The management of technological costs enters a new stage. This is reflected in the IT Cost Management Strategies 2026 report, prepared by LiceoTIC, the collaborative platform for IT managers promoted by Setesca, based on contributions from 90 CIOs and technology managers from organizations in different sectors. The study reveals a change in focus in the priorities of technology departments: while artificial intelligence is consolidated as the main driver for gaining efficiency, cybersecurity continues to lead the investment agenda and controlling spending in the cloud becomes the most immediate challenge.
Artificial intelligence stands out as the technology with the greatest potential to optimize costs over the next three years. 81% of the technology managers consulted consider that it will be the main vector of economic efficiency, especially thanks to the automation of administrative tasks, the improvement of IT support and Helpdesk services, as well as the optimization of document management and information-intensive processes.
In this sense, the report indicates that “the automation of administrative tasks appears as the main savings opportunity identified by organizations”, a conclusion that shows the growing interest in reducing repetitive tasks and increasing team productivity.
Advantages and obstacles to further deployment
However, the study also shows that the implementation of AI is still in an early phase. 35% of organizations are evaluating use cases, 32% are developing pilot projects and 26% acknowledge that they do not yet have relevant initiatives. Only 6% have managed to deploy the technology widely. Among the main obstacles, technical limitations do not stand out, but rather the difficulty in justifying the return on investment, together with the implementation costs and the challenges associated with integration with existing systems.
Along with AI, cybersecurity maintains its position as the main concern for IT departments. 61% of CIOs identify it as their top priority, even ahead of artificial intelligence itself, mentioned by 58% of participants. The increase in digital threats, growing regulatory demands, the need to guarantee business continuity and the increasing dependence on Cloud infrastructure and SaaS applications explain why investments in this area continue to be strengthened and are not subject to cuts.
License optimization and middleware gain prominence through tool consolidation and contract renegotiation
Precisely, the Cloud environment is the protagonist of another of the major changes detected by the report. If in recent years concerns focused on security or the complexity of migration, now the focus shifts to spending control. 55% of CIOs consider that the increase in costs associated with the cloud is their main challenge, while only 6% continue to place security as their biggest concern. In this context, FinOps strategies and greater governance of Cloud consumption emerge as key elements to improve financial efficiency.
License optimization and middleware gain prominence
Looking ahead to 2026, the study identifies other strategic lines that will mark the evolution of technological departments. The modernization of infrastructure, the strengthening of data governance and the transformation of ERP systems continue to advance, although unevenly. In parallel, the optimization of licenses and middleware gains prominence through the consolidation of tools and the renegotiation of contracts as the main ways to contain spending.
Taken together, the conclusions of the LiceoTIC report point to a paradigm shift in technological management. Beyond undertaking large transformation projects, CIOs focus on simplifying environments, automating processes and exercising greater control over technological resources. A strategy aimed at achieving sustainable efficiency in a context marked by pressure on costs and the acceleration of innovation.
