Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2026. Read them in this 18th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Doug King, CIO of ePlus
The CIO role is evolving faster than ever. Over the past decade, IT leaders have shifted from keeping the lights on to driving enterprise-wide transformation – and in 2026, that will only accelerate.
The CIO of tomorrow won’t just enable business strategy – they’ll define it. Focusing on the speed of evolution at a business level, how the C-Suite intersects, and the people that comprise an organization, the CIO is at the center point of this organizational shift.
1. Leading at the Speed of Trust to Lead at the Speed of Business
Digital transformation has outgrown its buzzword status. Today, it’s less about technology and more about driving business transformation, with technology serving as one of several levers for competitive advantage. To achieve this, leaders must prioritize human capital and associated organizational structure. Yet even the most sophisticated structures cannot drive transformation alone-success ultimately depends on the trust that binds teams together.
To lead at the speed of business, CIOs must first lead at the speed of trust. That means building cultures rooted in transparency, accountability, and collaboration. When trust is embedded throughout the organization, teams can move quickly, adapt seamlessly, and innovate without friction.
By empowering employees and strengthening cross-functional partnerships, CIOs can enable strategy and technology to evolve in lockstep – ensuring the business moves as fast as the market demands. By 2026, CIO success will no longer be measured in uptime or infrastructure metrics, but by tangible business outcomes – revenue growth, enhanced customer experience, and clear market differentiation.
2. Redefining C-Suite Collaboration
Technical expertise is a given for today’s CIOs- it’s the price of admission. What separates the most effective leaders is their business acumen: the ability to connect technology strategy to business outcomes and enterprise growth. In 2026, the most successful CIOs will be the ones who connect the dots across the C-suite, fostering close partnerships with leaders across the organization.
The Chief Revenue Officer is now a key collaborator, aligning technology with competitive advantage and go-to-market execution. The Chief Marketing Officer plays a central role in digitizing and personalizing customer experiences, while the Chief Strategy Officer ensures business strategy is aligned with the company’s broader business ambitions.
Perhaps the most critical — and often unexpected — partnership in today’s AI-era driven era is that between the CIO and the Chief Human Resource Officer, who are integral in finding the right resources to drive the future of work. The reason: If you don’t have exceptional talent, you won’t have innovative and scalable processes that can be enabled by advanced technology. Without the right talent strategy, even the most advanced technologies will fail to deliver value.
3. People: The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
The greatest opportunity – and risk – in this new landscape isn’t technology. It’s people. According to ePlus recent survey, over half of organizations (52%) cite skills gaps as a major barrier to AI success. Tomorrow’s CIOs must look beyond hiring great technologists. They must build dynamically skilled teams – resilient, curious, and fluent in both business and tech. Because transformation isn’t about code or tools; it’s about empowering the people who drive innovation. The most successful CIOs are creating an environment where trust fuels transformation – and technology accelerates human potential.
4. Looking Ahead to 2026: AI, Data, and Resilience
As we look into 2026, three forces are defining the technology landscape: AI, data, and business resilience – and increasingly, the intersection of all three. The pace of change in this space is unmatched – and it’s often impossible to think more than one year out – if that far.
On top of that, the era of the “AI slush fund”-the practice of throwing dollars towards emerging technology with little to no strategy- is over. In 2026, organizations that are unable to demonstrate measurable ROI from AI initiatives will see those investments disappear. The focus is shifting from experimentation to execution – with dynamically skilled employees at the center point of strategy. Leaders will need to rethink how they leverage AI-not just for efficiency, but as a strategic engine for innovation and growth.
Nearly three in four organizations responding to ePlus’ latest industry pulse poll cite revenue growth as the top projected outcome of AI – ahead of cost savings (55%) and customer satisfaction (54%). This marks a turning point: AI is no longer a back-office tool; it’s the engine of top-line innovation.
Architecting Business Transformation
As we move into 2026, the CIO’s job is no longer to support the business but to shape it. Technology will continue to evolve at breakneck speed, but success will be defined by how effectively CIOs align people, processes, and platforms to drive real business transformation.
The CIO of the future isn’t the “keeper of systems.” They’re the architect of competitive advantage – redefining how technology and human capabilities move forward together.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr. King joined ePlus in July 2018, and as CIO is responsible for delivering reliable, agile, and optimized IT systems and infrastructure to align with the Company’s strategic vision. Prior to ePlus, Mr. King served as CIO and SVP of Administration at Landauer, Inc., a former NYSE listed company before being acquired by Fortive Corporation. He has extensive leadership experience and expertise in IT strategy, informatics, product development, infrastructure services, technology assessment, and program implementation. Mr. King holds Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Engineering Management and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Mathematics, all from Northwestern University.
