[April 23, 2013]

Emerson Explores the Changing Role of the CIO

A new report from Emerson Network Power (News - Alert), a business of Emerson (NYSE:EMR) and a global leader in maximizing availability, capacity and efficiency of critical infrastructure, finds that nearly half of CIOs consider themselves IT service providers or cost centers, rather than business game changers or strategic innovators. Simply keeping up with new technologies has become a major barrier to embracing the rapid development of the information era. The report, "The CIO of the Future: Becoming a Business Game-Changer," also emphasized the importance of budgeting for innovation as one way to embrace a more strategic role in any organization.

"As a former CIO I understand both the demands of the job and the critical role that the CIO can play in supporting and shaping business strategy," said Steve Hassell, former Emerson CIO and current president of Emerson Network Power's Avocent (News - Alert) business. "It can be difficult to get off the hamster wheel of day-to-day operations, but trends such as social media, mobility and data-driven decision-making are only going to increase the importance of IT. Emerson is rapidly addressing some of these challenges by introducing solutions that reduce complexity and improve management of resources. This is key to making the transition from service provider to business leader a seamless effort."

The report includes responses from 560 CIOs and top IT executives of companies in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia with 500 or more employees. Additional highlights from the report include:

• CIOs believe that social media tools will cut traditional email use in half for internal and external customer collaboration by 2018.
• CIOs from Asia (79 percent) and Latin America (78 percent) lead the pack in expecting significant change in their role in the next 5 years. Less dramatic change was expected in the United States and Europe, where about half believe their role will change significantly in the next 5 years.
• Only 10 percent of CIOs see themselves as a driver of their business' competitive future; with another 15 percent categorizing themselves as a business peer and 26 percent seeing themselves as influential collaborators.
• Those CIOs who do manage to stay ahead of business demands are those who are able to budget for innovation and focus on strategically adopting new technologies.

To view the full report, visit www.EmersonNetworkPower.com/CIOtopics.

For more information on Emerson Network Power solutions that support the data center, visit www.EmersonNetworkPower.com.

About Emerson Network Power

Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson (NYSE:EMR), delivers software, hardware and services that maximize availability, capacity and efficiency for data centers, healthcare and industrial facilities. A trusted industry leader in smart infrastructure technologies, Emerson Network Power provides innovative data center infrastructure management solutions that bridge the gap between IT and facility management and deliver efficiency and uncompromised availability regardless of capacity demands. Our solutions are supported globally by local Emerson Network Power service technicians. Learn more about Emerson Network Power products and services at www.EmersonNetworkPower.com.

About Emerson

Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2012 were $24.4 billion. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.

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