Opinions about CIOs’ agendas for 2019 vary.
Gartner, who surveyed more than 3000 CIOs in 89 countries (across all major industries), has suggested that most technology leaders have overseen successful digital transformations within their organisations. Digital transformation has been high on CIO agendas for several years. Now Gartner has stated that CIOs' primary objective for 2019 is to drive scale via digital channels to enhance CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT.
Reporting via Forbes, Forrester has made more conservative predictions. It agreed that digital enhancements had now reached the core of most organisations’ structures and operating models. However, it suggested that economic uncertainty in 2019 would be putting many CIOs’ budgets under pressure. It also claimed that the digital transformation process was not over but was part of an on-going cycle. It argued that nimble AGILE INNOVATIONS would be the priority for most CIOs, as they sought to keep their companies competitive by ensuring customer delight, whilst avoiding over-extending their organisations financially.
CIO Magazine, who surveyed 738 IT leaders, said that most CEOs were mandating CIOs to lead digital business initiatives that would enable their organisations to their reach corporate revenue growth goals. Yet, it suggested the main objective for CIOs was to bolster CYBER SECURITY defences. It argued security had become the number one priority because organisations had a greater reliance on digital business processes and revenue models than ever before.
Harvey Nash’s 2019 Tech Survey revealed that AI SOLUTIONS were a hot topic on many CIOs agendas. It said that more than 40% of organisations were already making or saving money through this technology. In addition, it suggested that usage was particularly prevalent in the financial services sector, but it was being widely adopted across most industries. This growth looks likely to continue in 2019.
With its ear to the ground, Crimson believes that the hurdles presented by GDPR regulations, reliance on ‘big data’, IR35, and Brexit, most CIOs will be aiming to tighten-up security, remain compliant, and build strong IT teams that will ultimately STABILISE their organisations in 2019 and beyond.
Crimson is an IT consultancy, an IT solutions provider, an IT recruitment agency, and a Microsoft Gold Partner operating across the UK.
