Security is the top concern of more than two-thirds of CIOs and CTOs, according to an annual review of CIO and CTO concerns by Janco Associates Inc., an international consulting firm. The rankings are based on interviews with 110 CIOs and CTOs, which were conducted over the past two months, Janco said, and three concerns: security, cloud computing and infrastructure were selected by as top concerns by half of participants.
“Each of these top ten concerns is focused on the three legs of IT management: technology, people, and infrastructure,” said M. V. Janulaitis, president of Janco Associates. “Security is the top issue with 68 percent of the top IT professional saying it is the one they lose the most sleep over.”
The top 10 CIO concerns are:
- Security: 68 percent
- Cloud computing: 55 percent
- Infrastructure: 48 percent
- Consolidation of legacy systems and data: 44 percent
- Big data: 40 percent
- Automation focused on enterprise staff reductions and improved revenues: 32 percent
- Mobile computing, including BYOD: 22 percent
- IT staff retention: 15 percent
- Social networks: 13 percent
- Succession planning: 10 percent
Events such as the recent security breaches at Sony, and of U.S. government e-mail accounts underscore the importance of security, Janulaitis said. “It is clear that the security and infrastructure for most enterprises needs to be reviewed and revamped on an on-going basis,” Janulaitis said. “CIOs are well aware they are in the hot seat on this issue. CIOs and CSOs are struggling to get a handle on the ever changing landscape of security.”
