Apptio: Rising IT Spend Meets Growing ROI Uncertainty

Global IT budgets are climbing again in 2026, but confidence in the returns on those investments is lagging, according to new research from Apptio, an IBM company.

The 2026 Technology Investment Management report shows IT budgets will climb once again

In Apptio’s 2026 Technology Investment Management Report, nearly three-quarters (74%) of surveyed organizations said they plan to increase IT and software spending this year, including 25% that expect “significant” budget growth. 

At the same time, 90% of technology leaders said uncertainty around ROI is having at least some impact on their investment decisions this year. 

That figure is up from 85% who reported uncertainty in 2025, signaling growing skepticism that higher spending is translating into measurable business value.

The findings underscore a widening gap between technology ambition and financial clarity as organizations push forward with AI, cloud, and cybersecurity investments while struggling to prove outcomes to boards and CFOs.

AI and cybersecurity remain top priorities, but cost sensitivity remains high

Cybersecurity and artificial intelligence ranked as the top technology priorities for 2026, cited by 94% and 91% of respondents, respectively. 

However, those same areas are also among the most cost-sensitive investments, with 60% of leaders closely monitoring cybersecurity spending and 43% expressing concern about AI and machine learning costs.

For channel partners, that tension is increasingly shaping customer conversations as buyers seek ways to advance security and AI initiatives without triggering unpredictable cost overruns. 

Rather than greenlighting open-ended innovation projects, organizations are pressing vendors and service providers to deliver tighter governance, clearer optimization strategies, and stronger connections between spend and outcomes.

AI funding shifts raise the bar for partners

According to the report, most organizations are funding AI initiatives by reallocating existing budgets rather than tapping new capital. 

Sixty-seven percent said AI spending will come from internal budget shifts, while 45% plan to reinvest savings generated by AI-driven efficiencies.

That funding model raises the bar for partners pitching AI solutions. 

Instead of positioning AI as incremental spend, service providers are increasingly being asked to show how new initiatives can be funded through optimization elsewhere in the environment, particularly across cloud, infrastructure, and application portfolios.

In a companion blog post, Apptio GM Ajay Patel said that the dynamic is forcing technology leaders to adopt more disciplined approaches to innovation. 

“The winners won’t be those who spend the most,” Patel wrote. “They’ll be the ones who convert spend into outcomes and business value.”

Data trust and tooling gaps undermine decision-making

While many organizations report confidence in their financial management capabilities, the survey suggests that confidence may be overstated.

Nearly 60% of IT financial management professionals said their forecasts are highly accurate, but only 35% use purpose-built ITFM platforms. 

More than half still rely on ERP systems or spreadsheets to manage IT budgets, a reliance Apptio says contributes to delays, limited transparency, and distrust of data.

For MSPs and other partners, that gap reinforces the growing demand for advisory services spanning IT financial management, FinOps tooling, and data integration—areas where customers lack internal capability but face increasing executive pressure to defend technology spend with credible metrics.

Those challenges are already showing up in executive sentiment. 

Eighty-four percent of respondents cited distrust in data as a factor affecting confidence in technology investment decisions, while 80% pointed to persistent data silos. 

Nearly half said uncertainty about ROI has a major impact on their ability to make investment choices.

“When nearly every leader questions ROI, investment decisions stall,” the report noted, warning that fragmented financial and operational data is slowing innovation and eroding executive trust.

FinOps maturity lags behind cloud and AI complexity

The report also highlights the growing strain on FinOps teams as cloud, containerized workloads, and AI models introduce new cost variability.

More than 70% of FinOps leaders rated their organizations as “established” or more mature, yet only 14% said they have achieved full chargeback for cloud costs. 

At the same time, 90% still rely on manual processes for cloud resource optimization, increasing the risk of runaway spend as environments scale.

That mismatch creates an opportunity for cloud partners and hyperscaler-aligned providers that can help customers move from visibility to accountability. 

As consumption-based pricing models make unmanaged environments harder to justify, partners with FinOps expertise are increasingly positioned as strategic advisors rather than tactical implementers.

AI-specific cloud costs remain another blind spot. 

While most organizations now manage AI and machine learning workloads in the cloud, just 13% said those costs are fully optimized and allocated back to the business, according to the survey.

What it means for the channel

For channel partners, MSPs, and cloud service providers, the findings point to rising demand for financial transparency, governance tooling, and advisory services tied directly to business outcomes—not just infrastructure delivery.

As organizations shift away from static annual planning toward more dynamic, iterative investment models, partners that can help customers connect technology spend to defensible ROI, particularly around AI, cloud, and security, are likely to play a larger role in planning and decision-making.

“Confidence without capability is risky,” the report concluded, warning that organizations that fail to close gaps in data integration, automation, and forecasting may struggle to defend budgets, even as overall IT spending continues to rise.