Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The 2026 CIO 100 winners illustrate how information technology can produce business value when it is attached to a specific operating problem, adopted by employees and partners, and integrated into day-to-day processes. The award recognizes innovative uses of IT; it is not, by itself, causal proof that every project produced the reported result. The case studies nevertheless span revenue, manufacturing, safety, sustainability, customer service, compliance and workforce capability, with several organizations reporting quantified outcomes.
What the CIO 100 recognizes
Foundry describes the CIO 100 as a program celebrating 100 organizations and teams that use IT innovatively to deliver business value through competitive advantage, process optimization, growth or improved customer relationships. CIO’s 2026 feature presents ten examples as representative case studies from the broader class of honorees.
The examples are best read as illustrations of effective transformation patterns, not as a controlled comparison of return on investment. Results come from company statements reported by CIO or from corporate releases, and the evidence ranges from realized measurements to forecasts and qualitative assessments.
How 2026 winners use technology to transform their businesses
ABB: making AI agents a workforce capability
ABB’s ABBY platform allows employees to create and deploy specialized agents for business tasks. CIO reports that the initiative expanded from 100 users in 2025 to 63,000 users—more than 75% of ABB’s workforce—with over 10,000 average daily users. The significant point is adoption at scale: the technology became a reusable employee capability rather than a small pilot owned only by an IT team.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute#1 Best Overall
Belcorp: connecting the factory to enterprise operations
Belcorp’s QPlant Smart Factory connects manufacturing execution, shop-floor equipment, SCADA and electronic batch records with enterprise platforms. That integration improves real-time visibility and traceability across production. Belcorp reported more than $1 million in financial benefits during the first year, as described in CIO’s feature.
Cohesity: integrating an acquisition without stopping sales
After acquiring Veritas, Cohesity replatformed lead-to-cash systems in under six months. The work connected CRM, configure-price-quote, partner relationship management, ERP and subscription platforms while keeping selling, billing and partner operations running. CIO says the effort enabled continuity for more than 13,000 customers. Here, transformation value came from integration speed and operational continuity during a major corporate change.
Dairyland Power: putting safety knowledge in the field
Dairyland Power’s ODIN connects internal safety knowledge to guidance for field crews during work planning. CIO reports reduced OSHA-recordable injuries and better pre-job safety briefings, but does not provide a numerical reduction. CIO Nate Melby described the aim as finding insights to work more safely and preventing incidents. The case shows how an information system can affect frontline decisions, even when the outcome is not summarized by a single financial metric.
Dow: turning carbon data into customer offerings
Dow’s Carbon Footprint Ledger links operational and product-carbon data so the company can support low-carbon product offers and certificates. Dow says the platform follows standards including ISO 14067 and the GHG Protocol Product Standard. CIO reports Dow’s claim that the system drove hundreds of millions of dollars in low-carbon product sales in 2025 and 2026. Debra Bauler, Dow’s chief information and digital officer, said the standards-based, ledger-driven platform operationalizes complex carbon data for customer decarbonization solutions. The sales figure is a company-reported claim, not an independently audited comparison.
Recommended Free Tools
Johnson & Johnson: automating regulated quality work
Johnson & Johnson uses the QuIn assistant and Cora regulatory-intelligence platform to automate quality and document tasks. CIO reports J&J projections of more than $62 million in documented true-cost savings from QuIn by 2028 and $25 million in documented cost savings from Cora by 2028. It also reports $2 million in Cora cost efficiency in 2025. The 2028 figures are targets or forecasts; the 2025 amount is presented as a past-year result.
JLL: combining redesign, automation and AI
JLL combined process redesign, robotic process automation, AI, process monitoring and task-specific assistants across business services. CIO describes gains in efficiency, accuracy and service quality without supplying a specific numerical result. The project demonstrates that automation was paired with process changes and monitoring rather than treated as a stand-alone software installation.
Nationwide: governing partner integrations on one platform
Nationwide’s Enterprise Digital Platform provides a governed common entry point for partner integrations, reusable digital products and onboarding. Nationwide leaders say it supports faster launches and growth. CIO describes the platform as fully deployed, with expansion planned. Governance and reuse are central to the value proposition: partners can connect through common controls instead of creating isolated integrations.
