CIO Executive Council

As AI transforms how organizations operate, technology leaders play a pivotal role in shaping the cultural response. Within this presentation, Frank Feagans, former VP IT & CIO, University of Texas at Dallas, examines the ways in which AI adoption affects team dynamics, decision-making, and leadership models. He also shares how to foster a culture of innovation, trust, and ethical AI use to ensure your organization thrives in an AI-driven future.

This IDC PlanScape, prepared by Karen D. Schwartz, Maureen Fleming, Eric Newmark, Robert Parker, Peter Rutten, and David Schubmehl, examines AI process optimization to maximize benefits and avoid risk.

“Embedding AI into business processes has tremendous potential, but it also can introduce increased risk without the right preparation,” says Karen D. Schwartz, adjunct research analyst, IDC’s IT Executive Programs (IEP). “It’s critical to ensure that processes are ready for AI, along with choosing the best use cases, because some processes aren’t good candidates.”

This IDC Perspective, written by Clay Miller, Senior Executive Advisor, maintains that most organizations are solving the wrong problem in core platform decisions. By treating these commitments as onetime procurement events that optimize for current feature sets and initial pricing, enterprises defer the governance decisions that will actually determine long-term outcomes. In an environment where more than half of organizations are considering switching their primary ERP or CRM vendor, where 68% of CIOs are running active vendor consolidation initiatives, and where 40% of organizations are already projected to miss their 2026 AI goals because of implementation complexity and governance gaps, the cost of this deferral is rising sharply.

As technology continues to reshape business landscapes, the role of the CIO is undergoing profound transformation. No longer confined to managing IT infrastructure, today’s CIOs are strategic leaders driving innovation, digital transformation, and competitive advantage.

During this interactive session, CIO Executive Council member, Stephanie Roede, Executive Director, IT Enterprise Systems at Neurocrine Biosciences, explored how CIOs are adapting to emerging technologies—such as AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity—and aligning tech initiatives with broader business goals. Attendees gained insights into the skills, mindset, and organizational influence required to thrive in this dynamic role.

During this webinar, Alizabeth Calder, Adjunct Research Advisor, IT Executive Programs, IDC, led an interactive discussion on the importance of product mindset to amplify growth. The conversation examined the ways in which a product mindset provides the foundation to compound growth by ensuring digital alignment with business goals. Alizabeth also provided strategies for CIOs to achieve success by positioning the best of future-facing thought leadership to leverage digital investment that will be impactful for business growth and innovation.

This IDC Tech Buyer Survey Spotlight, prepared by Mona Liddell, Research Manager, Quantitative Analysis, CIO Executive Research, examines how organizations are adopting and scaling AI agents, based on data from the Future Enterprise Resilience and Spending Survey, Waves 8 and 9. The findings show a clear divide: Digital-native organizations are already ahead, with many running AI agents in production and at scale, while non-digital natives are less mature but planning rapid expansion over the next two years. By 2026, large-scale AI agent deployments are expected to be common across both groups, signaling a shift from experimentation to operational reality.

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation, prepared by Daniel Saroff, GVP, End-User Research, Advisory, and Consulting, discusses RFP and vendor selection scoring models. Organizations often approach vendor evaluation and sourcing with ad hoc methods that vary by project, team, or stakeholder. Scoring models are frequently inconsistent, weighting logic is unclear, and there is no easy way to model how changing priorities, such as cost versus innovation, impact final outcomes.

This IDC PeerScape, authored by Stanley B. Gibson, adjunct research advisor for IDC’s IT Executive Programs (IEP), highlights the practices to build a data-first organization in the public sector.

“‘Data first’ encapsulates a strategy that is vital to the success of public sector organizations. Key to overcoming tech debt and bureaucratic inertia, it is likely to prove indispensable for an agency or a department to succeed in its mission of delivering value to the public,” says Gibson.

The IT industry stands on the brink of one of its most transformative eras, triggering major consolidations in many long-standing sectors and the emergence of major new markets. IDC’s latest research shows that the infusion of autonomy, adaptability, and decision-making into products and services with agentic AI is redefining the very foundation of technology design, delivery, and value creation. It goes beyond an evolution in AI adoption. It’s a structural shift that will determine which technology providers lead in the emerging agent economy and which struggle to adapt.

This IDC Perspective explains the reasons behind companies’ thinking about switching away from their longtime ERP, CRM, or other enterprise software vendor and how to make the right decision for your organization and situation. While core enterprise applications are deeply embedded into companies’ processes and workflows, there are many cases where it might be time to discontinue some of those enterprise apps in favor of something that better fits with an organization’s current and future goals.

This IDC Perspective explores the critical role of unified AI governance in higher education, emphasizing its integration with institutional strategy to manage risk, ensure ethical use, and foster innovation. Through case studies and a comprehensive framework, the report highlights best practices for aligning governance with academic values, regulatory requirements, and sustainability goals while addressing challenges such as fragmented structures, rapid technology evolution, and equity.

During this exclusive, in-depth exploration of key IDC FutureScape predictions Ha Hoang, CIO, Commvault and Brian Kirkland, CIO, Choice Hotels International, shared their perspectives on shifting leadership paradigms and emerging technology that will impact how CIOs drive transformation and business value while managing cost, complexity, and compliance. The discussion and examination of critical strategic initiatives was led by Daniel Saroff, Group Vice President Consulting and Research,