Merrill Lynch released survey results that show the majority of CIOs say they believe business is improving and CFOs can begin to loosen purse strings. Separately, IBM also recently published a survey based on 456 CEO interviews in which 80% of respondents said their primary objective has shifted from cost cutting to revenue growth. Nearly three-quarters of the 100 CIOs surveyed characterize their company’s business as getting better. And only 7% see things potentially getting worse. The report also noted that about 40% of CIOs are getting a little more cash from the CFOs. Thirty-four percent said they are “spending a bit more because we have not bought much for three years” and more than 20% described themselves as “ready to be aggressive in spending because we view tech as a differentiator.”