In a fast-moving business environment, how can today's Chief Information Officer (CIO) make the biggest impact on behalf of the entire organization? To answer that question, we listened to more than 2,500 CIOs worldwide, including 158 CIOs from midsize firms. Our findings show the many ways in which the demands on CIOs are changing, and in reaction how today's CIOs are redefining their role.

The voice of the CIO is being heard in new ways, as CIOs rise up the management hierarchy. More than half of all Midmarket CIOs hold positions on their companies' top executive teams. Many of them are also actively engaged in setting strategy, enabling flexibility and change, and solving business problems, not just IT problems. Indeed, the most successful midmarket CIOs spend nearly two-thirds of their time on activities that spur innovation. These activities include generating buy-in for innovative plans, implementing new technologies and managing non-technology business issues.

Yet, like their peers in larger companies, midmarket CIOs acknowledge that some of their most important objectives too often seem to clash: How can I support the introduction of new services while avoiding the disruption of existing services? How can I reduce costs while improving services? How can I balance the need to influence business strategy with the need to provide top-notch IT support?