3 Takeaways from a CIO Survey

Businesses across the world continue to face talent and labor shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and companies within the tech industry are no different. These shortages, combined with changes to the “normal” workplace environment, have resulted in many companies rethinking and assessing their current and future challenges, opportunities, and priorities within their IT departments. 

In late 2021, Clarkston Consulting conducted a CIO Market Study, aiming to better understand the current priorities and challenges of upper or C-Suite level IT professionals (CIO/CISO/CTO/VP) at large companies ($350M+ revenue) in the retail, CPG, manufacturing, or life science industries. 

Key Takeaways

SAP is here to stay. 

Businesses across industries continue to utilize SAP solutions to increase effectiveness, boost competitive standing, and achieve success. Clarkston Consulting’s CIO Survey found that about half of respondents (47%) noted using SAP in their business over other ERP systems like Microsoft and Oracle. SAP maintains its position as the top ERP solution provider, therefore, understanding how to leverage SAP in your workforce is of growing importance.  

Managed IT services are the most often outsourced activity. 

When comparing outsourced activity, 67% of respondents noted outsourcing managed IT services the most, alongside cloud services (63%) and cybersecurity/compliance (57%). Notably, respondents also identified trust as the most important factor in choosing outsourcing partners, followed by expected value, total cost, and expertise. As businesses seek partners like BCTG for their IT services, it is in the service partner’s hands to stand out from competitors and secure the partnership. 

A healthy work environment matters. 

When addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents found that IT departments allowed more remote work options. Additionally, none of the respondents expect remote work opportunities to return to “normal,” referring to pre-pandemic times. This emphasis on remote work maintains its prevalence, and businesses should provide opportunities that cater to remote workers. 

Another large impact of the pandemic relates to mental health and well-being. Two-thirds of respondents have invested in programs to address the mental health and well-being needs of their team as well, with 80% being newly enacted programs. More importantly, almost all respondents (96%) indicated their company promotes a healthy work environment to some extent. Whether hiring full-time or contingent staff, providing remote opportunities and promoting a healthy work environment is essential in today’s workplace. 

CIO Survey Results

The results of this survey provide a detailed view of many of the challenges that IT departments across the consumer products, retail, and life sciences industries continue to face, particularly as they navigate the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace. To learn more about how BCTG can help you overcome some of these challenges, contact our team today. 

This piece was adapted from a piece originally published by a partner in our business ecosystem, Clarkston Consulting. Learn more about Clarkston here.