New data from Expereo reveals priorities and difficulties among tech executives, noting an increasing concern surrounding cybersecurity. According to the report, which surveyed 650 tech leaders globally, 41% of organizations are experiencing difficulties finding and retaining cyber professionals. 

In order to try and manage the talent shortage, organizations have reported training teams and/or individuals on human skills (56%), upskilling/cross training internally (52%), and training via professional vendor certifications (43%). 

The report also notes the transformative nature of AI among organizations, large and small. 84% of global businesses are deploying AI within the organization, and two-thirds believe AI will positively influence costs. Only 12% state that it falls short of expectations. However, AI integration still comes with challenges. 33% of global tech executives are concerned that boards have unrealistic expectations when discussing how AI will impact business performance. Still, this percentage is lower than last year’s, which was 47%. 

Organizations cite additional AI concerns as implementation obstacles, including: 

• AI governance and ethics (43%) 
• Employee resistance (35%)
• Technological change (34%) 

Furthermore, infrastructure is an issue, with 52% of organizations stating their existing network and connectivity infrastructure is not prepared to handle new technology initiatives. 94% of organizations say their networks inhibit the ability to run large data/AI projects in some capacity.