10 CIO Trends in 2022

Each year at Evanta, a Gartner Company, we survey our executive communities to learn about their priorities, challenges and goals for the coming year. The information we gather is used to build world-class agendas focused on the community’s needs. 

We often see subtle differences in each region for their enterprise goals and the planned investment areas, which, of course, will help them achieve their objectives.

There are some clear trends from our initial survey results (700+ CIOs) happening across our communities. These trends may help CIOs adjust their strategies or simply be confident in the direction they’re headed. Strategic partners should also take note of these trends as they provide further understanding of their customers.

Top five trends for Enterprise Priorities:

1. Driving Growth has moved into the #1 rated enterprise priority across the globe, coming from the #4 rated priority in 2021.

2. Innovating for Competitive Advantage has moved out of the top five enterprise priorities, dropping to #6.

3. Increasing Revenue has moved 9th in 2021 to 5th in 2022, ranking #2 in both Boston and Chicago.

4. Increasing Operational Efficiencies and Productivity and Improving Customer Experience both remain in the top three rated enterprise priorities for two years running. 

5. Increasing Enterprise Agility and Resilience has dropped to the lowest rated priority for CIOs in 2022.

Here’s a chart identifying the top three enterprise priorities for CIOs in our largest regions for 2022.

Top five trends for CIO investments in 2022:

1. 62% of CIOs have identified an increase in their operating budget for the coming year, up from 47% in 2021.

2. 67% of CIOs have identified an increase in their planned spend for 2022, which is 13 points higher than in 2021.

3. Investments in Cloud Infrastructure have moved from fourth highest investment area in 2021 to the second highest investment opportunity in 2022.

4. CIOs are continuing to make heavy investments in Cybersecurity and Data and Analytics in 2022. In fact, 95% of CIOs with planned spend in Cybersecurity will make their investments within the next 12 months. 

5. AI and Machine Learning capabilities remain in the top five planned spending opportunities for 2022 and has been noted as the #1 investment technology in Philadelphia. 

Here’s a chart identifying the top three investment areas for CIOs in our largest regions for 2022.

All in all, CIOs are increasingly driving value and better business outcomes for the next generation of digital enterprises. Many CIOs this year have stated to Evanta, “We are no longer an (insert industry) company, we are also a technology company.” The evidence is in the data. Digital success will happen when CIOs continue to drive growth, accelerate digital business, and improve customer experience while continuing to invest in technologies that support the advancement of their business.