Digital innovation is dominating the agenda of technology leaders, but many companies in the Asia-Pacific region are struggling to manage it, according to the global Harvey Nash 2015 CIO Survey in association with KPMG.
The survey covered some 4,000 IT leaders across more than 50 countries. Capturing more than a quarter of a million data points, it is believed to be the largest survey of IT leadership in the world.
The survey revealed that despite efforts to close the skills gap, concerns over shortages worldwide are now one-third higher than in 2013.
This is particularly pertinent in Asia-Pacific, with 71% of CIOs in the region believing a skills shortage is preventing their organization from keeping up with the pace of change, 12% higher than the global average.
Globally, the survey revealed the demand for big data analytic skills has leapt to the top in-demand skill, skyrocketing to almost six times higher than the next most scarce skill — change management.
Two-thirds (66%) of CIOs report digital disruption as a very significant change to business, driving them to create new business models and bring new products and services to market faster than they ever have before. Only one in 10 CIOs believe their organization will be unaffected by digital disruption in the coming years.
Also, findings reveal that CIOs in the region are more likely to have received a pay rise, with 58% having seen an increase in salary over the last year, almost double the global average of 31%.
Cyber security is highlighted as a critical business concern in Asia Pacific, with 35% of CIOs having faced a major IT security attack in the last year alone, 10% higher than the global average.
Further, the study found that the chief digital officer (CDO) is growing in importance, with 18% of CIOs in the region now work with a CDO, similar to the global average of 17%. An additional 5% of respondents said they would hire a CDO in the next several months.