Menu

CIO & Technology Buyers

From IT Steward to Strategic Visionary: The Evolving Role of the CIO

Futurum’s Enterprise Technology Buyers practice provides comprehensive coverage of how enterprise technology decisions are made across the organization, from the CIO and IT leadership to the growing universe of business executives who now directly influence technology strategy, budgets, and outcomes. As digital capabilities become embedded in every function,  enterprise technology buying has evolved from a centralized IT process into a distributed, multi-stakeholder model spanning  marketing, data, security, revenue, operations, and customer experience. 

While the CIO remains a central orchestrator of architecture, governance, and enterprise platforms, buying authority increasingly resides across roles such as the CMO, CDO, CISO, and CRO. AI, cloud platforms, automation, and data systems are no longer implemented solely as infrastructure investments but as business capability engines tied directly to growth,  efficiency, risk management, and customer engagement. Futurum’s research reflects this reality by examining technology  demand through the lens of business outcomes, buyer intent, and real-world purchasing dynamics, not solely IT strategy. 

A core focus of the practice is understanding how enterprises operationalize advanced technologies such as AI, analytics,  and agentic systems at scale. As organizations move from experimentation to execution, buyers across multiple functions must align on governance models, data foundations, security frameworks, and integration strategies. Our research provides insight into how enterprise buyers evaluate emerging capabilities, where market offerings fall short of expectations, and how organizations balance innovation velocity with trust, compliance, and cost discipline. 

The Enterprise Technology Buyers practice also delivers deep analysis of technology ecosystems and vendor landscapes,  helping organizations understand how platforms, hyperscalers, best-of-breed vendors, and service partners intersect with evolving buyer needs. By connecting buyer demand signals with market supply realities, Futurum equips technology providers and enterprise leaders alike with a clear view of where investment is accelerating, where friction persists, and where future opportunity lies. 

This practice is grounded in continuous engagement with senior enterprise decision-makers and powered by Futurum  Intelligence, combining quantitative survey research with qualitative insight to track shifting priorities, spending patterns, and  buying behavior throughout the year. 

When working on strategy, product, marketing, and sales initiatives, consider intelligence from our expert analysts – planned deliverables for 2026 include:

  • Enterprise Technology Buyers Survey: Bi-annual global buyer study spanning CIOs, CDOs, CMOs, and  other key senior business technology decision-makers 
  • Analyst Insight Report – Report on critical issues in the industry, including: 
    • Enterprise Technology Buyers Report: Bi-annual flagship outlook  
    • Specialty Buyer Reports: Rotating role- and segment-based deep dives (e.g., CMO, Data & AI,  Security, Revenue & Growth) 

The Latest Insights On CIO & Technology Buyers

Model Context Protocol Is the New Control Point in AI

MCP Is the New Control Point in AI—Are CIOs Ready for the Lock-In Battle?

Dion Hinchcliffe, VP of CIO Insights at Futurum, shares why the Model Context Protocol is fast becoming a strategic control [...]
How AI Is Reshaping Enterprise Strategy - A Recap from The CIO Pulse Report

How AI Is Reshaping Enterprise Strategy – A Recap from The CIO Pulse Report

Dion Hinchcliffe, VP of CIO Practice at The Futurum Group, recaps GTC 2025, ServiceNow’s Yokohama update, and AWS’s AI pricing [...]
Gemini 2.0, AI Agents, and the Future of IT - A Recap from The CIO Pulse Report

Gemini 2.0, AI Agents, and the Future of IT – A Recap from The CIO Pulse Report

Dion Hinchcliffe, VP of CIO Practice at The Futurum Group, highlights Google’s Gemini 2.0, OpenAI’s Deep Research, and Anysphere’s Cursor, [...]
Quantum is Here! Plus AWS re:Invent, Data Protection, and More - Six Five Webcast Infrastructure Matters

Quantum is Here! Plus AWS re:Invent, Data Protection, and More – Six Five Webcast Infrastructure Matters

Hosts Camberley Bates, and Dion Hinchcliffe share some of the announcements from AWS re:Invent, along with insights on Quantum, chips, [...]
Accelerating Cloud Migration and Modernization: How AWS and Strategic Partners are Transforming Enterprise IT - Six Five On The Road at AWS re:Invent

Accelerating Cloud Migration and Modernization: How AWS and Strategic Partners are Transforming Enterprise IT – Six Five On The Road at AWS re:Invent

Leo LaBranche, Director at Amazon Web Services, joins Dion Hinchcliffe to share his insights on accelerating enterprise IT transformation through [...]
The Future Of Cloud Marketplaces With Matt Yanchyshyn - Six Five On The Road at AWS re:Invent

The Future Of Cloud Marketplaces With Matt Yanchyshyn – Six Five On The Road at AWS re:Invent

Matt Yanchyshyn, VP at AWS, joins Dion Hinchcliffe to share insights on the evolving cloud marketplace landscape, highlighting AWS Marketplace's [...]

The Latest NEWS

Futurum Use of AI Triples for Product and Enterprise Innovation in 2026
March 26, 2026

Futurum: Use of AI Triples for Product and Enterprise Innovation in 2026

Dion Hinchcliffe explains how CIOs are shifting AI into R&D and product innovation, signaling a major move from productivity gains toward building new enterprise capabilities and competitive advantage....
CIO AI Priorities Pivot From Productivity to Innovation
March 6, 2026

CIO AI Priorities Pivot From Productivity to Innovation

Futurum’s Dion Hinchcliffe finds CIO AI priorities pivoting from productivity to innovation as desired AI outcomes shift dramatically and pilot-stage adoption collapses 31.2 pts across three quarterly CIO survey waves....
The Great CIO Platform Reset Why Agentic AI Is Forcing a 2026 Reckoning
February 18, 2026

The Great CIO Platform Reset: Why Agentic AI Is Forcing a 2026 Reckoning

Dion Hinchcliffe explains how CIOs are consolidating enterprise platforms around agentic AI, control planes, and cloud convergence as AI agents move from experimentation to execution in 2026....
CIOs Consolidate Platform Spending as AI Moves From Pilot to Revenue Engine
December 16, 2025

CIOs Consolidate Platform Spending as AI Moves From Pilot to Revenue Engine

Dion Hinchcliffe, Practice Lead for Digital Leadership & CIO at Futurum, analyzes new survey data showing CIOs consolidating platform spend as AI shifts from pilot projects to revenue-driving enterprise infrastructure....
From Cloud Confidence to Cloud Control: Why Only 7% of CIOs Feel Fully Dialed In and How Vendors Can Close the Gap
September 3, 2025

From Cloud Confidence to Cloud Control: Why Only 7% of CIOs Feel Fully Dialed In and How Vendors Can Close the Gap

Dion Hinchcliffe, VP and Principal Analyst at Futurum, explores why only 7% of CIOs feel fully confident in their cloud strategies and how FinOps-first vendor approaches can help close the...
July 28, 2025

AI Goes Fully Operational, Cloud Strategy Splits, and Platform Cuts Begin: New Global CIO Survey Reveals 2025’s Defining IT Shifts

Futurum’s Dion Hinchcliffe, VP & Practice Lead, Digital Leadership & CIO, shares key insights and highlights from Futurum’s latest Global CIO Survey, which reveals a decisive new chapter in enterprise...

Book a Demo

Newsletter Sign-up Form

Get important insights straight to your inbox, receive first looks at eBooks, exclusive event invitations, custom content, and more. We promise not to spam you or sell your name to anyone. You can always unsubscribe at any time.

All fields are required






Thank you, we received your request, a member of our team will be in contact with you.