Strategic Imperatives for CIOs in 2025: From Cyber Risk to Talent
- Volodymyr Garbar
- May 26
- 4 min read
As the digital landscape grows more volatile and interconnected, the role of the CIO has evolved from system custodian to strategic change agent. The 2025 CIO Outlook by Experis presents a global snapshot of strategic imperatives for CIOs in 2025—how technology leaders are navigating cybersecurity threats, AI disruption, and a widening tech skills gap. With over 1,393 senior tech leaders surveyed across nine countries, the findings shed light on the pressures shaping executive priorities in the coming year.
Strategic Imperatives for CIOs in 2025: Cybersecurity Is Still the First Line of Anxiety
41% of CIOs rank cybersecurity as their top concern — far ahead of AI (19%) or cloud and system scalability (15%). The global cost of cybercrime surged to $9.5 trillion in 2024, prompting 77% of organisations to increase security budgets in 2025. Yet, investment doesn’t equal readiness:
Only 37% say their risk strategies are well-aligned with cybersecurity.
Less than 30% report effective adoption of new security technologies by staff.
This disconnect points to a critical failure in execution. While budgets grow, the strategic integration of cybersecurity into day-to-day operations often lags. Many CIOs report internal misalignment between IT, risk management, and business stakeholders. Moreover, with cyberattacks now routinely exploiting human error and misconfigurations, a technology-only approach is no longer viable. Culture, communication, and real-world training are as essential as endpoint protection.
Security is as much a cultural and operational challenge as a technical one — a theme we see repeatedly in breach forensics and post-mortem assessments.
AI Disruption: Exciting, But Uneven
Despite the hype, CIOs remain cautious. Only 13% consider AI delivery a top strategic function. While 67% of organisations will increase AI budgets, CIOs see AI more as a tool for targeted use cases than a universal solution.
37% believe AI is useful for specific applications
33% say its business impact is still unclear
18% express concern about AI ethics and transparency
Many organisations are still in the experimentation phase, exploring generative AI for productivity or automation. However, CIOs are increasingly aware of governance challenges — from bias in training data to the lack of explainability in model decisions. The gap between innovation teams and IT governance remains a key risk area. In practice, few organisations have AI-ready security policies, and fewer still are training SOC or IR teams to incorporate AI telemetry and autonomous decision-making.
Q-Sec aligns with the sentiment that AI must be governed as much as it is celebrated — especially in use cases touching sensitive data, detection workflows, or automated decision-making.
The Real Gap: Skills, Not Tools
The talent shortage persists. 76% of IT organisations report difficulty finding skilled professionals. Meanwhile, only 28% regularly train staff on new technologies.
What’s missing is a holistic workforce strategy:
52% are embedding AI skills into existing roles
42% blend of technical and business skillsets
Most effective upskilling methods: work experience (47%), employer-led training (42%)
Rather than hiring “unicorns,” forward-looking CIOs are redesigning roles to focus on adaptability and core analytical ability. Certifications and bootcamps help, but experiential learning remains the most impactful. However, most organisations still struggle to scale their learning programs internally. Q-Sec observes that clients often underutilise their existing workforce’s potential by failing to invest in structured growth paths, mentorship programs, and cross-training across security disciplines.
The report echoes what we've long seen in MDR and SOC programs — tools are abundant, but people with the right mindset and adaptive skills remain scarce.
Regional Realities, Global Themes
While cybersecurity and AI are global priorities, regional perspectives differ:
Italy: Leads in security investment (86%) and AI enthusiasm. Italian organisations are quicker to adopt emerging tech and push for worker adoption.
France: Strong focus on security skills and budget advocacy. CIOs report more resistance when lobbying for sufficient funding.
Israel: Most sceptical on AI (43% doubt long-term value), and highly focused on regulatory compliance and business alignment.
Netherlands: Prioritise sustainability and AI ethics. Dutch CIOs are leaders in aligning technology strategy with environmental goals.
UK: Strategic alignment of AI with transformation goals. CIOs here are most likely to view AI as a revolution-in-progress.
US/Canada: Highest investment in both AI (84%) and cybersecurity (86%). North American leaders also lead in internal cybersecurity training programs.
Understanding regional context is critical for MSSPs like Q-Sec operating across jurisdictions. While the pain points are shared, the priorities and constraints differ — requiring tailored communication, onboarding, and governance frameworks.
What Makes a Successful CIO in 2025?
Modern CIOs operate in a highly cross-functional world. The report shows that:
56% say senior leadership doesn’t fully understand the CIO’s role
Strongest alliances are with CTOs (45%), CISOs (41%), and COOs (31%)
Empathy, communication, and trust-building now rank as critical skills
The CIO is no longer just the “IT lead.” They are strategic orchestrators, balancing innovation and risk, short-term execution and long-term capability. To succeed, they must articulate value in boardrooms, align technology with workforce realities, and ensure that security is both an enabler and an ethic. As cybersecurity threats continue to rise, the ability to communicate risk in business language will distinguish high-impact tech leaders from operational ones.
As business and tech become inseparable, security leadership depends as much on relational fluency as technical depth.
Q-Sec Takeaways
At Q-Sec, we help organisations translate insights like these into secure operational models. Whether building a modern SOC, embedding AI safely, or bridging skills gaps through modular services — we see the same foundational need across sectors:
Resilience built on context-aware defence
Security that scales with transformation
Governance that integrates human and AI capability
Our approach mirrors the direction outlined in the Experis 2025 report: security is not a silo — it’s the infrastructure of trust. Through proactive detection, embedded governance, and training-aligned service models, we support CIOs in building teams and systems ready for what's next.
The CIO role has never mattered more — and the 2025 Experis Outlook gives us a clear signal: strategy, security, and skills are now one continuum.
