In many companies, investment in new technologies is no longer a rigidly planned budget item. Increasingly, companies are increasing their IT spending already during project implementation. Polcom’s report ‘Barometer of the digital transformation of Polish business 2025-2026’ shows that 46 per cent of companies completed all planned IT projects in 2024, and 19 per cent of companies spent more on technology than they originally planned. These figures show that technology is increasingly being treated as an area of investment that can be scaled with growing business needs.
Technology projects are becoming budget flexible
Until a few years ago, IT projects were usually carried out within predetermined budgets. Today, more and more companies are taking a more flexible approach to technology investments. If the implemented solutions bring the expected results – improving operational efficiency, increasing security or enabling the development of new services – companies are prepared to increase expenditure during the course of the projects.
– Just a few years ago, IT projects were often the first area in which companies looked for savings during an economic downturn. Today, the situation has reversed – technology is treated as a tool for stabilising business and increasing its resilience, which is why budgets in this area are more often increasing than decreasing, says Anna Kulikowska, Director of the Sales Department at Polcom.
Technology goes to the heart of business decisions
The change in approach to funding technology projects is due to the growing role of IT in the functioning of businesses. Investments in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, automation or cyber security are increasingly having a direct impact on the way companies operate, their efficiency and their ability to compete in the market.
– In many organisations today, technology investment decisions are made at board level, not just in IT departments. This shows that technology has ceased to be solely an operational back office and is directly influencing the business model and growth rate of companies, Kulikowska emphasises.
The largest proportion of technology investment by companies is currently focused on the areas of IT infrastructure and cyber security. The Polcom survey shows that 93 per cent of companies are investing in IT infrastructure management, security and business continuity of systems. The high level of these investments is due to the growing number of cyber threats, but also to the fact that an increasing proportion of business processes are based on digital systems.
AI and the cloud are changing the structure of technology spending
Companies are also increasingly investing in technologies related to data analytics and process automation. The report shows that 91 per cent of companies are using solutions related to cyber security and infrastructure monitoring, 89 per cent are maintaining their own IT resources, 67 per cent are using the cloud, 60 per cent are implementing solutions based on artificial intelligence and 49 per cent are using Big Data and advanced data analytics technologies.
– Artificial intelligence is beginning to change the way IT infrastructure is designed. Companies need environments that are more scalable, flexible and prepared to process large volumes of data. This is causing investments in cloud and analytics platforms to grow in parallel, adds the Polcom expert .
The increase in business investment in technology is part of a global trend of increased IT and ICT spending. According to a forecast by IDC, global business spending on IT and telecommunications technology could reach around US$4 trillion by 2026. One of the most important drivers of this growth is the development of artificial intelligence, which is moving from the experimental phase to widespread business deployments. Alongside this, demand for computing infrastructure, data platforms and cloud services is growing.
Source: Polcom
