The good news for CIOs? Most of their CEOs are happy with them. The bad news? That's because CEOs don't expect much from them.

Nearly six of 10 CEOs say they're satisfied or very satisfied with their IT, yet most say they don't expect their CIOs to be proactive in improving processes, innovating, or effectively managing IT assets, according to a Forrester Research survey of 71 CEOs at companies with more than $100 million in revenue.

In fact, most technology execs admit that they play it safe. In a recent InformationWeek Research survey of 150 CIOs and tech VPs, 75% describe their company's IT culture as moderate or conservative.

Over the last six years, CEOs have "dialed back their expectations and CIOs have become more risk averse," says Forrester analyst Laurie Orlov. Why? Disappointing ERP implementations, overblown Y2K spending, and the dot-com bust, she says.

The concern now is that CIOs will overlook new technologies, from collaboration tools to radio frequency identification, that offer "the capability to radically change and improve the way companies do business," Orlov says.

CIOs, she says, must "get out there and step up."