NASCIO Shares Results of Annual CIO Priority Survey

State technology leaders are constantly challenged with figuring out how to employ IT so their states operate better. Each year, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) conducts a survey to get an idea of what these IT leaders consider to be priorities. NASCIO recently shared the results of the latest survey, which revealed that the top concerns have carried over, despite 19 new CIOs offering their opinions.

For the third straight year, security and risk management remains the primary concern, NASCIO explained in a press release. That concern was followed by cloud services and consolidation and optimization, categories that were in last year’s top three, but in reverse position.

“It is not surprising that these three priorities continue to be a top priority among a majority of our states,” NASCIO president Darryl Ackley and New Mexico CIO Darryl Ackley said. “However, as we see data analytics and legacy modernization move up the list, you’re seeing a good illustration of how the responsibilities of the state CIO are expanding. Balancing innovation with legacy investments remains a challenge for our states.”

However, business intelligence and data analytics moved into the fourth spot, replacing broadband and wireless connectivity, which is absent from this year’s list. Legacy modernization, which is also new to the final list, claimed the fifth spot. This aligns with CIOs’ new duties and concerns.

“Even more interesting, is the appearance of enterprise vision and roadmap for IT for the first time in our 10 years of tracking these priorities,” said Doug Robinson, NASCIO’s executive director. It appears CIOs are growing more serious about the strategic use of technology.

The full list of priorities can be found here.