New CIO Priorities Report Reveals Strategies for ANZ Organisations to Compete in the Digital Economy

Info-Tech Research Group ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3493678-1&h=3601830395&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infotech.com%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpressrelease%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3DITRG2022CIOPriorities&a=Info-Tech+Research+Group ), one of the top information technology and research advisory firms globally, has published its annual CIO Priorities for the coming year. The CIO Priorities 2022 ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3493678-1&h=74012427&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infotech.com%2Fresearch%2Fss%2Fcio-priorities-2022%3Futm_source%3Dpressrelease%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3DITRG2022CIOPriorities&a=CIO+Priorities+2022 ) report combines insights from the recently released 2022 Tech Trends Report ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3493678-1&h=4248639988&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infotech.com%2Fresearch%2Fss%2F2022-tech-trends%3Futm_source%3Dpressrelease%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3DITRG2022CIOPriorities&a=2022+Tech+Trends+Report ) to help CIOs better compete in the digital economy and support their organisations through change.

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Info-Tech’s annual CIO priorities come from proprietary, primary data and consultation with internal experts with CIO experience, as well as Info-Tech members, including those in Australia and New Zealand. The priorities for 2022 are also informed by insights collected from related industry reports that Info-Tech releases throughout the year.

‘In the CIO Priorities 2022 report, we’re looking at how to set priorities to compete in the digital economy and support the organisation through a dynamic period of change,’ explains Brian Jackson ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3493678-1&h=2683842172&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infotech.com%2Fprofiles%2Fbrian-jackson%3Futm_source%3Dpressrelease%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3DITRG2022CIOPriorities&a=Brian+Jackson ), Research Director and lead analyst for the report. ‘This report will help CIOs understand how to balance everything that’s on their plate and become inspired with case studies that show once you make the commitment, successful outcomes are possible.’

A priority is created when external factors hold strong synergy with internal goals, and an organisation responds by committing resources to either avert risk or seize the opportunity.

‘CIOs bear a greater burden than ever after the pandemic,’ adds Jackson. ‘They’ve facilitated new remote work scenarios and now must adapt to a hybrid operating model. Talent is at an all-time premium, so staff retention is crucial, and there’s more pressure to automate more tasks. At the same time, CIOs face a severe cybersecurity threat in ransomware and new compliance pressures from investors and governments.’

Five Priorities from Info-Tech’s 2022 CIO Priorities Report
‘The 2022 CIO priorities certainly resonated with what our members were telling us locally,’ says Mike Schembri ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3493678-1&h=936272832&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infotech.com%2Fprofiles%2Fmike-schembri%3Futm_source%3Dpressrelease%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3DITRG2022CIOPriorities&a=Mike+Schembri ), Info-Tech’s Senior Executive Advisor for the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region.

The following top five priorities should be top of mind for CIOs and tech leaders in Australia and New Zealand:

1. Reduce Friction in the Hybrid Operating Model. Lockdowns and the
societal move to working from home as the ‘new normal’ changed
people’s work expectations. What was initially a business continuity
(BCP) response to a global crisis is now seen as best practice for
employers and service providers alike. For example, according to
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the proportion of GP’s medical
appointments via Tele-Health peaked at 36% (from a base of zero) in
May 2020 and remains a significant proportion of all appointments.
In 2022 and beyond, CIOs will need to work through new pain points
related to the friction of collaboration.

2. Improve Your Ransomware Readiness. Like the rest of the world,
ransomware has been front of mind for ANZ IT leaders and business
leaders alike. Globalisation in cyber threats continues with a number
of high-profile attacks against local institutions, such as the May 2021
ransomware attack on the Waikato District Health Board that brought down
all IT Systems and phone lines. In addition, the attacks against core
service providers like Kaseya impacted many local ANZ customers. There
is also an ever-increasing interest from boards requesting information
and assurance from IT executives as to their organisations’ security
posture and readiness. Going forward, organisations should look beyond
multilayer prevention strategies and lean toward quick detection and
response, spending evenly across prevention, detection, and response
solutions.

3. Support an Employee-Centric Retention Strategy. As net importers of
skilled labour, the ANZ region was disproportionately impacted by what
came to be known colloquially as The Great Resignation. The IT sectors
in both countries had been significant users of skilled migration visas
to fulfill resourcing needs. With borders closed, this avenue for
resource augmentation closed. The NZ Government sector was further
impacted by the Government’s policy decision to freeze employees’ pay
above $100K until 2024. IT leaders will need to find ways to create
enough capacity to allow workers time to spend on development.

4. Design an Automation Platform. Build it or buy it, platform integration
can yield great benefits. Digital transformation accelerated during the
pandemic, and most organisations became more digitalized as formerly
manual processes became automated through software. But how they pursue
it will depend on their IT maturity.

5. Prepare to Report on New Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
Metrics. CIOs need to become experts in ESG disclosure requirements and
recommend to the business the steps needed to meet or exceed
competitors’ efforts. As of this writing, the Australian Federal
Government has not yet called the election, but Australia will have
to go to the polls federally by the 21st of May, 2022. The expectation
is that governments will need to deliver more rigorous ESG policy
frameworks in response to the will of the public and shareholder
activism. CIOs should become experts in ESG disclosure requirements
and recommend the steps needed to meet or exceed competitors’ efforts.
It’s unclear what policies will be proposed by major parties, but
public sentiment may now be outrunning the party policy frameworks.
Local industry initiatives and shareholder activism are often
outrunning government regulation. Several local examples include:

— Mike Cannon Brookes (Atlassian co-founder) and venture capital’s
attempted takeover of Australian Gas Light Co (AGL), a major
Australian energy producer, with the intent to ‘decarbonize’ the
organisation by 2025. Other providers have also announced their plans
to close coal-fired power stations without government incentives.
— Rio Tinto’s chairman’s resignation over the destruction of an
aboriginal sacred site at Juukan Gorge resulted from shareholder
backlash rather than government penalties.

In addition to the outlining of priorities for CIOs, Info-Tech’s CIO Priorities 2022 report also includes insights in the form of exclusive podcast audio, quotes, and case studies from experts at Harvard Business School, Cross Country Mortgage, Allianz Technology, and CVS Health, to name a few, to help technology leaders understand how they too can navigate the shifting trends and requirements within the industry.

For each of the five priorities for the coming months, the report examines how CIOs are responding by referencing survey data and panel interviews.

The comprehensive report is now available. To learn more about each of the priorities, download and read the full CIO Priorities 2022 Report today ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3493678-1&h=1194351628&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infotech.com%2Fresearch%2Fss%2Fcio-priorities-2022%3Futm_source%3Dpressrelease%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3DITRG2022CIOPriorities&a=download+and+read+the+full+CIO+Priorities+2022+Report+today ).

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About Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Research Group ( https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3493678-1&h=3601830395&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infotech.com%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpressrelease%26utm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_campaign%3DITRG2022CIOPriorities&a=Info-Tech+Research+Group ) is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. Info-Tech partners closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organisations.

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