Global tariffs shake up CIOs’ IT agendas

“These tariffs have added friction to our technology supply chain, especially around core infrastructure like servers, storage, and networking gear that often come from overseas,” Mainiero says. “It’s a reminder that while we can’t control these external pressures, we can use them to test and strengthen our resilience.”

In healthcare, when costs go up or timelines stretch due to supply chain issues, “it’s not just an IT problem — it’s a care delivery challenge,” he adds. To compensate, IT’s mission is to design agile and scalable systems to pivot when needed so that its value isn’t compromised even when external factors shift, Mainiero says.

He is constantly re-evaluating the value of the hospital’s vendor relationships through application and tech stack rationalization. Mainiero says he also watches for waste in unused licenses, overlapping tools, and aging equipment “and having real conversations with vendors about partnership, not just procurement.”