Unisys has released its global report, Unisys AI & Cloud Insights Report 2026: The benchmarks, the gaps, and what to do next, which analyzes how organizations are transforming their investments in AI and cloud computing into measurable results, in a context marked by the increase in cybersecurity threats.
The study’s findings show that companies are at an inflection point: as confidence in their AI and cloud capabilities grows, so does pressure from boards of directors and other stakeholders to deliver immediate results.
Among the main conclusions of the Unisys study, the following stand out:
· Confidence increases, but performance decreases: 90% of organizations say they have the right architecture to support data-driven decision making at scale, up from 72% in 2025. However, fewer organizations are exceeding their expectations for operational efficiency.
· Cybersecurity risk skyrockets: Almost half (49%) of organizations suffered a cybersecurity breach in the last twelve months, a figure that is almost triple that of the previous year (17%).
· Autonomous AI adoption is moving more slowly than the enthusiasm it generates: although 75% believe that it will be essential to manage cloud environments, only 23% have begun to deploy it at scale throughout the organization.
· Security drives innovation: 96% say their cloud security strategy improves their ability to adopt new technologies faster than their competitors, up from 60% in 2025.
“Building a solid technology foundation is a critical first step. Now, technology and business leaders must demonstrate that these investments generate a real return and contribute to the growth of the company,” said Mike Thomson, president and CEO of Unisys. “This means aligning technology strategy with business outcomes, deploying autonomous AI where it adds value, and understanding security as what makes everything else possible, rather than seeing it as a limitation.”
Technological confidence advances faster than business results
Organizations have made significant progress in building the technological foundations necessary to deploy scalable AI and cloud environments. 90% of companies surveyed by Unisys say they have the right architecture to support data-driven decision making at scale (18 percentage points more than in 2025), while another 90% say they are effectively leveraging automation to optimize their technology environments.
However, this greater confidence in technological capabilities is not translating at the same rate into tangible results for the business. Only 65% say their operational efficiency exceeds expectations, compared to 80% in 2025.
To close this gap, organizations will need to focus on turning their technological capabilities into measurable results. Overcoming challenges such as talent shortages (27%) and issues related to data management and integration (26%), the main barriers identified by the study, will be key to scaling new tools and generating real impact on the business.
From technological progress to business impact
Organizations continue to direct their technological investments towards technological modernization objectives, instead of prioritizing operational and commercial goals with a more direct impact on the bottom line.
Currently, according to the findings of the Unisys report, technological modernization (39%) and enabling AI and automation capabilities (36%) lead the objectives of application transformation initiatives, far ahead of more tangible business benefits such as reduced operating costs (27%), improved customer experience (24%) or accelerated time to market (21%).
At the same time, less than half of managers (42%) view the cloud and IT function as profit centers, rather than simply cost centers, reflecting the growing demand to demonstrate clear, short-term business impact.
Autonomous AI undergoes a more pragmatic adoption
Unisys research shows that more organizations are seeing autonomous AI as a key tool to manage the growing number of cloud applications (75%). However, the majority (77%) are still in the early stages of adoption, reflecting a more cautious and planned approach.
While preparing their deployment, organizations are making progress in fundamental aspects for their implementation: 89% have already identified priority use cases; 87% are training their employees; another 87% have gained management support, and 86% collaborate with specialized AI and technology vendors.
Organizations are rethinking their approach to cybersecurity to scale their use of AI without compromising their resilience.
As AI systems gain greater autonomy and access to data and processes, the threat landscape becomes more complex, according to the findings of the Unisys report: Over the past twelve months, nearly half (49%) of organizations experienced a cybersecurity breach, up from 17% in the previous period, highlighting the growing need for resilient security strategies.
In response, organizations are rethinking their approach to cybersecurity so they can scale their use of AI without compromising their resilience. Currently, 93% say that cloud security capabilities significantly influence the level of autonomy they grant to their AI systems.
Positively, 96% also see security as acting as an enabler of innovation, allowing them to adopt new technologies more quickly. Organizations that integrate security into their AI and cloud strategies will be better prepared to innovate with confidence and scale their technology initiatives successfully.
