CIOs must be prepared to cancel projects not essential
to business survival and find new ways to cut costs and headcount
as CEOrestructuring plansunfold,says
Gartner.
"Today's CEO concerns provide an advanced look at what will
become CIO priorities in six to 18 months," said Gartner analyst
Jorge Lopez.
At the same time, CIOs will need to deal with unexpected
acquisitions and divestitures, according to Gartner's analysis
of top challenges for CEOs.
Gartners top challenges for CIOs in 2009
- Strategic staff appointments and layoffs will add to the IT
workload as CEOs try to pull together the most effective
workforce. - IT departments will be called upon increasingly to help improve
transparency as management becomes more data-driven to limit
risk.
- CIOs will need to ensure IT departments are flexible enough to
cope with rapid and large changes in strategies for growth as long
as there is financial uncertainty.
- Regulation changes are also likely to demand quick responses
from CIOs as governments demand greater oversight of business
dealings.
- Environmental sustainability will remain on the CEO agenda,
says Gartner, which will impact on CIOs because IT represents the
biggest impact for many organisations.
- *CIO should, therefore, prepare to review policies and
practices to fit in with businesses' need to satisfy environmental
concerns.
- CIOs should be aware that restructuring is likely to proceed
quickly and they should identify a team that will be ready to react
when necessary.