Cyber Security, AI/ML & Public Cloud Top Priorities for CIOs in India & Australia

While business operations across two-thirds of organisations in India and Australia have seen direct impact on customer activities during COVID-19, a survey of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) has found most remain optimistic about the future. Conducted in association with Advanis, the CIO Perspectives Survey captures how CIOs are helping their organisations be successful in the new world, by sharpening their focus on technology investments and workforce engagement.

Scott Rigby, Head of Digital Transformation, Adobe Asia Pacific said, “As we rapidly moved from functioning in an increasingly-digital world to one that is digital-only, CIOs have had to pivot their strategies to prioritise the online needs of their customers and employees. We’ve also seen digital-led customer experiences take centre stage for businesses of all sizes, thus becoming key to their continuity and success. While businesses with early investments in digital technology witnessed benefits, others looked at strengthening their digital foundation or building up robust digital strategies for their long-term success. As we look to the future, it will become imperative for companies to invest in Customer Experience Management (CXM) to help deliver exceptional experiences for the ‘transformed consumer’, as well as strengthen their employee ecosystem.”

Response to COVID-19

98% of organisations across India have seen COVID-19 impact business functioning, with CIOs facing challenges in helping their teams to communicate effectively and having the right technology deployment to ensure smooth business continuity.

98% of the CIOs surveyed across the country claimed that their organisations are well equipped to work effectively even in a remote setting. Overall, long-term support to remote workforce (36%), security (35%) and cloud-based computing (31%) were identified as key challenges for organisations in India and Australia. In India, cloud computing (58%) and mobility (56%) were named as the primary challenges.

Additionally, while 97% of businesses in India and Australia initiated planning for when restrictions are eased, close to half of the organisations are still in the early stages of planning, with 63% of the respondents in India being optimistic about their organisation’s ability to find success in the post COVID-19 economy and committing to a positive outlook.