Cisco Research: UAE and KSA’s CIOs Identify New Strategies to Navigate Changing World

Cisco Research: UAE and KSA’s CIOs Identify New Strategies to Navigate Changing World

Cisco's inaugural CIO Perspectives survey has identified the strategic priorities for 1,300 decisionmakers globally, across markets including the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As CIOs navigate new territories, how their IT teams operate on a day-to-day basis and how they plan for the future have fundamentally changed. Cisco's study has revealed that COVID-19 is top of mind for 61% of respondents in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.  The results of Cisco's research illustrate four clear strategic imperatives for CIOs in the UAE and Saudi Arabia: Reimagining applications:  88% believe that building fast with the ability to deploy anywhere, intelligently, while being able to observe every experience and act in real time.Securing data: 98% believe in ensuring that customers data is tight and secure, and founded upon trust.Transforming infrastructure: 87% believe that creating an environment that is software-defined, intent driven, and context powered.Empowering teams: 84% believe that providing the opportunity for employees to collaborate seamlessly, across every medium.  While CIOs in both countries recognize the importance of digital transformation, ensuring data security, application optimization and empowering teams, respondents cite difficulties in communicating the strategic value of IT investments to their wider organizations as a key obstacle. Security-First Approach For 67% of CIOs in