Rimini Street, Inc., has published the findings of a new global study, C-suite Imperatives: Accelerating Innovation in a Shifting Landscape, which surveyed nearly 4,300 CFOs, CIOs, CEOs, and CISOs.
The research was conducted in partnership with Censuswide, examining the pressures influencing executive-level technology decisions and the priorities shaping their investment strategies.
The analysis shows that executives are recalibrating their strategies around AI, automation, and resilience, as boards push for faster innovation and clearer business outcomes.
Key findings include:
C-suites are prioritising resilience
Every respondent (100%) indicated that business risk reduction is a top priority this year, underscoring ongoing concern about cybersecurity threats, supply chain disruptions, and economic volatility. To increase business agility and resilience, leaders are investing in business continuity planning (45%), securing alternative sourcing suppliers (45%), and augmenting their workforce (44%). Vendor lock-in remains a consistent source of frustration for 35% of C-suites, who cite forced upgrades, limited flexibility, and high costs as barriers to achieving long-term technology goals.
C-suites are aligning long-term strategy around AI and automation
44% of leaders identify AI and automation as the top capabilities they need to support both short- and long-term IT initiatives. Automation and AI represent the most important five-year priority for executives, with 46% of CIOs and 43% of CEOs naming these capabilities as their top imperative. While cybersecurity, compliance, and cost optimisation still dominate near-term initiatives, leaders report a growing focus on building a reliable foundation for intelligent operations, supported by strengthened business continuity planning and expanded skills development. More than a third (35%) of respondents say they aim to transform their organizations into data-driven businesses over this period. C-suites can benefit from spending less on costly upgrades of ERP and investing more in meaningful innovation, such as automation and AI.
