IBM Study

CIOs' Influence is Growing As Technology Becomes Core to Surveyed Enterprises

Only 23% of CIOs surveyed expect remote workplace changes from the COVID-19 pandemic to become permanent

ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Business Value (IBV) study revealed CIOs' influence on business strategy and operations is growing as technology pervades surveyed enterprises. When asked which other C-Suite members will be most critical over the next few years, CEOs surveyed named their tech chiefs (CIOs and CTOs) at more than twice the rate of CMOs, CHROs or any other position excluding CFO and COOs.

The annual global study* also revealed critical challenges CIOs are facing and recommendations to help overcome those challenges and drive agility, innovation and growth for their organizations.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for AI and hybrid cloud applications to power business critical processes," said Kathryn Guarini, chief information officer, IBM. "In our post-pandemic era, the role of technology has never been more critical and it's up to CIOs to influence strategy, break down internal silos, and drive agility and innovation across every part of the business."

CIOs surveyed lead digital transformation with focus on AI, hybrid cloud and sustainability

While CIOs continue to deliver the core IT services that power day-to-day business operations, they are also often expected to help drive innovation and business growth.

Many surveyed CIOs emphasized the importance of data and automation to break down siloes and create new value streams. The number of CIOs surveyed reporting high maturity in AI-enabled workflows increased 560% compared to two years ago, and 37% of CIOs surveyed cite process automation as the top opportunity for positive impact within their organizations. Respondents indicated the greatest use of automation is in IT, finance, and manufacturing – at 40%, 35%, and 35% of workloads, respectively.

Hybrid cloud is a key underpinning for AI-powered intelligent workflows. The number of CIOs surveyed reporting high maturity in their hybrid cloud operations increased 700% compared to 2019. The IBV's recent study on cloud transformation provides further insight on how hybrid cloud is becoming the dominant IT architecture.

Many CIOs are also looking to use technology to drive progress against corporate objectives like sustainability.  42% of CIOs surveyed expect technology to have a significant impact on sustainability in the next three years - highest of all areas of impact.