AI Demands Expose Enterprise IT Infrastructure Gaps, Netskope Finds

Event summary

  • 80% of IT leaders report rising expectations from senior leadership, while only 38% believe their systems are equipped to handle AI demands.
  • Nearly two-thirds (63%) of I&O leaders feel disconnected from strategic IT decision-making.
  • 59% of I&O leaders believe C-suite expectations around IT performance, resilience, and security are unrealistic.
  • AI adoption support ranks lower (34%) than security and performance improvements (43%, 35%) for I&O teams.
  • Netskope’s research involved interviews with global I&O leaders, highlighting a misalignment between IT operations and executive priorities.

The big picture

The Netskope research underscores a growing disconnect between the strategic ambitions of C-suite executives and the operational realities faced by IT infrastructure teams. This misalignment, driven by the rapid demands of AI, is creating a bottleneck for digital transformation initiatives and highlighting the need for a more collaborative and transparent approach to IT governance. The findings suggest that many organizations are struggling to translate strategic goals into actionable infrastructure investments, potentially hindering their ability to fully leverage the benefits of AI.

What we're watching

Governance Dynamics
The widening gap between I&O teams and executive leadership will likely necessitate formal governance structures and communication protocols to ensure alignment on IT strategy and investment.
Investment Priorities
The prioritization of legacy security and performance improvements over AI enablement suggests a potential slowdown in AI adoption rates until infrastructure concerns are addressed, impacting projected ROI for AI initiatives.
Vendor Positioning
Netskope’s findings provide a strategic opportunity for vendors like Netskope to position themselves as facilitators of C-suite understanding and infrastructure modernization, potentially driving increased demand for their solutions.

Related topics

Technology Digital Transformation