Four-fifths of businesses lack the infrastructure to support AI: report

Unisys has released a report examining how organisations are adapting IT strategies to support emerging technologies, such as GenAI, agentic AI and quantum computing. Titled ‘From Complexity to Clarity: Modernising Cloud and IT for What Comes Next’, the study gathered responses from 1000 C-suite and IT executives across eight global markets. Overall, report findings expose a widening gap between business ambitions and IT readiness — raising concerns about wasted investments, stalled innovation and growing cybersecurity risks. The report also found an elite segment of more than 100 respondents, called ‘Innovation Leaders’, that show what smart IT infrastructure and investment decisions look like and how they help fuel innovation.

The research reveals several key insights. One was that 78% of organisations plan to increase investment in GenAI, while 73% of business executives view agentic AI as critical to staying competitive, yet only 36% say they are ready to support large-scale AI workloads.

Also, 82% of business executives view cloud and IT as profit centres, but while fewer than half of business executives are fully satisfied with the ROI on cloud, automation and GenAI, three-quarters are still increasing their investments.

The research also found that most organisations are ill-equipped for modern cyber threats, and only 14% of business executives say they’re prepared for post-quantum cryptography. 85% of organisations describe their cybersecurity posture as reactive, even as the cost of downtime continues to rise drastically.

“The next wave of technological disruption is already underway, yet many organisations are still operating on outdated foundations and processes,” said Manju Naglapur, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cloud, Applications & Infrastructure Solutions at Unisys. “To fully realise the potential of technologies like generative and agentic AI, organisations need to modernise their infrastructure, align IT and business priorities, and adopt a more proactive approach to cybersecurity.”

Organisations double down on emerging tech to stay competitive

Business executives increasingly view technologies like agentic AI, quantum computing and GenAI as essential to long-term success. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of business executives warn that failing to adopt agentic AI could pose a competitive risk, and that’s why 82% of innovation leaders are already allocating more than 6% of their IT budgets to GenAI-enabled data management. Meanwhile, 78% of all organisations intend to increase their GenAI spend — reflecting growing confidence in its potential to drive innovation and sharpen their competitive advantage.

Outdated infrastructure slows AI and quantum adoption

While organisations are making bold investments in emerging technologies, many acknowledge that their current infrastructure falls short. Astonishingly, this has not changed since Unisys last surveyed organisations in 2023, finding that outdated infrastructure, talent shortages, and a lack of alignment between business and IT were on the list of the top five cloud challenges. These challenges remain top of mind, despite the rapid adoption of emerging technologies such as AI, and in 2025, only 36% of organisations feel confident in their ability to support large-scale GenAI workloads and data volumes. For IT executives, readiness is even lower for quantum computing (32%) and edge computing (34%). Even augmented and virtual reality, long since part of enterprise discussions, are supported by just 35% of IT environments.

These insights indicate that more attention must be directed towards finding solutions in these areas. To realise the full value of these technologies, organisations must modernise their infrastructure and better align their IT capabilities and needs with business priorities.

Reactive cybersecurity leaves organisations exposed

The cloud readiness gap isn’t just slowing innovation — it’s exposing organisations to serious security and financial risks. In the past year, 17% of organisations experienced a breach, with downtime costs reaching up to US$500,000 per hour. Yet only 14% of business executives say their systems are prepared for post-quantum cryptography — a critical defence against future cyber threats.

Despite the risks, 85% of organisations admit their cybersecurity posture remains reactive rather than proactive. While many are beginning to shift strategies, 62% of business executives say they are adopting or planning to adopt Zero Trust models, 61% prioritise cyber recovery, and only 43% have implemented AI-based cybersecurity measures. This leaves a significant opportunity to strengthen defences as emerging technologies increase complexity.

Image credit: iStock.com/BlackJack3D