Information technology professionals are moving from the basement to the boardroom, with 40 per cent of regional IT directors and chief information officers (CIOs) now reporting directly to the chief executive.
This year's CIO report published by IBM also reveals that technology chiefs in the Middle East are more innovative than their global counterparts.
"They have a seat at the table with the CEO, at the board. They're really being asked to be part of not only the IT leadership but the business leadership," said Nancy Thomas, the vice president of global business services at IBM.
IBM conducted personal interviews with 3,000 CIOs globally in more than 71 countries and across 18 industries.
Gulf states are investing billions of dollars in developing their IT infrastructure as they seek to attract international investment and diversify their economies away from hydrocarbons. Etisalat and du, the UAE's two telecommunications companies, are rolling out so-called 4G technology that allows faster video streaming and better broadband connectivity.
The IBM report found that CIOs are not only expected to implement IT services for companies, but also to contribute towards using IT to help generate revenues.
The report also tracked responses about how CIOs across the world performed in areas such as implementing cost-effective IT services and helping to expand their business processes using IT. In the fields of "transforming" and "pioneering", Middle Eastern CIOs outperformed their global counterparts, according to the report.
"In this region, you have a lot of organisations that are not bound and tethered to so many old and aged legacy systems," Ms Thomas said.
Umang Nahata, the chief executive of Evosys, a company that creates software providing detailed up-to-the-minute information about expenses and revenue, agrees.
"The technology advancement expectations are really high," Mr Nahata said. "In the Middle East, they are going beyond the best, the UK or the US, in certain areas. They are the ones who are driving their entire businesses. They are the ones responsible for getting their organisations technologically advanced."
