The pandemic is driving rapid transformation and major challenges. But the best CIOs have been there every step of the way, to guide organizations, scale fast, and implement new technologies and solutions.

But even for the most strategic CIOs, it hasn’t been easy.

In this podcast, Cisco Techbeat host Kevin Delaney highlights some key insights from a CIO Roundtable discussion from Cisco Live this week, Cisco’s premier education and training event for IT professionals.

Moderated by Michael Krigsman, an industry analyst and host of CxOTalk, the original discussion — “CIO Perspectives: 2020” — brought together three top CIOs: Abhijit Mazumder of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS); Phillip Knutel of Babson College; and Jacqui Guichelaar, senior vice president and CIO of Cisco.

In a free-ranging discussion available on the IT Leadership Channel, they shared their recent challenges, top priorities, and key insights about the new rising challenges facing CIOs today — along with their thoughts on the elevated status of the CIO role.