Pervasive and persuasive: How to ensure automation delivers savings; Tightening cybersecurity budgets

Pervasive and persuasive: How to ensure automation delivers savings

In today's tech-driven world, automation is everywhere, from document macros to self- healing networks. However, not all automation efforts lead to success. Many organisations struggle with underutilised and incompatible systems, failing to reap the rewards.

Whether your tech environment is on-prem or in the cloud, introducing an automation platform offers significant rewards. However, the path to successfully harnessing the full potential of automation requires structured planning, expertise, and products.

We've seen how a unified vision and strategic sponsorship can drive automation success across organisations, while the impact of mergers and acquisitions, duplicate products and improper implementation can stop automation success in its tracks.

Understanding the evolution of automation products and their expanding capabilities, from infrastructure to networking, can ensure your automation efforts successfully enhance security, compliance, and agility across the entire IT landscape.

In our latest article we look to uncover the secrets to successful automation adoption, discussing why some companies stall in their automation endeavours, how to avoid common pitfalls, and how to maximise benefits while minimising effort, costs, and risks.

Find out where automation can deliver substantial benefits, including cost reduction, risk mitigation, and efficiency improvement. Gain insights into how automation fuels digital transformation, streamlines technical skills development, optimises people and processes, ensures compliance, and boosts organisational stability.

Discover the untapped potential of automation in IT operations. Read the full article here .

ARN Report: CISOs are struggling to get cybersecurity budget

Shweta Sharma published a report called “CISOs are struggling to get cybersecurity budgets” which investigates budget tightening in important areas of cybersecurity. You can read it here .

It mentions a study by IANS Research reveals a 65% drop in cybersecurity spending growth for the 2022-2023 budget cycle among enterprises due to global instability and inflationary pressures. Surveying 550 CISOs from April to August 2023, the study found reduced allocation of cybersecurity funds across sectors. Tech companies saw the most significant decline, dropping from 30% to 5% YoY growth, with over a third of organizations freezing or cutting their cybersecurity budgets. Mature sectors like retail, tech, finance, and healthcare had the lowest budget growth.

Overall, CISO budgets increased by 6%, a significant slowdown from previous years. Economic pressures have impacted cybersecurity spending, but it's not necessarily a de-prioritization. In 37% of cases, CISOs reported flat or declining budgets, and the budget approval rate dropped to 35%. Incident-driven budget increases were common, with security breaches and industry disruptions leading to boosts in budgets. "Staff and compensation" remained the largest spending category, and cybersecurity budgets stayed closely aligned with IT budgets, with an average allocation of 11.6% to security within IT budgets. This allocation varied across sectors, with tech and consumer goods leading in allocation.

If you need more information on what it takes to become secure, and how to manage the challenge of cost and complexities associated with cybersecurity, get in touch with us!

SXiQ Website

Don’t forget that we’ve launched our brand-new website! If you haven't already, take some time to discover who we are and what we do, explore our range of services and trusted relationships with key vendors. Stay up to date with exclusive industry events and critical insights, as well as access career opportunities with SXiQ.

Take a look here !

IBM and Microsoft make enterprise-wide transformation a reality

Michelle Pellegrin and Chris McGuire talk about IBM and Microsoft, two giants, collaborating to provide clients with a potent combination of technology, cloud, and consulting services in this article . The partnership focuses on accelerating hybrid cloud and AI adoption, recognising their substantial ROI that is 2.5x higher than public cloud alone. They know that providing joint solutions benefits companies who seek to improve costs, productivity, and resilience by accelerating their hybrid cloud and AI journeys.

SXiQ are a trusted partner of IBM and Microsoft, with the ability to leverage the relationships to provide customer value that is unrivaled, so your business can unlock the potential that these solutions have on offer. Learn more .

STEPtember

The SXiQ team have laced up in September in an attempt to move 10,000 steps each day to support people living with cerebral palsy. We’re still working toward our goal, and with only a few days left, we’re onto the final push.

So far, we’ve raised $1,991 and taken 3,166,607 steps for STEPtember. If you’d like to make a donation or to find out more about this great cause, click here !

The Final's Countdown

With the AFL Grand Final well and truly around the corner, the Project Services team hosted a Grand Final’s themed social event this month - ‘The Finals Countdown’.

Starting off with AFL trivia hosted on Teams for the whole company, with everyone wearing their favourite team colours or jersey, followed by a thrilling handball competition for our Melbourne-based team.