The CIO Tech Poll for 2020 indicates increasing budgets for technology, with notable growth in cybersecurity and analytics. AI and machine learning are viewed as the most disruptive technologies, and organizations are focusing on upskilling existing talent to keep pace with advancements. The poll reveals a strategic shift towards newer technologies, with 14% of total tech spending directed at emerging tech companies.

1. CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities 2020

2. 2
38%
38%
39%
39%
40%
41%
42%
43%
44%
49%
54%
54%
56%
58%
63%
68%
6%
1%
3%
4%
4%
6%
6%
2%
5%
3%
1%
6%
2%
4%
4%
1%
34%
30%
41%
41%
34%
38%
47%
36%
35%
22%
29%
33%
28%
29%
26%
24%
22%
31%
17%
16%
23%
15%
5%
18%
16%
26%
16%
7%
14%
8%
9%
7%
Multi-cloud
5G enabled devices
DevOps/DevSecOps
Employee experience technologies
Containers and microservices
SaaS migrations
Collaboration tools/technologies
Data analytics frameworks
Marketing automation
Robotic process automation (RPA)
Customer experience technology
Cloud (non-SaaS)
Artificial intelligence & machine learning
Business process mgmt/workflow automation
BI/analytics tools
Cybersecurity
Increase Decrease Remain the same Unsure
Source: CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities, 2020
Largest Spending Increase Seen in Security & Analytics
Q. Will your spending for each of the following categories increase, decrease or remain the same in the next 12 months compared to the past 12
months?

3. 3
12%
14%
15%
16%
16%
17%
19%
21%
21%
24%
24%
32%
62%
Wearables
Facial recognition
Serverless computing
Cloud infrastructure
Virtual reality/augmented reality
Drones and robots
5G
Speech-recognition technology/digital assistants
Cloud/SaaS
Blockchain
IoT/M2M
Big data/analytics
AI/machine learning
Source: CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities, 2020
AI & Machine Learning Considered to be Most Disruptive
Q. Which of the following do you consider to be DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES (that is, technologies that have the potential to significantly alter the
way businesses or entire industries operate?
North America: 60%
Non-NA: 72%
Enterprise: 13%
SMB: 22%

4. 4
34%
38%
3%
25%
Increase
Decrease
Unsure
No change
Source: CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities, 2020
Spending Towards Newer Technologies
Q. As a proportion of your organization’s total technology spending, how would you describe the level of spending with newer technology over the
past 12 months? AND How do you expect the percentage of your organization’s spending with newer technology companies (for example, Slack,
ThoughtSpot, Rubrik) will change during the next year?
14%
of overall tech spending
will be spent with
NEW tech companies

5. 5
5%
7%
19%
35%
37%
38%
42%
53%
60%
65%
Creating/launching in-house venture capital groups
Partnering with investment groups
On-site innovation days
Create specialized team to review
Join and become active in technology user groups
Customer references
Research analyst firms and follow their best practices
Read reviews written by experts
Pilot testing/product demonstration
Attend external events and/or conferences
Source: CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities, 2020
IT Leaders Rely on Events & Pilot Testing
for Vendor Evaluations
Q. Which of the following has your organization implemented to evaluate emerging technology vendors?

6. 6
4%
9%
34%
36%
40%
47%
73%
Not sure
Hire new part-time employees
Use a managed services provider
Contract with gig workers
Hire new full-time employees
Reskill existing talent
Upskill existing talent
Keeping Pace with New Tech Implementations
Source: CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities, 2020
Q. Which of the following will your company do over the next 12 months to ensure your IT skill sets keep pace with new technology
implementations?

7. 7
• Technology budgets continue to increase year over year with a smaller percentage
expecting a budget decrease this year.
• Cybersecurity and BI/analytics tools are expected to see the largest increase in
spending throughout the next year.
• Be on the look out for AI and machine learning – 62% of IT leaders say that this is
considered to be the most disruptive technology and 47% expect AI/ML to have a
positive impact on their business in 3-5 years.
• The majority of companies keep pace with technology by upskilling existing talent
(73%), followed by reskilling existing talent.
• Keep in mind that at 48% say lack of budget was the biggest challenge getting in the
way of implementing new technology
Key Takeaways
Source: CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities, 2020