CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities study outlines tech investment plans as organizations plan for effects of recession

Boston, Mass. – March 7, 2023 –CIO – Foundry’s executive-level IT media brand providing insight into business technology leadership, released today the annual CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities research, outlining how organizations are investing in technology in the face of a recession. The research explores how organizations are progressing forward, outlines the technology areas IT leaders will be focused on, and measures the direction of investments in those tech categories.

Despite healthy budgets, IT priorities adjust to macroeconomic conditions

Although the majority of IT decision-makers expect the economy to go into a recession in 2023, or are already in one, more than half (51%) expect their budgets to increase, while 37% expect them to remain stable, and only 12% expect a decrease. Organizations are accelerating work on technology projects that are expected to alleviate the impact of economic slowdown, and where possible are consolidating vendor contracts to reduce expenses.

Not surprisingly the number one technology area organizations are investing in, specifically to help alleviate the impact of the economic recession, is automation tools (72%), followed by cybersecurity tools which remains a constant regardless of economic conditions (61%), and cloud adoption (58%).

Technologies which are top of mind, but not yet in production (being researched and piloted currently), include: AI/machine learning, followed by data analytics frameworks, business process management/workflow automation, employee experience technologies, and IT/OT convergence. Although blockchain is one of the top technologies being researched (25%), the results also show that a majority of respondents (51%) say their organizations are not interested in adopting it for their organizations. The interest in blockchain has not moved forward over the past few years as perhaps expected – in 2020 when blockchain was first added to this survey, 39% of respondents said they were researching it, which dropped to 34% in 2021. Organizations not interested in blockchain has remained in the 50-54% range over the past three years.

The top technologies seeing increased investment over the next year include: cybersecurity, BI/analytics tools, data analytics frameworks, AI & machine learning, and robotic process automation. Security continues to be a top priority as the majority say that cybersecurity is the most important tech project they are currently working on, while data & analytics rises to the top for technologies expected to alter business operations.

“Because organizations are consolidating vendor contracts to reduce expenses, it is even more important for emerging technology vendors to educate buyers on the value of their solutions” said Holly McWalter, Marketing & Research Specialist, Foundry. “Pilot testing/product demonstrations, and external events/conferences (virtual or in-person) are important tactics to incorporate into strategic plans as they are the top resources utilized by organizations to evaluate emerging technology vendors.”

About the CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities Survey

The survey was fielded online with the objective of understanding which technology areas IT leaders are focused on over the next 12 months and measure the direction of spending within those categories. Results are based on 276 qualified IT respondents. This study was fielded globally, with the response base being 68% North America, 26% EMEA, and 6% APAC.

You can learn more about the CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities research in the executive summary.

About Foundry, an IDG Inc. Company

Foundry helps companies bring their visions to reality through a combination of media, marketing technologies and proprietary data on a global scale. Our intent data and martech platforms are powered by data from an owned and operated ecosystem of global editorial brands, awards, and events, all engineered and integrated to drive marketing campaigns for technology companies. Foundry is dedicated to generating and innovating with data, driving demand for technology marketers with 38 offices in markets around the globe. Foundry is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group, Inc. (IDG), the world’s leading tech media, data, research and marketing services company.

To learn more about Foundry, visit foundryco.com.

About CIO

CIO focuses on attracting the highest concentration of enterprise CIOs and business technology executives with unparalleled peer insight and expertise on business strategy, innovation, and leadership. As organizations grow with digital transformation, CIO provides its readers with key insights on career development, including certifications, hiring practices and skills development. The award-winning CIO portfolio provides business technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology trends and a keen understanding of IT’s role in achieving business goals. CIO is published by Foundry (formerly IDG Communications). Company information is available at foundryco.com. Follow CIO on Twitter: @CIOonline & @CIOevents or on LinkedIn or Facebook.

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