10 Top priorities for CIOs in 2025

 As 2025 dawns, CIOs face an IT landscape that differs significantly from just a year ago. AI, once viewed as a novel innovation, is now mainstream, impacting just about facet of the enterprise. Over the next 12 months, IT leaders can look forward to even more innovations, as well as some serious challenges.

To keep ahead of the curve, CIOs should continuously evaluate their business and technology strategies, adjusting them as necessary to address rapidly evolving technology, business, and economic practices. Most of all, the following 10 priorities should be at the top of your 2025 to-do list.

1. Shift AI experimentation to real-world value

Generative AI dominated the headlines in 2024, as organizations launched widespread experiments with the technology to assess its ability to enhance efficiency and deliver new services. Now, however, many IT leaders are moving past the experimentation stage with the expectation that gen AI investments should begin delivering actual value. That’s why, in 2025, the top priority for tech leaders should be ensuring that AI technology investments are strategically aligned to deliver measurable commercial outcomes while also addressing rapidly evolving customer needs, says Bill Pappas, MetLife’s head of global technology and operations.

The economic and competitive landscape is extremely dynamic, and customers expect more seamless, personalized, and efficient experiences, Pappas says. Technology investments, such as in generative AI, are a priority in addressing the need to meet rising expectations while also driving operational agility and resilience.

“In a time where trust and reliability are paramount, meeting these expectations through technology isn’t just a differentiator — it’s now a business imperative,” Pappas says.

2. Become reinvention-ready

CIOs must invest in becoming reinvention-ready, allowing their enterprise to adopt and adapt to rapid technological and market changes, says Andy Tay, global lead of Accenture Cloud First.

Reinvention-ready companies are positioned to succeed in the long term, Tay observes. “With a cloud-powered digital core in place, organizations can unlock advanced intelligence, industry-specific cloud innovations, enterprise efficiency and agility, and integrate new technologies, such as AI-enabled decision-making,” he says.

Tay notes that Accenture research shows that enterprises with digital core investments accelerate their reinvention and innovation, achieving up to 60% higher revenue growth rates and a 40% boost in profits.

“They achieved these results through a culture that embraces change and a strong digital foundation,” he says. “They’re actively investing in innovation while proactively leveraging the cloud to manage technical debt by providing the tools, platforms, and strategies to modernize outdated systems and streamline operations.”

3. Update your IT operating model to mesh with business needs

“The top priority for 2025 is to change your IT operating model to fit your organization’s needs, which have surely changed recently,” says Alan Thorogood, a research leader at the MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR). He defines the IT operating model as the organization’s overall strategy, roles, decision rights, and management processes and controls, as well as the IT team’s internal structure and external engagement with business units, customers, and suppliers.

The IT operating model is driven by the degree of data integration and process standardization across business units, Thorogood observes. He advises beginning the new year by revisiting the organization’s entire architecture and standards. “Are they still fit for purpose?” If not, Thorogood recommends IT leaders build platforms that savvy business managers can use — and encourage or require compliance with enterprise standards and processes.

4. Take advantage of agentic AI

From simple tasks such as generating and distributing content, to more complex use cases such as orchestrating enterprise software, AI agents are transforming industries, states Gary Bailey, CIO at Phillips Edison & Co., owner and operator of grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers.

Finding value-added agentic AI use cases should be a top priority for CIOs in 2025, Bailey says. “Since the introduction of ChatGPT, technology leaders have been searching for ways to leverage AI in their organizations,” he notes. “With AI agents on the horizon, there will be a significant number of business processes that will be a much better fit for AI then we have previously seen.”

Bailey expects there will soon be an AI transformation from personal assistant to digital colleague, with AI performing end-to-end automation tasks alongside the traditional workforce. “These are tasks that can’t be completed with old-school ‘if/then’ logic but require a level of human reasoning to determine the next path,” he says.

“We are in the midst of an extremely opportunistic window,” Bailey states. He points out that business process automation has always been a focus for IT, offering a direct path to contributing to the bottom line. “Historically, we have implemented ERPs, workflows, and RPAs, all with a focus on organizational efficiency and cost reduction,” Bailey says. “AI technology can be a differentiator between us and our competitors, if we embrace it quickly.”

