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CIO Survey Shows Executives Facing Enormous Transformation

A new breed of chief information officer (CIO) is emerging, and information technology (IT) budgets are on the rise, according to the new Harvey Nash U.S. CIO 2005/2006 Survey.

Commissioned by Harvey Nash Group plc (HN), a global recruitment and talent solutions firm, and sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), the survey profiles U.S. CIOs and the most pressing issues they face.

While similarities abound among CIOs globally, differences also surfaced. In the U.S., CIOs reported that:

  • IT budgets are growing as pent up demand is released, with 25 percent of respondents seeing an increase between 10 and 20 percent, and 13 percent seeing an increase over 20 percent.
  • Business and career goals are converging to create new opportunities for CIOs who desire participation in their company's strategic planning processes.
  • Security concerns rank high for U.S. CIOs compared to their U.K. peers, and
  • Outsourcing of IT services is a hot topic for U.S. CIOs, with almost all respondents indicating that they have used outsourcing, and 38 percent of respondents projecting growth in outsourcing budgets.

Reducing costs was the primary reason for companies choosing to outsource, and approximately 10 percent of respondents said they contract with resources outside the U.S., termed "offshoring."

When questioned about the quality of outsourcing, findings varied depending on the type of service being contracted. Strong opinions surfaced regarding the appropriate functions to outsource, indicating an area where caution and strategic decision making is critically important.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory partner Phil Bloodworth, "In order for the CIO to play a more strategic role in the business, it is imperative that the IT organization keep pace with business strategies and align IT initiatives directly to business objectives. Successful IT leaders are keeping up with advances in technology, but they are also focused on the business trends their companies face. Increasingly they describe themselves as business people first, technology experts second."

For a copy of the Harvey Nash CIO 2005/2006 Survey, please visit the Harvey Nash or PricewaterhouseCoopers Web sites at www.harveynash.com/ciosurvey05 or www.pwc.com/us/ite.


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