The Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2024 in Orlando offered a wealth of insights for IT leaders navigating the future of technology and business transformation. The event brought together CIOs, IT executives, and innovators to discuss critical themes like AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Here are our top five takeaways from the event:
1. Responsible AI integration is essential for the future
In Gartner’s opening keynote ‘Pacing Yourself in the AI Races’, Gartner VP Analysts Mary Mesaglio and Hung LeHong described the challenges CIOs face as they strive to extract true business value from AI. They stressed the need for “pace-setting” AI, where companies adjust their speed based on industry demands – choosing between an AI-steady approach, where they proceed cautiously, or an AI-accelerated approach, focusing on fast, ambitious AI deployment. This balance is critical, as they underscored the need for careful planning with scalable AI goals that integrate risk management at every step.
2. Building resilience through robust cloud governance
With the rapid shift to cloud-based infrastructure, Gartner experts underscored the rising need for strong cloud governance practices, particularly in regulated industries. They identified third-party risks and potential vendor lock-in as common concerns, calling for robust governance frameworks that include cloud exit strategies to protect against over-dependency on a single provider.
3. Enhanced resilience against security risks
In his session, ’After Crowdstrike: Building Resilience in the Face of the Unpredictable,’ Gartner VP Analyst Leigh McMullen advised that overreacting to security events mid-recovery can lead to harmful outcomes. Instead, companies should build resilient security frameworks with defined response and recovery protocols, which help maintain control during incidents. McMullen also highlighted the importance of vendor diversification – not just in products but in enterprise treatment strategies across different departments, ensuring layered defenses and recovery systems.
4. AI engineering and digital literacy as foundational investments
As AI continues to advance, organizations must prioritize digital literacy and establish AI engineering practices that support ethical, secure, and effective AI use. Gartner’s sessions during the event emphasized the importance of AI literacy programs, which foster understanding and effective adoption of AI technologies across teams, from decision-makers to end-users. Embedding AI engineering practices can significantly improve success rates for digital initiatives by ensuring that AI systems are sustainable, governable, and productive.
5. Strategic alignment for digital transformation success
A recurring theme across sessions was the importance of CIO-CxO collaboration in driving successful digital transformation. Gartner research revealed that while only 48% of digital initiatives reach business goals, this number improves dramatically when CIOs and CxOs co-own digital initiatives and engage in cohesive decision-making. This alignment ensures that goals are strategically aligned with business and operational objectives, reducing obstacles and fostering sustainable growth. OrbusInfinity offers an integrated framework that connects strategy with implementation, helping companies bridge departmental silos, streamline communication, and achieve seamless digital transformation.
At Orbus Software, our mission is to help organizations thrive amid continuous change. Our experience at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2024 in Orlando reaffirmed our commitment to empowering our customers to transform smarter with OrbusInfinity, a platform designed to drive innovation, mitigate risks, and achieve strategic success.
If you didn’t get a chance to meet us at the event, reach out to learn more about how OrbusInfinity can support your organization’s digital transformation journey.
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