The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released the State CIO Top 10 for 2021, which covers both top priorities and technologies for the coming year.
The top priorities are:
- Cybersecurity and Risk Management,
- Digital Government/Digital Services,
- Cloud Services,
- Broadband/Wireless Connectivity,
- Budget, Cost Control, Fiscal Management,
- Data Management and Analytics,
- Consolidation/Optimization,
- Identity and Access Management,
- Workforce, and
- Customer Relationship Management.
In a press release, NASCIO noted that cybersecurity has topped the list for the past eight years and that workforce rejoins the top 10 after dropping off in 2016. Additionally, digital government climbed two spots – moving from number four in 2019 to number two this year. Broadband also ranked the highest it ever has at number four, unsurprising with this year’s demand for distance learning, teleworking, and telehealth.
“State CIO priorities for 2021 clearly reflect the events of the past year,” said Denis Goulet, NASCIO president and CIO and commissioner for the State of New Hampshire. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of cybersecurity, digital government services, and broadband access, among other topics.”
In addition to CIOs’ top priorities, NASCIO also releases a list of their top technologies for the year to come. Unsurprisingly, the top technologies for 2021 map closely to the top priorities.
The top technologies are:
- Cloud Solutions,
- Legacy Application Modernization/Renovation,
- Identity and Access Management,
- Artificial Intelligence/Robotic Process Automation,
- Security Enhancement Tools,
- Data Analytics,
- Remote Work,
- Enterprise Resource Planning,
- Collaboration Technologies, and
- Customer Service/Customer Relationship Management.
NASCIO determines the ranking, which has been published annually since 2007, by surveying its members. It then uses the priorities to develop the organization’s strategic areas of focus for the coming year, formulate new committees and working groups, and plan NASCIO conference sessions and publications.