5. Align AI with business plans for maximum ROI

While many enterprises already have a well-defined AI strategy in place, most haven’t aligned the plan with their broader business strategy, stunting ROI, says Wendy Collins, chief AI officer with systems integrator NTT DATA. “The best AI strategies are anchored to a business’ core strategic objectives and are focused on driving business benefit beyond operational efficiency.”

Generative AI, when combined with predictive modeling and machine learning, can unlock higher-order value creation beyond productivity and efficiency, including accretive revenue and customer engagement, Collins says.

6. Double down on cybersecurity

In 2025, there will be an even greater need for CIOs to fully understand the current cybersecurity threat landscape. IT leaders should focus on bolstering ransomware protection, leveraging new cybersecurity solutions, and creating continuity plans, advises Jeremy Rafuse, vice president and head of IT at business communication firm GoTo. “Drafting and implementing a clear threat assessment and disaster recovery plan will be critical.”

Rafuse believes that CIOs must have a clear understanding of how malicious actors operate, and they should remain aware of any new techniques designed to invade systems and endpoints. “By taking the necessary precautions and implementing effective frameworks, such as Zero Trust, CIOs can stay one step ahead of cybercriminals and reduce business interruption and any financial or reputational fallout from a breach or attack,” he says.

7. Prepare for the pending quantum threat

Heading into 2025, CIOs should prepare their systems and data for the upcoming quantum computing threat, warns Ted Shorter, CTO of security technology provider Keyfactor. “Quantum computing will significantly impact widely used security protocols and algorithms, so preparing for ‘Q Day’ is essential to safeguard critical data and maintain an organization’s security posture,” he says.

While no one knows exactly when a quantum computer capable of breaking current standards such as RSA or ECC may exist, most experts believe it’s only a matter of time, Shorter says. “NIST recently released its official post-quantum cryptography (PQC) timeline report that establishes 2030 as the target for PQC migration completion.”

Although NIST’s timeline looks five years into the future, it’s essential to begin planning in the new year, Shorter suggests. “According to our own research, organizations believe it will take an average of four years to transition to PQC,” he notes. “The reality is that the transition is a long-term endeavor.”

8. Embrace organizational change management (OCM)

OCM adoption can help CIOs minimize disruption during a time of digital transformation, says Gaudy Jandron, CIO at data center, cloud services, and managed services provider US Signal. “This is particularly important in high-stakes industries, like healthcare or finance, where successful adoption of new technologies can directly affect the quality of service provided to customers,” she says.

CIOs must do a better job preparing and supporting employees, Jandron states. “OCM is a specialized skill, but CIOs can start with some practical strategies, such as publishing their technology roadmap, hosting interactive Q&A sessions to encourage dialogue, training programs that include hands-on exercises, and building a feedback mechanism that allows employees to voice their concerns.” These techniques, she believes, can go a long way in managing the anxiety that comes with change while fostering excitement among team members.

9. Commit to innovation

In 2025, a CIO’s top priority should be leveraging emerging technologies — particularly AI — to drive organizational agility, innovation, and resilience, advises Tim Barnett, CIO at payments and data security firm Bluefin.

The pace of change in the global market and technology landscape demands organizations that can adapt quickly. “Agility and innovation are no longer competitive advantages — they’re necessities,” Barnett states. AI, in particular, is poised to redefine how businesses operate, compete, and grow.

“On the positive side, AI is what the military would call a force multiplier,” Barnett says. “It amplifies capabilities across the board, enabling automation of complex processes, deeper insights from massive datasets, and real-time decision-making at a scale and speed previously unimaginable,” he explains. “However, increased reliance on AI also necessitates modernized cybersecurity and resilience strategies, as these systems become vital — and attractive — targets for sophisticated threats, including AI-enabled phishing and other advanced attack vectors.”

10. Be flexible and adaptable

As the technology landscape advances and business needs shift, CIOs must recognize that what worked in 2024 might not be completely applicable in 2025.

“In the new year, CIOs must reevaluate their tech stacks and IT processes through a fresh lens,” GoTo’s Rafuse says. “Leaders focusing on boosting operational excellence and driving innovation with modern technologies will be better equipped to grow their business and create new efficiencies.” Streamlining platforms and consolidating vendors — while embracing AI and automation — will be the key to making this happen.

"John Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications."