IT leaders are feeling the pinch when it comes to spending on cybersecurity tools, according to a recent survey of 800 IT decision-makers by Flexera. The results show that 31% marked IT security tools as the area where they overspend the most. That’s a jump from last year’s 25%.
While reducing IT security risks comes in second in terms of priorities—with 28% choosing it—artificial intelligence (AI) takes the top spot. This highlights ongoing discussions about the costs of security tools and the challenges of integrating different systems.
Last year, another survey by IDC looked at IT decision-makers in North America and their use of security tools. Many reported having between 41 to 60 tools in their arsenal; about 25% had 21 to 40 tools.
The Flexera survey also revealed that 68% of IT leaders believe that business units are spending significantly more on cloud services and software as a service (SaaS) than they realize. On average, respondents estimated they are overspending by 20-25% across their cloud, software, SaaS, and hardware budgets. When asked about the biggest challenges in managing IT spending, 45% pointed to controlling the growth of their IT budget. Issues like improving spending efficiency (40%) and dealing with rising prices from software providers (39%) also topped the list.
Flexera noted that IT leaders want a clearer view of their technology investments. They’re trying to tackle overspending while balancing their budgets amid ongoing uncertainties.
AI is shaping the priorities of IT leaders. Nearly half of those surveyed (48%) identified integrating AI as their main focus for the coming year. Conal Gallagher, CIO at Flexera, pointed out that while IT leaders are navigating numerous challenges, AI presents the most significant potential benefits in both the short and long term.
He emphasized the substantial financial investment required for AI projects, which adds pressure to understand their impact and quickly show returns that support business goals. Gallagher also remarked on how AI is transforming IT by shifting the focus toward compute resources and data quality, ultimately reshaping how teams work. It’s clear that IT is leading the way in embracing this change, positioning itself as a driving force within their organizations.