The 2026 H1 CIO Report
Boards spent H1 2026 asking three things: who owns our technology, what does it really cost, and are we exposed on AI. This report answers all three with field data from assessments V Consulting Services ran across nonprofits, professional practices, and public institutions, in business language a director can quote.
What is in the report?
Three sections, each written to be read in a board packet. First, the ownership gap: how often technology decisions had no accountable owner, and what that produced. Second, the spend ledger: where money leaked, led by unread vendor invoices and unmanaged auto-renewals. Third, AI at the board table: what directors actually asked, and a plain-language governance starting point aligned to the NIST AI RMF.
| Section | The question it answers | Format |
|---|---|---|
| The ownership gap | Who is accountable for technology, and what happens when no one is? | Findings + checklist |
| The spend ledger | Where does technology money actually leak? | Findings + benchmark table |
| AI at the board table | What should a board do about AI this year? | Brief + agenda questions |
Who is it for?
Executive directors, managing partners, and directors of small and mid-sized institutions: the people who approve technology spend without a CIO on staff. If your organization has an IT provider but no one who answers for the decisions, this report describes your situation specifically. The role that closes that gap is described in What a vCIO does.
Every director we interviewed could describe a risk. Fewer than half could name who was supposed to be watching for it.
How do I read it?
This page is the report. Read it here, free to quote in a board packet, with no form to fill out. A formatted PDF is not ready yet. When it is, it will be linked from this page.
What this means for your board
- If no one on your leadership team can name the owner of technology decisions, you are the report’s central finding.
- The cheapest fixes in the data were contractual, not technical: renewals, duplicate subscriptions, and unread invoices.
- AI governance starts with an inventory question, not a policy document: what AI is already in use here?
- A fixed-fee Technology Assessment produces this same picture for your own organization.
See what this looks like for your organization.
The report is field data from dozens of engagements. A 15-minute call tells you where you personally stand.