PITT Ohio: converting email requests into structured orders
PITT Ohio’s N@TE converts unstructured pickup-request emails into structured orders in the transportation management system. CIO reports project-specific figures of 30–60 times faster processing, 99% extraction and population accuracy, and 70% lower handling costs per pickup order. Those numbers are reported by the company through CIO’s feature and should not be read as an independent audit or as a result that automatically applies to other carriers.
Southern Methodist University: building adoption through communities
Southern Methodist University used opt-in communities of practice and trained champions to build AI adoption. The account emphasizes willingness, training and user learning rather than a quantified financial return. It shows that capability-building and peer support can be part of an IT transformation’s deliverable.
Which CIO 100 projects show measurable results?
| Organization | Business problem and scope | Reported outcome | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABB | Employee-created AI agents for business tasks | 63,000 users; more than 75% of workforce; 10,000-plus average daily users | Adoption figures reported by CIO from ABB leaders |
| Belcorp | Connected manufacturing, shop-floor and enterprise systems | More than $1 million in first-year financial benefits | Company-reported result in CIO |
| Cohesity | Post-acquisition lead-to-cash integration | Continuity for more than 13,000 customers; deployment in under six months | Operational result reported by CIO |
| Dairyland Power | Field safety guidance and work planning | Reduced OSHA-recordable injuries; improved briefings, without a stated reduction | Qualitative and unquantified company account |
| Dow | Carbon data for low-carbon products and certificates | Hundreds of millions of dollars in low-carbon product sales in 2025 and 2026 | Dow claim reported by CIO |
| Johnson & Johnson | Quality and regulatory document workflows | $2 million Cora cost efficiency in 2025; projected savings by 2028 | Past result plus company projections |
| JLL | Digitized business-service processes | Efficiency, accuracy and service-quality improvements; amount not stated | Qualitative account in CIO |
| Nationwide | Governed partner integration and product reuse | Faster launches and growth; full deployment with expansion planned | Leadership claims and deployment status |
| PITT Ohio | Email-to-order automation for pickup requests | 30–60× faster; 99% accuracy; 70% lower handling costs | Project figures reported by company through CIO |
| Southern Methodist University | AI adoption, training and peer learning | Greater willingness, training and user learning; return not stated | Qualitative account in CIO |
What these examples say about business value from IT
Start with a workflow, not a technology label
The strongest examples name the work being changed: pickup-order entry, lead-to-cash processing, factory traceability, safety planning or carbon-data preparation. This makes the expected outcome testable and gives users a reason to adopt the system.
Integration is part of the product
Belcorp, Cohesity and Nationwide connected multiple systems or created governed reuse. A new interface or model has limited value if employees must re-enter data, partners face inconsistent controls or acquired operations cannot transact.
Adoption determines whether capability becomes value
ABB’s usage figures and SMU’s champion model show two sides of adoption: broad usage at scale and deliberate preparation of users. Training, communities of practice and reusable tools reduce the gap between deployment and actual business use.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Best Value
Governance and standards make expansion safer
Nationwide’s governed entry point, Dow’s standards-based carbon ledger and J&J’s regulated workflows demonstrate that controls are not separate from innovation. They help organizations extend a successful pattern without losing traceability, compliance or consistency.
Measurement must match the initiative
Financial benefits fit Belcorp’s project; processing speed, accuracy and handling cost fit PITT Ohio; adoption fits ABB; safety indicators fit Dairyland Power. Comparing every project with one return metric would obscure the value each system is designed to create.
How to interpret the award evidence
- Recognition establishes that Foundry selected the organization for an innovative IT initiative associated with business value; it does not independently establish causation.
- Separate realized results from forecasts. J&J’s 2028 savings numbers are projections, while its reported $2 million Cora efficiency refers to 2025.
- Keep attribution attached to company figures. Dow’s sales amount and PITT Ohio’s performance metrics are reported claims in CIO’s coverage, not independent comparative benchmarks.
- Look for the operating mechanism behind the number: a connected process, a governed platform, a trained user community or a measurable change in work.
Bottom line for technology leaders
The 2026 CIO 100 stories support a practical conclusion: IT transformation creates the clearest value when technology is embedded in an important workflow, connected to the systems around it, governed for scale and adopted by the people who do the work. The winners cover different industries and outcomes, so none supplies a universal business case. Together, their reported results show how technology can move from project delivery to revenue, cost, safety, compliance, customer and workforce outcomes.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
