Many IT leaders (and business leaders in general) are being told about the importance of AI implementation. But when it comes to enacting those orders, the path isn’t totally clear.
Despite investments in cutting-edge AI tools and promising initiatives, IT teams often find themselves hitting a wall. The reason? It usually comes down to the foundation of their IT. Sprawling, disconnected ecosystems can silently sabotage new, innovative efforts.
JumpCloud’s recent IT Trends Report surveyed hundreds of IT leaders and uncovered a common paradox: While nearly every organization (99.6%) is exploring or implementing AI, a staggering 81% have not achieved full IT unification.
The average company bounces between a whopping 9.3 different tools for core IT functions. That might just sound like commonplace inefficiency, but it can actually prevent businesses from completing meaningful AI transformation.
That’s why we teamed up with JumpCloud to create this roadmap for IT leaders—to give a clear view of the landscape and a clear route to the final destination of AI implementation.
The folly of fragmentation
Fragmented IT environments aren’t just inconvenient; they’re a strategic liability. The ol’ “more tools, more problems” ethos couldn’t be more relevant.
This disjointed landscape is a gateway to larger shadow IT burdens, increased security gaps (which were reported by over half of respondents in JumpCloud’s survey report), and escalating compliance risks. Not to mention that managing disparate systems diverts crucial IT resources. So instead of spearheading strategic initiatives, teams are busy doing reactive firefighting.
Added up, this all leads to slower processes, unreliable reporting, and a struggle to align tech with broader business goals. Yet despite the very well-known upsides of unification and downsides of fragmentation, JumpCloud found that only 19% of organizations report having fully unified IT environments—and 10% haven’t even started the process.
Accelerating AI adoption
For many organizations, AI isn’t a future aspiration. It’s a reality right now. And the report’s data reveals a clear correlation between IT unification maturity and AI adoption maturity.
Of the leaders who have achieved IT unification, more than 80% actively use AI-based tools already. This is in stark contrast to their less-unified counterparts, who are mostly stuck in piloting or planning stages.
But once unification happens, there’s a direct connection to improved AI outcomes. 73% of fully unified organizations report enhanced AI model performance, compared to only 55% of those in early-stage unification. What’s more, unified teams are also involved in more strategic AI initiatives, which can be good for both operations and optics.
Of course, AI systems do raise security concerns, but unification helps balance those concerns. A mere 14% of unified organizations associate security risks with AI tools, significantly less than the 33% seen across all organizations. This is likely thanks in part to the ripple effect of unification—increased data quality, clearer integration, and a stronger understanding of security challenges posed by AI.
The economic catalyst
In today’s challenging economic environment, IT budgets are under intense scrutiny, but there is one upside: Rather than being a blocker that stalls innovation, these pressures are accelerating the demand for strategic IT modernization.
The focus is shifting toward cost optimization, increased investment in automation, and smarter software procurement. JumpCloud’s report found that the top strategic priority for IT leaders over the next 12 months is increasing AI readiness, closely followed by improving user experience and consolidating IT tools.
This makes sense, given the cost of being disconnected. 46% of disconnected organizations report delayed or canceled IT projects due to economic conditions (nearly double the overall average of 25%). These numbers make a clear case for unification as both a technical upgrade and a financial imperative for business continuity and competitiveness.
Bold steps forward
So, where can IT leaders go from here to reach their AI destinations? Start with breaking down silos. Simplify your IT environment by consolidating disparate tools into a unified platform. From there, automate as much as you can and liberate your team from repetitive tasks so they can focus on higher-value work.
On a more macro level, zoom out and look for ways you can elevate IT’s strategic role in your organization. Improve your collaboration with other departments and hitch your IT initiatives directly onto the business-goals bandwagon.
But perhaps most importantly, it’s crucial for IT leaders to embrace the hybrid reality. Rather than rely on a single vendor to maintain a complex environment, consider a unified platform like JumpCloud that can seamlessly manage diverse endpoints and productivity suites. It helps ensure security and efficiency across your entire ecosystem.