financial Group, a network of independent financial firms, Cetera announced Tuesday.

Ragunas will be responsible for developing and implementing technology strategy across Cetera’s lines of business, focusing on Cetera’s Advice Architect Ecosystem, a suite of technology-driven tools and platforms.

Previously, Ragunas served as chief technology officer for Payfone Inc., a provider of mobile network-based authentication and anti-fraud solutions.