CompTIA's IT Operations and Emerging Tech tracker monitors the investments companies are making across the four pillars of IT and the adoption of emerging technology.

1. IT Operations and
Emerging Technology

2. Organizational Approach to Technology
14%
33%
47%
7%
Near the middle
Cutting edge Upper tier Lower tier
22%
45%
30%
2%
27%
44%
25%
4%
Small firms
(<100 employees)
Mid-sized firms
(100-499 employees)
Large firms
(500+ employees)

3. Factors Driving Aggressive Approach to Technology
37%
41%
45%
49%
53%
54%
57%
In-house software development expertise
Experimental mindset
Top technology partners
Leadership that supports tech initiatives
Tech-savvy workforce
Ability to implement innovations
Reliability of technology in use

4. Factors Driving Slower Approach to Technology
17%
20%
25%
28%
31%
37%
39%
Restrictions due to regulations
Lack of headcount in key technical areas
Lack of support from senior leadership
Lack of an experimental mindset
Challenges in execution
Insufficient spending on tech initiatives
Insufficient skills among technical staff

5. Expected Investment Allocations over next 12 months
Infrastructure
Software
Development
Cybersecurity Data
29% 27% 23% 23%

6. Expected Infrastructure Investments
14%
16%
22%
34%
36%
36%
37%
40%
42%
43%
52%
53%
On-prem servers
On-prem storage
Use of outside firm for managed services
Internet of Things (IoT) devices
Printers
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
New hiring for infrastructure roles
Audio/video equipment
Smartphones
Training for existing infrastructure employees
Networking equipment
Laptops

7. Expected Software Investments
24%
29%
31%
33%
33%
37%
40%
46%
46%
DevOps tools and processes
Use of outside firm
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Mobile application development
New hiring for software developers
Software as a Service (SaaS) applications
Business applications installed on-prem
Training for existing employees
Website/web application development

8. Expected Cybersecurity Investments
28%
32%
33%
33%
35%
37%
39%
61%
Use of outside firm
New hiring of cybersecurity specialists
External audits of cybersecurity defenses
Compliance audits
Business continuity/disaster recovery
End user training/education
Training for existing specialists
Technology tools

9. Expected Data Investments
26%
31%
38%
44%
45%
46%
48%
Use of outside firm
External audits of corporate data
New hiring for data specialists
Training for existing data specialists
New databases
Data visualization tools
Data analytics tools

10. Challenges with Adopting Emerging Technologies
33%
36%
37%
38%
39%
40%
Low priority within organization
Regulatory concerns
Lack of skills
Clear benefits/ROI of new technology
Competing standards
Clear use case for new technology

11. Estimated Adoption of Emerging Technologies
45%
40%
36%
36%
32%
31%
31%
31%
29%
26%
20%
15%
19%
24%
24%
21%
24%
22%
21%
27%
20%
26%
28%
29%
22%
24%
20%
24%
24%
25%
27%
22%
25%
24%
23%
35%
14%
13%
20%
20%
19%
22%
22%
21%
25%
24%
30%
21%
Digital twins
Drones
Robotics
Robotic process automation
Augmented reality (AR)
3D printing
Distributed ledger/blockchain
Virtual reality (VR)
Biometrics
Artificial intelligence/machine learning
5G
Internet of Things (IoT)
No activity/Not sure Exploratory stage Implemented but not highly utilized Implemented and highly utilized

12. Use Cases for IoT
28%
29%
33%
35%
40%
47%
53%
Management of a fleet of vehicles
NFC/contactless payment options
Industrial IoT application
Smart badges for employees to monitor
workflow patterns
Monitoring employees working in field
situations
Management of physical space
Inventory management

13. Use Cases for AI
24%
27%
29%
31%
33%
35%
35%
39%
42%
45%
Chatbots for internal employees with…
Chatbots for external customers
Supply chain management
Sales and marketing
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Hiring process/candidate screening
Technical support call/ticket routing
Digital assistants
Cybersecurity tools
Data analysis

14. Use Cases for Drones
24%
34%
35%
36%
40%
41%
46%
Agricultural/geological surveys
Entertainment (e.g. light shows)
Delivery services
Emergency/search and rescue
Photography
Monitoring of equipment in field
Monitoring building structures