The 2024 CIO Survey Summary Report provides insight into the priorities, challenges, and opportunities facing IT leaders in the consumer products, retail, and life sciences industries this year. Download the entire report here. 

In recent years, businesses have navigated a landscape marked by profound shifts, characterized by the adaptation and response to global challenges such as supply chain disruptions, talent shortages, inflationary pressures, and geopolitical instability. Throughout this period, the pivotal role and relevance of IT departments have been accentuated in strategic planning sessions and discussions. As nearly four years have passed since the onset of widespread disruption and uncertainty, the question arises: How are companies currently prioritizing their IT operations amidst these dynamic circumstances? 

In late 2022, Clarkston Consulting conducted its first annual CIO Survey to better understand the current and future priorities and challenges of upper or C-Suite level IT professionals (CIO/CISO/CTO/VP) at large companies ($350M+ revenue) in the retail, consumer products, manufacturing, or life science industries. Since then, we’ve collected information annually to gain greater insights into the IT landscape. In December 2023, Clarkston conducted its most recent CIO Survey. 

2024 CIO Survey Objectives 

The five key objectives for the 2024 CIO Survey were to:  

1. Understand the overall relationship between IT and other departments within the company. 
2. Understand current IT budget distribution, technologies/platforms used, and sources for technology-specific learning and development.  
3. Identify attributes that are important in selecting outsourcing or managed services partners, a professional services provider, or a technology platform/vendor.  
4. Determine priorities for the coming year, including if and how companies are investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI). 
5. Identify any changes in responses since the 2022 CIO Survey and the 2023 CIO Survey. 

2024 Market Study Results

By analyzing the collected responses, Clarkston obtained invaluable understanding regarding the present state and perspectives of IT departments. This encompassed budget allocation strategies, resource investment patterns concerning ERP systems, outsourcing preferences, and prevailing departmental apprehensions. The survey also highlighted shifts in business prioritization over the preceding year, with a heightened emphasis on IT operations, security management, and platform-specific training. Additionally, the survey results shed light on the criteria that CIOs prioritize when selecting outsourcing and managed service partners, as well as their forthcoming focal points for the upcoming year. 

New to the survey this year was a section on AI usage and trends. Clarkston was interested in learning about if and how companies were allocating resources toward the use of AI, including for data analysis, automation, trend prediction, and customer experience improvements. The results indicated that while companies are increasing their AI usage, they are also implementing strategies, trainings, and processes to ensure the ethical use of AI.  

To learn about the detailed findings of the report, please read the 2024 Clarkston Consulting CIO Survey Summary Report below.  

Download the 2024 CIO Survey

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Explore the previous report here: 2023 CIO Survey.