Digital transformation is nothing new. Depending on your definition, it can go back as far as the middle of the twentieth century.  Even by the most conservative interpretations, leading enterprises have been on the digitization path for a couple of decades.

Over the last few years, however, digital transformation has taken on a new urgency. As organizations have weathered the upheavals instigated by the pandemic, inflation/recession, digitization has become integral to their responses and also their future plans. Looking ahead, it is clear that digital technologies will continue to play a seminal role in enterprise strategy and success.

However, certain aspects of digital transformation are likely to increase in importance while others will diminish. This research describes some of the trends IT leaders can expect to become more prevalent – and others that are more likely to fade.

With the enduring economic uncertainties prevailing, and the dramatic changes across every industry being enabled/driven by IT, organizations around the globe are continuing to focus on leveraging IT to swiftly reduce expenses and, more recently, increase revenues. SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud), blockchain, AI, Robotics Process Automation technologies, with the emergence of the newer Metaverse and Quantum Computing, are clearly transforming the industry. While IT appears to be quite resilient with IT budgets, hiring, and salary increases on the rise, upon closer analysis these increases continue to evolve cautiously. This guarded trend has brought increased attention to reducing IT budgets through IT infrastructure spending (especially Cloud) and sourcing (especially offshore).

Since its inception in 1980, the Society for Information Management (SIM) survey has helped IT leaders understand important issues and trends. Dr. Luftman coordinated this initiative from 1999 - 2014. Since 2009, management associations from around the globe (including CIOnet) have participated. This annual global IT perspective, now directed by GIIM, presents the insights from over 2,650 organizations representing every major geography (North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and Australia) and industry, including a look at the future role of IT.

While the detailed results are published and presented around the globe, as well as deliberated on our LinkedIn discussion group ( The Future Role of IT ), a slide set and papers with the major results is available via the links at the bottom of this screen.. 

Many IT and non-IT organizations are like the proverbial frog in the pot of water that is ready to boil; they are not anticipating the changes taking place all around them.

The purpose of our annual IT trends research is to communicate these important changes. Are we seeing the end of the CIO as we have known it?  We are clearly seeing the role of the CIO and the overall IT organization experiencing a significant transformation. It is those organizations and individuals who are best prepared that will prosper in these exciting times.