In 2025, we interviewed more than 1,800 business and technology executives, of which over 80% were C-level. These strategic conversations provide a unique view into how trends affect organizational priorities and investment plans. Broadly, we see three key takeaways across industries:
As industry value chains evolve, digitization remains the most influential macro trend shaping strategy. Nearly three in four executives say it’s significantly impacting their business models. At the same time, shifts in the world economic order and supply chain reconfiguration—along with a changing political, fiscal and regulatory environment—are prompting many executives to rethink how value is delivered across ecosystems. Across industries, leaders are navigating a fast-changing and challenging business environment.
While ROI from digitization is improving with 41% of executives citing that they are generating expected results from their digitization strategies compared to 34% last year, many say full value remains elusive. Cost pressures, legacy systems, and talent shortages continue to slow progress. Nearly half cite legacy systems as a top barrier to achieving digital success, while hiring skilled IT talent remains a widespread challenge. Many organizations are still working to realize the full potential of their digital strategies.
Industry leaders are more open than ever to new ideas to help them drive innovation and efficiency. They are relying more on managed services to balance transformation and stability. Growth spans IT and business functions, from applications and infrastructure to enterprise and industry-specific services. Modernization is gaining momentum, with leaders deepening cloud adoption across infrastructure, platforms, and software to enable more agile operations. AI adoption is also accelerating. Traditional AI is driving efficiency, while generative AI is emerging as a key lever for innovation—together helping organizations become smarter and more responsive.
Learn more about how our business consulting and managed services support balancing a dual business agenda: to balance strategic caution with operational urgency.
Top macro trend
Digitization and the impact on business modelsTop industry trend
Technology innovation & digital transformation
Top business priority
Enhancing operational efficiency through automation and process optimizationTop IT priority
Modernize IT and transform digitally
As in 2024, nearly three-fourths of executives cite digital acceleration as the most impactful macro trend for their organizations, with CEOs rating it the highest. Other high-impact macro trends are mostly consistent year-over-year, while shifts in the world economic order has risen significantly, showing a full 10pp increase.
(% of clients rating macro trends 8+, with 10 as ‘very high degree of impact on the organization’)
The top industry trends this year show that executives are focused on technology and innovation, strengthening resilience and data sovereignty, and optimizing efficiency, driven by market volatility and risk management which enters the top 5 as a new trend.
(Ranked by impact. Year-over-year change denoted as new, up +, down -, no change =)
Operational efficiency and modernization are at the top of organizational agendas, with most industries seeing strong alignment between IT and business to support organizational strategy.
(Ranked by importance. Year-over-year change denoted as new, up +, down -, no change =)
Geopolitical uncertainty is now a top 3 barrier to organizations’ ability to achieve their business priorities, with only budget constraints and organizational and change management ranking higher.
Enhancing the customer/citizen experience through digitalization is new to the top 5 IT priorities, while modernization remains the number one focus area again this year.
(Ranked by importance. Year-over-year change denoted as new, up +, down -, no change =)
While almost all organizations have digital strategies, the gap between having a digitization strategy in place and producing expected results continues.
75%
cite high impacts of digitization on their business model94%
have a defined digital strategy41%
are producing expected results from digitization strategies, up 7pp from last year29%
cite high business model agility to address digitization
AI remains a key lever for innovation and efficiency, and, along with automation, is supporting full-scale digital transformation to achieve results and create value. Most industries are also investigating Advanced AI.
26%
have a GenAI implementation done or in progress36%
have implemented or are implementing traditional AI+6pp
digital leaders are ahead in maturity on GenAI implementation
With nearly half of executives citing legacy systems as the top barrier to successful implementation of digital strategies, executives plan to increase application modernization and migration to cloud service providers. Though migration to the cloud is now more of a strategic imperative, adoption maturity still varies across industries.
57% (+11pp)
plan to modernize 20-80% of their core business applications in 2 years vs. today40% (+12pp)
plan to migrate 20-80% of applications to the cloud in 2 years vs. today
Leaders are increasingly expecting to rely on managed IT and business services over the next three years and CXOs are showing stronger interest.
15% (+2pp)
anticipated reliance on full managed IT services for applications+2pp from 2024
of CXO interest in selective IT infrastructure services, and full horizontal and vertical (core) managed business services
