Dive Brief:
- To improve the way their organizations operate, executives will be using more Internet of Things, hybrid cloud and AI over the next five years, according to Snow Software's 2022 IT Priorities report, published Tuesday. The firm commissioned Regina Corso Consulting to conduct a survey of 1,008 IT decision makers.
- In the 2022 technology roadmap, executives say improving day-to-day operations (30%), reducing IT costs (28%) and improving customer service and satisfaction (28%) are their top priorities.
- Nine in 10 IT executives say they now have more accountability for the financial impact of IT investments than in previous years, Snow Software finds. The same number of executives say IT is often asked to innovate faster and demonstrate return on their investments.
Dive Insight:
The past two years illustrated how technology can allow businesses to operate past disruption — bringing new revenue streams and improving operations. Technology budgets for the year ahead, and beyond, are showing that executive intent.
Executives expect a 3.6% increase in IT spend for 2022, according to Gartner data. That number represents the largest year-over-year increase in over a decade, surpassing the 3% growth experienced in 2018.
CIOs are overseeing the higher budget allocation, a sign of the role more clearly evolving into broader business advisor than technology provider. Despite ample innovation goals, seven in 10 decision makers say they end up spending too much time reacting to problems, which reduces their ability to innovate.
Tech executives are also preparing for more human-centered roles, with customer service and satisfaction atop their list of IT priorities.
One in 10 tech executives at top-performing companies will focus investments on human-centered tech initiatives at three times the rate of their competitors next year, according to Forrester projections.