I met with over 100 CIOs in 2023, and the nature of our conversations differed from the beginning to the end of the year. The 2024 technology outlook is beyond AI.
The conversations in early 2023 were predominately about;
Inflationary pressures and a need for predictability of costs. This was being driven by technology companies and their cloud services. Many CIOs were exploring hybrid environments for greater cost certainty.
Cybersecurity - more specifically, many of the questions posed to CIOs were by company directors seeking confidence in Cyber resilience (how secure are we?) and recovery (how we reinstate services).
From the middle to the end of the year, the conversations had changed, and five key themes emerged;
Contemporary strategy with meaningful alignment into the future direction of the business. Some CIOs created a digital strategy, and others updated their technology strategy. My logical delineation is that a digital strategy is predominantly about business (i.e., for customers and partners) and externally facing, while a technology strategy is primarily internal.
Funding was available for strategies, and releasing the funds was based on clear milestones being met. Governance was tight, and regular updates were required, but funding was not the issue, which led me to the next point…
Organisational redesign became a priority. There is not a plethora of experienced and willing people available. Involving people within key strategic initiatives to build their careers became a key retention lever.
ESG, boards and executives are taking a greater interest in initiatives and data available to determine progress. This will continue to be a focus for 2024.
AI - everyone is talking about it, but few are doing it. I delivered over thirty presentations on the topic. It is evident that CIOs don’t know who to truly trust on AI initiatives, with tech and professional services companies pushing their agendas. Many organisations realised after my keynote that quality data fuels their AI begins with data. I will be sharing more about AI in upcoming blogs.
Over the summer, I updated both my websites: my author site, www.davidbanger.com, and my business site, www.changelead.com.
Throughout 2024, I’m now more available for workshops, keynotes, and strategic services after concluding a major contract in December.
Have a great 2024, and feel free to contact me here if you’re interested in working with me.
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