COVID-19 has drastically changed the digital landscape and a number of CIOs have seen their positions in companies transform.
WalkMe wanted to understand: As a CIO, how have your priorities shifted as you enter 2021?
Constellation Research, in partnership with WalkMe, set out to collect insightful and timely data on that very question to better comprehend the challenges and new priorities confronting CIOs in 2021.
Culminating into the CIO Outlook 2021: Delivering Business ROI at Scale, the report surveyed 100 leading Fortune 500 CIOs. The collected data gives CIOs and IT leaders the opportunity to benchmark their own strategies against those of their peers.
Read the full report here and continue below for key takeaways:
IT budgeting – not what you’d expect
In times of crisis and uncertainty, company budgets experience deep cuts. But according to the CIO Outlook 2021, COVID-19 hasn’t affected IT budgets as much as initially anticipated. In fact, some budgets have even increased as the reliance on technology grows. This is no doubt a reassuring statistic and a testament to the importance of digital in driving organizations forward and out of the crisis.
Where are these budgets going? 77% of respondents cited that digital transformation is their top priority, pushing cybersecurity to number two. This translates into companies putting more resources into ensuring they are digitally enabled to thrive through and past the pandemic – whether investing in new software or optimizing existing software.
As 2021 approaches, how are you defining the success of your company’s digital transformation strategy?
Remote work – everyone is adjusting
Remote work has become a new reality for most. When COVID first struck, CIOs and IT needed to work quickly to supply employees with the support and tools to maintain business continuity and productivity. The CIO Outlook 2021 found that remote work poses challenges on both an infrastructure level but on a human level as well, making IT a key influencer on employee wellness and wellbeing.
Solution-oriented to deliver immediate ROI
In crisis, there is a need to balance between immediate support and long-term initiatives, which is another crucial takeaway from the report. Whether IT budgets have grown or been put at a standstill, CIOs are looking to gain more out of existing software using automation, self-service IT, and tools that help monitor software usage.
It’s not enough to invest in a complex system and expect employees to simply use it, rather it’s imperative that CIOs make the shift to a customer-centric approach to digital employee experiences.
2021 and beyond
No one could have predicted the turbulence of 2020. The results of the CIO Outlook 2021 report show that CIOs have demonstrated resilience and a strong resolve to future-proof their organizations.
As part of a solid IT strategy, WalkMe’s Digital Adoption Platform (DAP), can play an essential role. With a 368% ROI, IT leaders using DAP gain complete visibility into their organization’s tech portfolio, user journeys, and software usage. This results in cutting costs on unused platforms and knowing exactly what needs to be optimized. DAP leverages self-service tools and automation, making users more self-sufficient and confident when using technology – whether from home or the office.
Read the full report to find out where you stand in relation to Fortune 500 CIOs and get insights into how to influence and lead your companies to success.
