A new survey of state CIOs, released this week by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), TechAmerica, and consulting firm Grant Thornton LLP, reveals that state CIOs are facing tremendous strains trying to balance the realities of their legacy environments while also trying to address emerging opportunities accompanying new technologies and innovation.

That balancing act has become more pronounced this year, the study found, with the widening adoption of mobility and mobile services, cloud and social media.

The new survey, titled “Advancing the C4 Agenda: Balancing Legacy and Innovation” is the third annual study of state CIO issues conducted by NASCIO, TechAmerica and Grant Thornton. The “C4” stands for “consolidation, collaboration, clout and change.”

The survey, conducted between June and August 2012, reflects responses from every state with an enterprise CIO organization, as well the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories, completed the survey, providing an “unprecedented response rate,” according to the authors of the study.