Survey calls for insight into CIO pressures and priorities

Logicalis is calling for CIOs and IT participants in its 2016 global survey of CIO pressures and priorities survey, which will analyse trends that can transform IT departments into internal line-of-business (LOB) customers.

"The world is changing fast for IT departments and CIOs.  People have become accustomed to buying the services they need on demand from a variety of providers, and if IT can't deliver what line of business users and managers need to do their jobs, they'll turn elsewhere to procure those services," says Basil O'Raghaillaigh, CEO of Logicalis Australia.

"This is an issue for CIOs, for two reasons.  First, it is about maintaining control over the IT department and, second, it's about the CIO remaining relevant in his or her job.  The aim for many, it seems, is to be seen as a business partner rather than a cost centre within the company.  How are they doing? It's an issue so important and so pervasive that Logicalis is now conducting its fourth annual global survey to find out," O'Raghaillaigh concludes.

In 2013, the survey tipped that 60% of CIO respondents believed LOB managers would become more powerful IT decision-makers in three to five years. In 2014, it was proven correct, as one in four CIOs stated that they had lost control of ICT spending, and instead the balance was in favour of LOB executives. In 2015, the number of CIOs sidelined during IT purchasing decisions reached 31%.

Shadow IT was now a reality for CIOs, the 2015 survey also reported. The main way to solve this problem was to transform the entire function of IT departments away from technology and instead to services.

THe survey said that IT 'needed to become a broker of technology services', its first port of call being the implementation of a software-defined data center.

As such, the survey found that CIOs are now free from day-to-day operational tasks, as now 38% are spending at least half of their time on strategic activities.

Logicalis is now looking to find out if CIOs have fully embraced this transformational process in 2016.

The survey is available online until 1 August 2016 and results will be released in Q3 2016.