Unisys has published a new global report that analyzes how organizations are adapting their technology strategies to support emerging technologies such as Generative AI, autonomous artificial intelligence or quantum computing.
The Unisys report, which compiles responses from 1,000 technology leaders, reveals a widening gap between business ambitions and technology readiness, raising concerns about wasted investments, stagnant innovation and growing cybersecurity risks.
Main conclusions of the study
· 78% of organizations surveyed plan to increase their investment in Generative AI, and 73% of executives consider autonomous AI essential to staying competitive.
· However, only 36% say they are prepared to manage large-scale AI workloads.
· 82% of executives believe that the cloud and technology in general are a profit center. Although less than half are fully satisfied with the return on investment in cloud, automation and generative AI, three in four continue to increase their investments.
· Most organizations are not well equipped to deal with today’s cyber threats, with only 14% of executives saying they are prepared for post-quantum encryption.
· 85% of organizations describe their cybersecurity posture as reactive, even though they are aware that the costs of downtime increase dramatically.
“The next wave of technological disruption is already underway, yet many organizations continue to operate with outdated foundations and processes“said Manju Naglapur, senior vice president and general manager of cloud solutions, applications and infrastructure at Unisys.”To fully realize the potential of technologies like generative and autonomous AI, organizations must upgrade their infrastructure, align business and infrastructure priorities, and take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity.”.
Executives surveyed by Unisys believe that technologies such as autonomous AI, quantum computing and generative AI are essential to the long-term success of their respective companies: almost three-quarters (73%) warn that not adopting autonomous AI could present a competitive risk, and that is why 82% of innovation leaders already allocate more than 6% of their technology budget to data management enabled by generative AI. Meanwhile, 78% of all organizations surveyed plan to increase their spending on generative AI, reflecting growing confidence in its potential to drive innovation and strengthen their competitive advantage.
Outdated infrastructure slows adoption of generative AI and quantum computing
Although organizations are making significant investments in emerging technologies, many recognize that their current infrastructure is not up to par. Surprisingly, this has not changed since the last Unisys report, conducted in 2023, in which the main difficulties in the cloud included outdated infrastructure, lack of talent and misalignment between business and technology. These challenges remain a priority, despite the rapid adoption of emerging technologies such as AI. By 2025, only 36% of organizations are confident in their ability to handle large-scale generative AI workloads and data volumes.
Among the technology managers consulted, preparation is even lower if we consider quantum computing (32%) and edge computing (34%). Even already known technologies such as augmented and virtual reality are only supported by 35% of the technological environments of the companies analyzed.
Reactive cybersecurity that leaves organizations exposed
Lack of cloud readiness not only slows innovation, but exposes organizations to serious security and financial risks. In the last year, 17% of companies suffered at least one security breach, with downtime costs reaching $500,000 per hour. However, only 14% of decision makers surveyed say their systems are prepared for post-quantum encryption, a crucial defense against future cyber threats.
Despite these risks, 85% of organizations admit to maintaining a reactive approach to cybersecurity. Although many are beginning to change their strategy:
· 62% are adopting or plan to adopt Zero Trust models,
· 61% prioritize recovery from cyber attacks,
· And only 43% have implemented AI-based cybersecurity measures.
