AI Emerges as Crucial Investment Priority for Security Sector

Enterprises are increasingly prioritizing investments in artificial intelligence (AI) in 2024, surpassing security and cloud deployment, as revealed by a recent IDC study. The survey, which involved 823 IT and business decision-makers in the U.S., uncovered that 73% of professionals at midsize and large enterprises are either currently using AI or planning to implement it within the next year to bolster customer engagement. This figure rises to 81% for large companies. Notably, industries leading in embracing AI technologies include manufacturing (84%), financial services (78%), technology/software/gaming (77%), health care (68%), and retail (67%).

The primary expected advantages of incorporating AI and machine learning into IT solutions revolve around enhancing operational efficiency and providing improved customer support through tools like agent-assist technologies and intelligent chatbots. In addition to AI infrastructure, organizations are focusing on cloud services for flexible provisioning and scalability, security solutions to safeguard data across cloud and edge environments, and network enhancements for seamless multi-cloud connectivity and user-friendly operations.

Despite the growing interest in digital transformation, only 32% of enterprises have fully implemented their strategies, with larger organizations leading the charge. IDC highlights several obstacles hindering progress, including a dearth of external IT collaborators, internal skill shortages, lack of executive support, and financial constraints. The study further underscores the importance of rapid provisioning and simplified network/IT management as critical requirements for successful digital transformation initiatives. Notably, the report received sponsorship from Lumen Technologies, a key player in the telecommunications sector.