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A new Gartner survey has revealed the top technology investment trends for the coming year, with 88 per cent of chief information officers boosting cyber security spending.
Cyber security will be the main spending focus of chief information officers (CIOs) in 2025, according to new survey data released by Gartner today (10 September).
Gartner’s 2025 Gartner CIO and Technology Executive Survey polled 109 CIOs in Australia and New Zealand out of a global total of 3,186 respondents.
According to the survey, 88 per cent of ANZ CIOs named cyber security as their top concern for 2025. Data analytics, the cloud, and generative AI follow very closely behind by only a few percentage points each.
“With greater government regulation, coupled with some of the largest cyber attacks we’ve seen in ANZ this year, organisations face greater scrutiny as they batten down the hatches to avoid becoming the next target or breaching stewardship,” Brian Ferreira, vice president EXP advisory services at Gartner, said in a statement.
“This continues to drive significant focus and investment towards cyber security and legal compliance into next year.”
GenAI made its first appearance in this year’s survey, but Ferreira said he was not surprised by this year’s result.
“While not included in last year’s survey, it’s hardly surprising GenAI has shot towards the top of the technology investment list for next year as organisations continue to navigate their way towards realising the business value that GenAI can offer as the hype subsides,” Ferreira said.
“They’re also facing more stringent laws to increase stewardship obligations.”
Eighty-two per cent of CIOs also see managing cyber security risk as a key priority for 2025.
However, for every area where spending will likely increase, ANZ CIOs are also looking to make savings elsewhere. Forty-three per cent of respondents will drop spending on legacy infrastructure, 17 per cent will decrease spending on augmented technologies such as VR and AR, and 11 per cent will slow investment in next-gen compute technology.
There has also been a perhaps unsurprising increase in the number of CIOs focusing on minimising risks and managing compliance. In 2023, fifty-seven per cent of CIOs were focused on compliance and risk in the coming year. However, in 2024, ninety-two per cent of CIOs are concerned with managing those outcomes.
“As the Australian regulatory landscapes continue to evolve, it is incumbent upon CIOs to steer their organisations towards a future marked by digital stewardship, responsible innovation, stringent compliance, and active participation in shaping regulatory norms,” Ferreira said.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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