Sopra Steria Next is publishing a new analytical framework for CIOs, designed to provide a clear and reliable view of the accelerating technological, regulatory and operational transformations within organisations.
The CIO Compass outlines ten structuring actions, organised around four cardinal points (AI, data, infrastructures and performance), to help IT departments prioritise their investments and turn innovation into operational results.
A year-long editorial initiative, starting with an Executive Summary available today, followed by ten thematic analyses published every three to four weeks, to shed light on and accelerate the transformations to be undertaken over the next 18 to 24 months.
Paris, February 11, 2025 – Sopra Steria Next, the consulting arm of the Sopra Steria Group, unveils the CIO Compass, a new editorial initiative designed to support CIOs as technological transformations continue to accelerate. Conceived
as a strategic compass, it identifies 10 decisive actions that CIOs will need to undertake over the next 18 to 24 months to speed up their transformation and maintain a competitive edge in a tense technological and economic environment.
A context of accelerated transformation that is redefining the CIO's mission
In a landscape shaped by the rapid rise of generative AI, increasingly complex data architectures, heightened cybersecurity pressure and growing European regulatory requirements (AI Act, DORA, NIS2), CIOs are facing technological, organisational and strategic
upheaval. They must now take on the role of true BIZTECH leaders, capable of combining IT excellence with measurable business impact.
To support them in this transition, Sopra Steria Next is publishing its CIO Compass—a clear and actionable vision of the levers technology leaders should activate in order to:
- Place their information systems at the service of business transformation, effectively integrating new technologies with legacy assets;
- Turn the IT function into a catalyst for performance, balancing business value, industrial maturity and organisational evolution.
Designed as a decision-support tool, the CIO Compass synthesises the most significant trends observed across European IT departments and translates them into concrete, rapidly actionable levers.
10 priority actions to turn technology into business results
Sopra Steria Next's CIO Compass highlights ten decisive actions that will enable CIOs to convert technological breakthroughs into tangible operational value over the next 18 to 24 months. These actions span the entire technological landscape (AI, data,
infrastructures, performance) and are grouped into four major axes forming the strategic compass:
Industrialising AI: industrialising impactful AI by moving beyond POCs to deploy truly productive, process-integrated use cases. This imperative also involves strengthening cyber-resilience in the face of agentic AI and the rapid evolution
of cyber threats.
Rethinking data governance: adopting a data platform and governance model aligned with best-in-class standards—an essential condition for scaling AI and complying with the AI Act. This includes handling unstructured data, adopting
"data-as-a-product" approaches, and integrating new industrial data sources such as digital twins and computer vision.
Modernising infrastructures: modernising infrastructures by combining public, private and sovereign cloud to meet performance, sovereignty and security requirements. This transformation entails legacy modernisation, operations automation
and the deployment of real-time observability, ensuring more reliable and resilient services every day.
Redefining performance management: ensuring the financial and operational performance of IT departments—particularly in a post-CAPEX era where cloud-based OPEX models reshape economic balances. This implies strengthened FinOps capabilities,
value-driven steering and better integration of ESG considerations, from eco-design to automated extra-financial reporting.
A long-term editorial initiative
The CIO Compass is part of a structured year-long editorial programme. It launches today with the publication of an Executive Summary that sets out the vision, structures the four strategic axes and identifies the ten priority actions for the next 18
to 24 months.
Starting in March, Sopra Steria Next will publish a series of ten position papers, released on a regular basis, to explore each action in depth through analyses, case studies and operational recommendations.
Fabrice Asvazadourian, CEO of Sopra Steria Next, commented: "What organisations lack today is not technology, but the ability to generate rapid and sustainable impact from it. With the CIO Compass, we give CIOs a strategic tool that prioritises,
simplifies and makes actionable what has become overwhelming. Consulting plays a crucial role here: laying the foundations, securing technological bets and turning every investment into concrete benefits for the business. This impact-driven approach
is what makes us distinctive."