Security Tops List of State CIO Priorities for 2016
LEXINGTON, Ky., Tuesday, November 10 — As the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) celebrates 10 years of its survey of state information technology leaders on critical state CIO priorities for the coming year, security, cloud services, and consolidation continue to top the list as state CIOs look toward 2016. The prioritized rankings of strategies and technologies reflect voting by state CIOs and are available for download at www.NASCIO.org/topten.
This year, NASCIO’s annual top 10 ranking shows IT security strategies and tools are at the top of the list across the states, with security topping the list of priority strategies for the third consecutive year. Cloud services and consolidation/optimization traded positions for second and third compared to the previous year.
Darryl Ackley, NASCIO president and New Mexico chief information officer stated, “It is not surprising that these three priorities continue to be a top priority among a majority of our states. 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.”
“An interesting facet of the 2016 state CIO voting is the profile of the respondents,” stated NASCIO Executive Director Doug Robinson. “This year there are 19 new CIOs that participated in this annual ranking of state priorities for the first time. We can see they are seeking innovative ways to attract and retain talent with state IT workforce appearing on the list again in 2016. However, 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.”
NASCIO utilizes the annual list of priorities to develop strategic areas of focus for the coming year, formulate new committees and working groups, and plan NASCIO conference sessions and publications. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the top 10 priorities ranking, check the NASCIO Twitter feed and website for interesting facts about the past decade and how state CIO priorities have, and haven’t changed.
