Key Findings of the Survey Include:
? Over 90% of organizations expect technology budget increases in 2025.
? 55% of business leaders lack adequate information for technology spending decisions.
? 71% of organizations currently use AI for data analysis.
? 74% cite technology advancements as the primary driver for sustainability initiatives.
? 87% of organizations rely on ROI metrics to guide technology investment decisions.
Other Key Points:
- The study, which included 1,004 technology decision-makers across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, highlights the growing complexity of managing technology spending in an AI-driven landscape.
- The report had a few surprises as well. According to the report, customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are the most widely used tools for informing data-driven technology decisions.
- "It was surprising that CRM and ERP system data was considered more important for decision-making than business intelligence (BI), analytical/predictive, and ITFM [IT financial management] tools, despite their purpose being to derive insights from the data stored within CRM and ERP systems,"
Eugene Khvostov
, chief product officer of
Apptio, an IBM Company
, told ITPro Today.
- While adopting a FinOps approach is one way organizations can better manage costs, there are issues. The report found relatively low prioritization of FinOps frameworks (57%) despite rising cloud costs.
Welcome to Inside ITPro Today!
You already know that every day at ITPro Today is about helping IT Pros learn about, assess, and manage the acquisition of next-gen technology that drives business innovation.
That means original reporting from our team of journalists and unique commentary you won’t see anywhere else! But in case you missed them, here are some of our other must-read favorites from this week:
To Code or Not To Code in the Age of AI
Key Points:
- In the space of just a few years, AI technology has radically changed the calculus surrounding learning to code. Now that large language models (LLMs) can churn out code in a fraction of the time it takes professional software developers to do the same, is there still reason to acquire programming skills?
- The most obvious reason why it's still worth learning to code is that, although AI-assisted development tools like Copilot are quite good at writing code, there will always be code they can't write.
- Another obvious limitation of AI-assisted coding tools is that they can make mistakes. Some may lead simply to poor application performance. Others could create major?security risks linked to AI-generated code, such as leaked credentials and package hallucination.?
- A third argument in favor of learning to code in an age when AI will likely replace some human coders is that acquiring coding skills helps hone your brain and thinking patterns.
- In the story above, let's look at the other side of the coin: why you may not want to bother learning to code, especially in the era of AI.
Invigorate the Culture in Your Tech Workplace
Key Points:
- In a new study, Innovating the Culture of Tomorrow, we discovered what motivates top tech talent and how to create a working environment that enables them to thrive. These skilled professionals are essential for fostering innovation, driving efficiency, and supporting the digital transformation of entire industries.
- As technology continues to evolve rapidly, tech professionals' priorities have shifted. Globally, nearly all (94%) foresee career changes ahead, with many indicating they will leave their current roles if they don't receive the necessary training.
-
Jim Berry
, who is the founder of the
The UCL MBA Careers Centre
and a key commentator on the findings, explained that shift as being driven by job security: "Salary has become less of a priority and a more innovative company promises greater job security and longevity. Ultimately, for organizations aiming to attract and retain the best talent, this highlights the importance of clearly and effectively showcasing your innovation achievements."
- Attracting and retaining leading tech talent requires more than competitive compensation; it necessitates creating an environment where innovation and growth are at the forefront. For companies aiming to thrive, embracing and endorsing a culture of continuous learning and inventive thinking is key.
What's Next for Enterprise Asset Management?
Key Points:
- Enterprise asset management (EAM) stands at a critical juncture as organizations face increasing pressure to optimize asset lifecycles, reduce operational costs, and improve reliability. Digital transformation, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and advanced cloud computing, offers unprecedented capabilities to modernize traditional EAM practices.
- Several core technologies power modern enterprise asset management. GIS is the digital foundation, providing significant spatial intelligence capabilities and real-time location tracking while enabling improved asset relationship mapping and environmental context integration.
- Creating a strategic framework for integrating emerging technologies into EAM systems is crucial and provides a roadmap for organizations to follow. A solid technology architecture must encompass unique data infrastructure, multi-technology integration, real-time processing capabilities, and security and privacy protocols.?
- Real-world examples demonstrate the need for successful EAM digital transformations to take a balanced approach that combines technology, people, and processes.
What's Trending in 2025?
Key Points:
Commentary of the Week
Key Points:
- As organizations navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape, new research from
PagerDuty
suggests that 2025 will mark a significant shift in how enterprises approach their IT operations.
- The comprehensive study, drawing insights from leaders across North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) regions, demonstrates how digital operations have matured from basic infrastructure management to become a critical determinant of competitive advantage.
- Despite economic uncertainties, 64% of organizations expect IT budget increases in 2025, representing a 7 percentage point increase from 2024. This optimistic outlook underscores the strategic importance organizations place on digital operations excellence.
Key findings from PagerDuty's State of Digital Operations Report include:
? 64% of respondents expect IT operations budgets to increase in 2025.
? 71% anticipate expansion of security and operations budgets.
? 74% report improvements in operational maturity, resilience, and effective automation use.
? 35% cite data security as their primary operational challenge.
? 31% struggle with developing the right skills and capabilities.
PowerShell Tutorial of the Week
This tutorial demonstrates how to track the progress of an external process, like Robocopy, using a PowerShell progress bar. Although presented as a proof of concept, the technique can be adapted for various external processes.
[Root] Access: Column of the Week
If you need advice on IT issues, careers, or workplace concerns, [Root] Access is ITPro Today’s dedicated advice column.?Submit your questions here.?Please include “Root Access” in the subject line. Note that questions may be edited for publication.
Latest Major Tech Layoff Announcements
Original Story by Jessica C. Davis, Updated by Brandon Taylor
Key Points:
- As COVID drove everyone online, tech companies hired like crazy. Now we are hitting the COVID tech bust as tech giants shed jobs by the thousands.
- Updated January 31, 2025 with layoff announcements from
Moon Active
,
Stripe
,
Chrono24
and
Pocket FM
.
- Check back regularly for updates to InformationWeek's IT job layoffs tracker.
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