Through client conversations, executive advisory engagements, and ongoing research, Gartner identifies the core CIO priorities, IT strategies, and digital transformation trends shaping technology leadership. Here is what we are hearing from IT leaders in the second half of 2026.
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CIO Priorities Are Shifting Fast. Can Your IT Organization Keep Pace?
AI is accelerating business expectations. Economic and geopolitical uncertainty continue to test organizational resilience. Meanwhile, many technology leaders are still trying to modernize legacy environments and prepare their workforce for an AI-native future.
The H2 2026 Gartner CIO Report highlights the questions CIOs are asking most often and the actions they are taking to strengthen agility, accelerate transformation and drive measurable business outcomes.
Key focus areas include:
- Future-proofing enterprise architecture with AI, cloud and edge computing
- Building more resilient IT operating models
- Modernizing legacy systems without disrupting operations
- Organizing human-AI teams and developing workforce readiness
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CIOs Are Confronting Urgent Decisions About Enterprise Architecture, Operating Models, Modernization and Workforce Readiness
Technology leaders face growing pressure to move faster while reducing risk. The questions below reflect the challenges Gartner hears most often through client interactions, Executive Partner engagements and advisory conversations with CIOs worldwide.
1. What emerging technologies should we prioritize to future-proof our enterprise architecture?
Technology innovation continues to outpace many organizations' ability to adapt. In fact, 50% of CIOs say their IT function cannot keep up with the pace of change, while 85% of IT leaders plan to deliver AI-enabled business services within the next three years.
As AI, cloud and edge computing become foundational to growth, CIOs must decide which investments will create lasting business value and how to modernize enterprise architecture for greater speed, scalability and adaptability.
Gartner helps CIOs evaluate emerging technologies, benchmark capabilities and prioritize investments that position technology as a strategic growth driver rather than a constraint. Tools such as Gartner IT Score, AI Maturity Assessment and AskGartner help leaders make faster, more confident decisions.
Talk to a Gartner Executive Partner. As a client, you can work directly with an EP mentor. Learn more today.
2. How can we make our IT operating model more resilient to disruption?
Disruption is becoming the norm. 70% of boards identify geopolitical instability and international conflict as the largest external threat to their organizations, while only 24% of CIOs report being highly effective at creating operating models that flex with changing business needs.
At the same time, Gartner predicts that 50% of enterprises will fail to realize measurable business value from AI by 2028 because their operating models were not designed for AI-enabled execution.
CIOs are rethinking organizational structures, governance, sourcing strategies and operating models to improve resilience, agility and long-term performance. Gartner helps leaders identify gaps, benchmark effectiveness and build operating models that can withstand ongoing uncertainty.
3. How do we modernize legacy systems without disrupting business operations?
Legacy environments remain one of the largest barriers to agility, innovation and AI adoption. Yet modernization carries significant operational and business risk if executed poorly.
The opportunity is substantial. Gartner expects application modernization costs to decline by 30% through 2028 due to GenAI, and 90% of software modernization projects will use AI-augmented tools by 2029. Meanwhile, 73% of organizations plan to increase modernization investments over the next two years.
CIOs are focused on identifying where to modernize first, minimizing disruption and ensuring modernization efforts directly support business outcomes. Gartner provides roadmaps, benchmarks and analyst guidance to help organizations modernize with confidence while maintaining continuity.
4. How do we prepare the workforce for an AI-native future?
Technology transformation is increasingly a workforce challenge. 51% of CIOs identify the gap between evolving AI skill requirements and available talent as their biggest obstacle, yet only 40% of organizations have a strategy to prevent skills atrophy.
Leading organizations recognize that AI success depends on more than technology adoption. It requires new operating models, new skills and new approaches to human-AI collaboration. At the same time, 56% of enterprises are focused on augmenting employees rather than replacing them.
Gartner helps CIOs and their teams assess workforce readiness, identify capability gaps and build practical strategies to develop an adaptable, resilient and AI-ready workforce.
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