Horváth: 95% of companies aim to optimize IT costs, but only 28% manage them strategically

In an economic context marked by budgetary pressure and uncertainty, companies are recalibrating their IT strategies, placing increasing emphasis on efficiency and cost control, reveals the “CIO 2025” study, conducted by Horváth, an international management consulting company.

According to the “CIO 2025: How to build crisis-resilient IT in volatile times” research, 95% of companies plan to reduce IT expenses in the coming years – mainly through automation (43%), outsourcing (41%) and other efficiency measures. However, most of these actions are reactive and one-off, not part of a coherent long-term strategy.

Amidst accelerated digitalization, the role of IT departments in companies is being redefined: they become business partners but gradually lose their innovative role. The study shows a significant increase in the perception of IT as a facilitator and generator of business value: +20 percentage points (pp) compared to previous years.

Also, the role of partner in business development increased by 17 percentage points. In contrast, only 38% still consider IT an engine of innovation, down 7 pp. This imbalance highlights the need for strategic repositioning of the IT function – not only as operational support, but also as a vector of transformation and sustainable growth.

Although almost all organizations collaborate with external IT service providers, only 28% adopt a strategic approach to managing them. In 63% of cases, the relationship with providers is treated exclusively operationally – without clear objectives, without long-term assessments and without their integration into the company’s overall vision. The result: unoptimized costs, lost synergies and missed opportunities for innovation through technology partnerships.

The classic, centralized IT organization model is in continuous decline: the share of companies using it has decreased by 20 pp in the last three years. In contrast, hybrid structures have increased by 10 pp, and decentralized ones by 8 pp. This evolution shows a clear need for new governance models, capable of efficiently coordinating IT activities between the central level and local business units.

The Horváth study reveals that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is perceived as the main driver of efficiency and innovation in IT:

• 50% of companies already use knowledge bots to automate access to information;

• 40% use AI for code generation;

• 38% implement AI solutions to optimize software testing.

In addition, AI is increasingly used to reduce IT costs and automate repetitive tasks, freeing up human resources for initiatives with real impact on the business.

“Many organizations remain stuck in a spiral of reactive measures, although they need a coherent and strategic vision on IT. At Horváth, we support companies in the transition from simple cost reductions to mature and high-performance IT governance, which involves prioritizing impactful investments, developing scalable hybrid models and intelligently integrating AI into critical processes. Only in this way can IT departments become a real catalyst for sustainable business transformation,” says Costin Lăpădat, Senior Project Manager, Horváth Romania.