Despite two-thirds (64%) of organizations adapting their technology strategy because of unprecedented global political and economic uncertainty, 89% are maintaining or ramping up investment in innovation, including in digital labour. More than half (52%) are investing in more nimble technology platforms to help their organization innovate and adapt.

This is according to the 2017 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey, the world’s largest survey of IT leadership. The survey of 4 498 CIOs and technology leaders was conducted across 86 countries.

While economic uncertainty is making business planning difficult for many organizations, it is clear digital strategies have infiltrated businesses across the globe at an entirely new level. The proportion of organizations surveyed that have enterprise-wide digital strategies increased 52% in just two years, and those organizations with a Chief Digital Officer have increased 39% over last year. To help deliver these complex digital strategies, organizations also report a huge demand for Enterprise Architects - the fastest growing technology skill this year, up 26% compared to 2016.

Cyber security vulnerability is at an all-time high, with a third of IT leaders (32%) reporting their organization had been subject to a major cyber-attack in the past 24 months – a 45 percent increase from 2013. Only one in five (21%) say they are “very well” prepared to respond to these attacks, down from 29 percent in 2014. Despite very visible headline-grabbing attacks such as the recent WannaCry ransomware attack, the biggest jump in threats comes from insider attacks, increasing from 40% to 47%. 

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