Retail CIOs: Managing data security top priority in 2015, followed by omnichannel

Washington, D.C. - Retail CIOs agree that security and digital innovation are top priorities for 2015, according to a new report by the NRF and Forrester Research.



The study, the Retail CIO Agenda 2015: Secure and Innovate, finds that managing data security is the most urgent focus area for retail CIOs, with 97% of respondents placing it at the top of their 2015 priority lists.



Forrester predicts that at least 60% of enterprises will discover a breach of sensitive data in 2015. As a result, strong corporate-level governance is second to data security when it comes to top focus areas this year, with 78% of retail CIOs noting it as one of their top five internal focus areas, up substantially from 24% in 2014 and 20% in 2013.



Almost one-third of surveyed CIOs (30%) expect their budget to be flat for 2015, and just slightly more (34%) expect a slight increase of less than 10%.



To win, serve and retain customers, retail CIOs are looking to deliver a seamless experience across touch points, citing omnichannel initiatives as the second of three key business priorities for IT, following data security. The survey found that 76% of those surveyed highlight integrating selling channels (e-commerce, mobile, social, catalog and stores) as the number two business priority for 2015, up from 61% in 2014 and 64% in 2013.



In addition, six-in-10 (63%) say modernizing marketing systems to optimize assortment, pricing and inventory, is the number three priority for 2015, on par with 61% in 2014 and 62% in 2013.



“With the role of the CIO evolving further as a company’s strategic technology innovation leader, the complexity of the business challenges cannot be lost – from data security to new digital customer experiences,” said NRF VP of retail technologies Tom Litchford. “Our study findings provide insight into the enormous accountabilities placed on the IT leader’s role, which will help C-suite retail executives collaborate more innovatively as they respond to everything from security issues to staying in step with their customers’ needs.”



In December 2014 Forrester Research partnered with the National Retail Federation for its annual survey of 84 retail IT leaders, including members of the NRF CIO Council, to understand their most important challenges and opportunities for the upcoming year.