The IT-related problems causing CIOs and CEOs the biggest headaches in the past year were operational incidents and staffing issues, according to a survey by the IT Governance Institute (ITGI). In contrast to previous years, security and compliance have slipped well down the list.

While some problems have been relatively successfully negotiated – for example both information security and compliance projects have received heavy investment – clearly the issue of staffing is still very troublesome. It measured 117 on the ITGI’s compound problem index, with the next highest score (88) being high costs and low return on investment. Furthermore, the outsourcing of IT problems is losing credence as a tactic – 45% of respondents (in the US) arguing it was ineffective.

The survey, based on interviews with 695 C-level executives in 22 countries, highlighted that IT is more critical than ever before, with 63% of respondents saying it is ‘always or regularly’ on their board’s agenda.