Companies to increase IT spending, expect more bang for their buck

IT budgets are expected to remain steady in 2026 as enterprises raise spending on AI, cybersecurity, and platform-led technology services beyond pilot-stage experimentation

IT budgets in 2026 will stay steady compared to last year, as companies increase spending on technology services to support customers seeking help in security and artificial intelligence (AI).  Companies are moving past the experimentation phase, demanding that technology providers deliver integrated, platform-based results rather than traditional manual labour, according to a report by Bain & Company.  As many as 75 per cent of executives in North America and Europe expect 5 per cent to 10 per cent of their technology spending to be dedicated to AI/machine learning. Banking and oil and gas industries plan to dedicate more than 20 per cent of their budgets to AI. The findings are based on a survey of 280 executives in January. 

Source: Bain & Company’s ‘Tech Services Buyer Survey’