娇色导航

The IT market is always evolving. New trends arrive as many once-popular technologies and practices gradually drift away. It’s the CIO’s job to stay on top of the latest developments and to decide which emerging trends might benefit their enterprise and which could pose a potential threat.

“We’re in an era of competing and overlapping trends that are reshaping the IT market,” says Steven Hall, chief AI officer and a regional president with technology research and advisory firm ISG.

Rebecca Fox, group 娇色导航at cybersecurity consulting firm NCC Group, agrees. She believes that CIOs are particularly well positioned to view the entire business landscape. “We need to be front and center in shaping strategy, influencing decisions, and delivering the outcomes,” Fox says. “That means being visible, building trust, and leading with clarity and urgency.”

To bring you up to speed on what’s new and significant, here are the key trends that are defining today’s enterprise IT market.

1. AI offerings abound — and IT leaders are buying

No surprise here. “AI remains, far and away, the top priority for IT enterprise leaders,” Hall says. “Spending on both generative AI and agentic AI is growing as organizations expand their production use.”

When integrated into major SaaS platforms, AI technologies are increasing productivity across the IT landscape through changes such as DevSecOps and AIOps operating models, Hall explains. He notes that adopters are already witnessing a 30% to 40% productivity improvement in managing IT infrastructure through AIOps, as well as a 20% to 30% percent improvement through the use of gen AI in the software development lifecycle.

On the downside, AI adoption in finance, HR, supply chain, and other key areas is often delayed or reprioritized, Hall observes. Worse yet, AI is making it easier for cybercriminals to successfully attack enterprises.

2. Unstructured data analysis fueling hardware investment, set to transform industries

A top trend in today’s enterprise IT market is a deeper analysis and understanding of vast amounts of structured and unstructured data via machine learning, data science, and AI, says John Kreul, 娇色导航at insurance firm Jewelers Mutual.

Kreul notes that a new generation of powerful chips are now being used to train and analyze unstructured data, helping to drive global investments in AI, processing power, and data centers. “This trend is important because it helps us create more seamless, personalized customer experiences,” he explains. “By using digital tools to surface relevant information quickly, we can support faster service and informed interactions.”

This trend will impact every aspect of the organization, including roles, talent acquisition, and employee training, Kreul says.

3. IT leaders embrace cloud-native architectures and multicloud strategies

Cloud-native technologies, including containers, Kubernetes, serverless computing, and multi-cloud deployments, offer great agility, scalability, resilience, and innovation potential, says Amit Basu, 娇色导航and CISO at International Seaways, a major tanker operator, providing energy transportation services for crude oil and petroleum products. “They allow enterprises to avoid vendor lock-in, optimize performance across regions, and better align IT capabilities with dynamic business needs.”

CIOs and other enterprise leaders must design IT strategies that embrace distributed cloud environments, manage increasing operational complexity, enhance security and governance across multiple platforms, and ensure portability and interoperability of applications and data, Basu says. “They will also need to improve staff skillsets to manage and innovate within these flexible environments.”

4. Cybersecurity investment increases — as do AI risks

Cybersecurity is a critical priority spanning all industries, says Savneet Singh, CEO of food service technology provider PAR Technology. AI has been adopted by bad actors faster than good actors. The industry must respond with far greater focus and speed. These evolving threats put everyone at risk.

Hackers are often ahead of the curve when it comes to leveraging AI, using it to identify weaknesses, Singh says. “In contrast, many IT professionals are still playing catch-up.”

Singh believes that CIOs and their teams need to . “Where are our weaknesses? How would we target them if we were on the other side? Most importantly, how do we stay one step ahead?”

CIOs must thoroughly understand the risks AI can bring and partner with security providers who have strong strategies and investments to combat these emerging threats, says Josh Ortega, vice president of safety, sustainability, and procurement at supply chain services and software provider Veriforce. “This requires a strategic shift in how IT leaders approach deploying technology, focusing more on risk management, governance frameworks and cross-functional collaboration to ensure that AI systems deliver value while maintaining appropriate safeguards.”

5. Low-code and no-code platforms having their moment

One of the most significant trends in the IT market is the democratization of technology through low-code and no-code platforms, says Kellyn Gorman, an engineer at Redgate Software, a database management software and services provider. “These tools empower a wide range of employees to participate in application development and process automation work, tasks once limited to highly technical professionals.”

Low-code and no-code platforms are transforming enterprise IT by dramatically accelerating innovation and time to market. “By removing traditional development bottlenecks, they allow teams to quickly respond to evolving business demands,” Gorman says. “These platforms also help offset developer shortages by enabling business users to contribute directly to solution delivery.”

Yet with expanded access comes an increased risk of data sprawl and lack of technical understanding around data protection. “To truly innovate responsibly, organizations must integrate strong data governance and enforce clear policies alongside these platforms to ensure security, consistency, and control, especially in the age of AI.” Gorman says.

6. Real-time risk platforms on the rise

“We’re noticing a significant trend in the rise of context-aware, real-time risk platforms that pull data from a variety of sources — such as wearables, sensors, contractor systems, and insurance feeds — to deliver instant insights into new risks,” says Ahmed Hafeez, CTO at Veriforce.

Hafeez notes that recent labor market shifts have made it easier for CIOs to hire qualified individuals, allowing them to enhance and expand their IT teams in ways that weren’t previously possible before. “This blend of improved risk visibility and better talent acquisition is paving the way for exciting opportunities in organizational transformation.”

7. Data sovereignty shaking up dynamics between cloud and edge

Edge computing localization, driven by data sovereignty requirements, represents a significant trend, says Dani Kaplan, CEO of SMC Data, an ERP software and services provider. “As governments worldwide implement stricter data residency laws and trade restrictions that affect cloud infrastructure, enterprises are being forced to distribute computing resources closer to end users and within specific geographic boundaries.”

Edge computing localization is reshaping the fundamental economics of enterprise computing, Kaplan says. “Organizations that previously relied on centralized hyperscale cloud architectures are now deploying distributed edge infrastructure to comply with local data processing requirements while maintaining service quality,” he explains.

Kaplan believes that CIOs must architect hybrid infrastructures that can seamlessly operate across fragmented regulatory environments while maintaining unified security and management capabilities. “This requires building new skillsets in international compliance, vendor risk assessment, and distributed systems management.”

He notes that many enterprises are now establishing regional technology councils to manage local requirements while maintaining global operational coherence. “The budget implications are substantial, often requiring 40% to 50% increases in infrastructure spending to maintain the same service levels across distributed architectures,” Kaplan warns.

8. AI breathing new life — and imperatives — into digital transformation

This time, digital transformation is real, Fox says. “Previously, digital transformation was a vague catch-all — it meant different things to different people.” It’s now being redefined by AI.

To take advantage of this shift, businesses have to simplify the tech stack, data models, and operating models, she advises. “AI isn’t something you bolt on — you need to make space for it, and that starts with stripping back complexity and getting serious about business and data hygiene.”

We’re at a defining moment, Fox says. “The CIOs who embrace simplification, security, and strategic AI adoption will pull away from the pack,” she predicts. “Those who wait to be told what to do will find themselves managing the aftermath.” Fox adds. “This is a time for bold, business-minded tech leadership, not playing catch-up.”