Unisys Report Warns of IT Readiness Gap Amid Rising AI and Cybersecurity Demands

BLUE BELL, PA— A new global report fromUnisys(NYSE: UIS) highlights a growing gap between technological aspirations and IT readiness, revealing that while organizations are rapidly investing in emerging technologies such asgenerative AI (genAI),Agentic AI, andQuantum computing, many remain unprepared to support these innovations.

Titled“From Complexity to Clarity: Modernizing Cloud and IT for What Comes Next, the report surveyed1,000 C-suite and IT executivesacross eight international markets. Findings indicate growing concerns overstalled innovation, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and inefficient IT infrastructurethat threaten to undermine billions of dollars in technology investments.

Emerging Tech Investments Surge — But Readiness Lags

The survey found that78%of organizations plan to increase spending on generative AI, while73%of business executives viewAgentic AIas essential to staying competitive. Yet only36%say their systems are prepared to handle large-scale AI workloads.

“The next wave of technological disruption is already underway, yet many organizations are still operating on outdated foundations and processes," saidManju Naglapur, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cloud, Applications & Infrastructure Solutions at Unisys.

Even amongInnovation Leaders— a top-performing group identified in the report — the pressure to modernize is evident. These companies are investing heavily, with82% allocating more than 6% of their IT budgetsto genAI-driven data management to maintain a competitive edge.

Infrastructure Bottlenecks Threaten Innovation

Despite aggressive funding,outdated IT infrastructureremains a significant obstacle. Since Unisys' previous survey in 2023, challenges such astalent shortages, fragmented systems, and misalignment between business and IThave persisted.

• Only36%of organizations feel ready to manage large-scale genAI workloads.
• Readiness drops further forquantum computing (32%)andedge computing (34%).
• Even mature technologies likeaugmented and virtual realityare supported by just35%of IT environments.

The findings highlight the need forStrategic modernizationTo fully realize the value of emerging technologies and ensure long-term competitiveness.

Cybersecurity Risks Intensify

The report also warns of increasing cybersecurity vulnerabilities linked to cloud and AI adoption. In the past year alone,17%of organizations experienced aData breach, with downtime costs reachingup to $500,000 per hour.

Despite these risks,85%of respondents describe their cybersecurity approach asreactive rather than proactive. While62%of executives report adopting or planning to adoptZero Trust frameworks, only43%have implementedAI-powered cybersecurity solutions, leaving significant gaps in defense.

Unisys notes that preparedness forPost-Quantum Cryptographyis especially low, with just14%of organizations ready to secure their systems against next-generation cyber threats.

Looking Ahead

As investment in advanced technologies accelerates, Unisys emphasizes that success will depend onaligning IT and business priorities,Modernizing infrastructure, andShifting cybersecurity strategies from reactive to proactive. Without these changes, organizations riskstalling innovation,wasting resources, andleaving critical systems exposed.

This report serves as both a warning and a roadmap, signaling that the race to harness emerging technologies is well underway — but without urgent action, many companies could be left behind.