CIOs face 'significant change' in their role

Chief information officers face "significant change" in what is expected from them over the next three years, as businesses demand more from IT.

There will also be a move to replace generic technology with bespoke, tailored IT to drive business strategy, according to a global survey of chief information officers conducted by Gartner.

Gartner analyst Mark McDonald, who led the report, said chief information officers now realise the importance of using IT in changing business processes, attracting customers and developing new products.

He added that with business expectation in IT gathering pace, chief information officers will have to focus "like never before" on what IT can deliver, and will need to become more tolerant of risk and innovation.

Other points to emerge from the survey include an increase in the average time chief information officers stay in their job, to four years and four months, meaning they have more time to push through new implementations.

Around half of respondents said they have responsibility outside traditional IT, showing they are increasingly taking a more influential leadership role in organisations.

The Gartner Executive Programs CIO report took views from 1,500 chief information officers from 33 countries, across 23 industries, accounting for $132bn (£68bn) in IT spending.