Research from Forbes Insights, with VMware and Intel, looks into the different priorities of CIOs across the region compared to their global counterparts and the technologies they are leveraging to find new business opportunities for their companies.
In the past, strategic decisions and organisational change have been supported by technologies—rarely driven by them. CIOs were often left out of major decisions and tasked with executing the “how” regardless of the “why.” That’s no longer the case. They are seizing the opportunities presented by multi-cloud, modernising their application pipeline, and meeting or exceeding expectations around hybrid workplaces.
VMware partnered with Intel and Forbes to look at how the CIO role is changing and how CIOs are leveraging technology to find new business opportunities for their companies. After interviewing more than 600 CIOs, including 200 across Asia Pacific, one thing became clear: in a future-focused, technology-driven world, CIOs are carving the path forward for their organisation, and are finally looming large in the C-suite.
Over the next decade, CIO influence and responsibilities will continue to grow. The rapid tech transformation of enterprise operations over the last few years shows little sign of slowing. CIOs hold the keys to customer engagement, cost efficiencies, revenue and innovation, and can offer the insights and strategic direction their teams need to make pivotal decisions.
Research highlights for CIOs across Asia Pacific
In Looking Forward: The CIO of 2025 Asia Pacific research report, executives around the globe were asked to identify their priorities between now and 2025, their concerns looking forward and how their role is changing. When comparing their responses, CIOs in Asia Pacific placed higher priority in key areas.
- CIOs in Asia Pacific markets are nearly twice as likely as their counterparts in the Americas to already sit on their boards (60% versus 32%).
- 76% of Asia-Pacific CIOs are also more likely to report an increased importance for technology-related matters in board and executive staff meetings.
- Empowering a hybrid workforce is a top priority for CIOs globally, with CIOs in Asia Pacific reporting that IT is actively working to unlock the power of hybrid work environments. In fact, they are bullish on IT’s role throughout the organisation: to inspire, create a defensible competitive advantage and help exceed customer expectations.
- When asked which technologies accelerate innovation and adoption of other technologies, 37% of CIOs in Asia-Pacific markets cited modern applications, compared to 23% in Europe and 7% in the Americas.
- The majority of CIOs in Asia Pacific had security top of mind: 58% were concerned with maintaining cybersecurity defences.
- The great majority of CIOs in Asia-Pacific markets (81%) reported that they are deployed across more than one cloud platform and one in five (22%) have between four and 10 public cloud engagements.
Read more in the article by Forbes Australia with Vice President and Managing Director of VMware Australia and New Zealand, Brad Anderson.
Looking Forward: The CIO Of 2025 - Asia-Pacific
Take a look at what CIOs in Asia Pacific have to say about their changing roles and how they’re using technology to deliver on business strategy and create new opportunities.
