State of the CIO 2017

For those of you familiar with our flagship State of the CIO report, this is the time of year when we field the survey that we use to collect the data from which we glean the insights for our annual look at the status of IT leaders in the business world.

We do a lot of research here at CIO, but perhaps none of our projects is as widely anticipated as State of the CIO. The results of this survey give us, our readers and the vendor community a gauge of what has changed over the past 12 months and where CIOs are headed in the next one to three years. And it’s the basis of a presentation that I deliver at many events throughout the year.

In the annual survey, we gather information ranging from salary and budget figures to business leaders’ perceptions of IT and IT-security alignment. Three of the main indicators we track are these: Who CIOs report to, how long they have held their current positions and how they’re spending the majority of their time. Over the years, these KPIs have shifted in response to economic factors and new challenges facing IT leaders.

The survey also looks at top business and IT initiatives that will lead to IT investments in the coming year. We compare the responses of IT leaders with those of executives from non-IT business units to identify gaps and inconsistencies.

The State of the CIO research has long been an invaluable resource for both us, and for those who rely on CIO for guidance, but I think there’s room to make it even better, with more insights for us, our readers and vendors.

That’s where you come in.

Our survey typically gets 550 to 650 responses from people who identify as “heads of IT.” This is a solid foundation, but we can do better. With your help, I’d like to double the response rate this year. A larger base of respondents means more and better data and a better understanding of the challenges facing CIOs.

If you’re an IT executive in any part of the world, at a company of any size, within any vertical industry, I invite you to take the survey. You can find it by clicking here.

The study should take no more than 15 or 20 minutes to complete, and if you participate, you’ll be eligible to receive a report containing survey highlights.

Your participation is greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you have any questions prior to taking the survey.