In the digital-first world, technology isn't just a supporting function but a vital player in an organization's success. This survey of thousands of IT and business decision-makers examines the status, future, and risks of IT and technology use, specifically in large and enterprise-sized organizations across the globe.
We surveyed 3,300 decision-makers ranging from junior management to C-suite from IT and several other departments across organizations. We've split them into two broad categories: IT decision-makers (ITDMs) and business decision-makers (BDMs).
IT decision-makers (ITDMs)
Business decision-makers (BDMs)
The surveyed organizations ranged from smaller businesses to large enterprises from 11 sectors, including technology, financial services, energy, entertainment, and the public sector.
North America
South America
Europe
Asia
Oceania
IT's role has expanded beyond being just a support function. This expanding
role brings with it new expectations and changes in how IT functions.
of all decision-makers (both ITDMs and BDMs) agree to some extent that their IT department's success is directly correlated with their organization's overall success.
The IT department also plays a role in decision-making across areas such as strategy, security, finance, and even customer support, with the most common roles being approval and advice.
of BDMs reported that IT has complete or near-complete control of access to their department's data.
of all decision-makers said their IT department plays a role in implementing sustainability policies in their organization.
Even as IT is being decentralized in several organizations (more on this below), many of our respondents
still hold the IT and security teams responsible for protecting the organization from cyberattacks.
Whose responsibility should it be to protect your organization from cyberattacks?
This is despite just about half of BDMs saying IT plays a role in approving (55%) or advising (47%) departments on security.
Only 7% of decision-makers believe everyone in the organization has a responsibility towards cybersecurity.
of BDMs said their IT department has complete authority
to prevent business decisions based on security and
technical concerns.
For IT to succeed in the many roles it is expected to play,
collaboration is key, and this shows up in our data, too.
of decision-makers said that collaboration between their IT department
and other teams has increased in the last two years.
One possible driver of this is the decentralization of organizations' IT structures.
of ITDMs whose organizations have decentralized their IT or are in the process of doing so are facing challenges in maintaining security and quality levels.
96% of all decision-makers believe there are benefits to the democratization of IT. These benefits include greater recognition of the importance of IT and increased scope for innovation.
of BDMs have invested in AI and ML and are using them for more than one use case. In terms of uses, automation leads the pack with preventing cyberattacks following close behind.
of all decision-makers surveyed feel that AI and ML could strengthen their IT security framework.
Areas where BDMs' organizations have invested in AI and ML
Based on the responses of BDMs
of all decision-makers surveyed feel that AI and ML could strengthen their IT security framework.
While IT is naturally the most likely department to be using AI and ML (44%), these technologies are also being used in:
Based on the responses of BDMs
Even as the use of new technologies increases, 93% of BDMs said their employees face barriers in taking full advantage of those technologies. A lack of training and a lack of basic technical knowledge are the two biggest challenges.
Top barriers to employees making full use of technology
Based on the responses of BDMs
Interestingly, nearly all (97%) of the ITDMs surveyed believe that teams across the organization need more technical training.
While some BDMs outsource their technical training, 48% rely on their internal IT teams. Meanwhile, 43% have taken matters into their own hands and use online training courses.
Based on the responses of BDMs
Even as the role of IT becomes more and more vital, IT leaders are increasingly
feeling more alienated from their organizations.
of IT leaders agree that their organizations should have supported them more in the last two years.
Nearly half of the IT leaders surveyed are at risk of attrition.
With only 5% of ITDMs saying that nothing will make them leave, organizations need to be careful not to take away certain key benefits if they want to retain IT talent.
Which of the below would drive you to resign from your current organization if it were no longer offered?
Globally, the potential to upskill, the ability to guide change, and more collaboration are the top three things ITDMs want. However, this varies from region to region.
The top three things ITDMs want most from their roles in the next five years
Over the last two years, collaboration between IT and other departments has increased. Today, a vast majority of decision-makers believe their IT department's success is tied to their organization's success. Many organizations are trying to decentralize IT, despite the challenges this poses, due to the many benefits this will bring.
On the technology and talent front, the proliferation of technology throughout organizations has increased the technical proficiency of non-IT employees—but not to the extent that they can do without IT departments altogether. Yet even as the role of IT grows bigger, organizations are at risk of losing their IT experts who are feeling alienated due to a lack of support.
