Three Questions To Ask To Get More Out Of Your IT Investment

Forbes

30-04-2025

Glenn Mathis is President and Chief Operating Officer of Integris, a national managed IT service provider.
Businesses around the world are spending more on IT in 2025—a full 9.8% more than last year, according to the latest forecasts from Gartner. Yet, in my experience, too many companies are willing to invest in those new, buzz-worthy technologies, only to wonder later why they didn't move the needle for their business as they expected.
It's a phenomenon so universal that Gartner has a name for it—the 'trough of disillusionment'—the period after a technology is introduced when people realize it's not as powerful as advertised. But what is the problem exactly? The technology itself? Or the business strategy you're building around it?
Most technology bugs will work themselves out with enough training and tweaks. However, real failures come when you don't clearly grasp how a new technology can benefit your business. Here are some questions to consider when budgeting for new software and artificial intelligence engines.
Did you know your cybersecurity compliance can be a big sales driver? Many industries now require their vendors to operate by the same cybersecurity regulations that they do. If you want to qualify for their latest request for proposal (RFP) or even get in the door, you'll need to be compliant.
Specific industry verticals, like Department of Defense contractors, must comply with CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification). Companies handling health data should be compliant with the HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). If you're processing customer purchases, especially online, you're required to handle valuable credit card and payment information with data handling procedures approved by GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
The list goes on and on. So ask yourself: What IT investments would bring us opportunities to approach new customers? If we use these improved cybersecurity credentials as a selling point for new vertical markets, how will that impact the way we calculate return on our IT investments?
Answer these questions correctly—your company will be safer and you can be eligible for new business opportunities you didn't even know were possible. In that case, that IT investment is money well spent.
Some cybersecurity regulations are a bigger compliance lift than others. If your company is at least compliant with the Shields Up directives from the CISA, you'll find you're well on your way to being considered a reliable cybersecurity partner.
It's not enough to hand your employees a shiny new tech toy, like an artificial intelligence engine, for instance. That will only earn you small, incremental gains, mainly on the individual level.
If you want real change, infuse the new tech into your processes from square one. For the purpose of this argument, I'll use two common AI-enabled tools companies may try first: Copilot for Microsoft 365 and HubSpot.
Let's take sales, for instance. You could put all your sales materials, product sheets and proposals into a password-enabled archive, then train Copilot on it. Then, the next time a salesperson needs to create a proposal, they can generate a finished document with approved formats and language, just by entering a simple prompt. Or you could use AI assistants in Microsoft Teams to record customer meetings, make notes and store them in an archive. Then, artificial intelligence could marry with your prospect database in HubSpot to generate thank-you notes, customized newsletters and other sales follow-up materials. (Full disclosure: My company is a Microsoft partner.)
This is just one example, and new capabilities are coming online every day. Before you tell yourself you can't afford an IT investment, calculate the real time and money that new tech could be saving you.
AI chatbots have become so capable that they're now the norm on many corporate websites. But going beyond this new norm to make a real impact means thinking about AI differently. For example, what if you used artificial intelligence to create custom, curated experiences for your customers?
Imagine this scenario: You're a clothing retailer whose customer has just logged onto your website. Instead of just showing her the same screens everyone else sees, what if a custom shopping experience were populated based on her browsing and buying history? Custom deals are generated on the shoes that match the dress she bought, and they still have one last pair in her size. That purse she's been coveting is available in a new color. A 'personal stylist' has outfit recommendations to consider based on a style quiz she's filled out and her estimated size and measurements.
If you are running a business-to-business enterprise, the same kind of thinking could be applied to transparent, responsive customer portals. Use AI to proactively identify patterns and customer needs. Imagine you're a factory equipment maker whose customer hasn't ordered a replacement part in over two years. Your portal could determine what your customer needs next, so they'll always have critical inventory before emergencies strike.
By using AI for these types of hyper-personalized projects, you can attract new customers and increase upselling opportunities exponentially. They may take a more significant lift to complete, so consider working with a capable developer to help you make better use of your existing databases and find the right programs and plug-ins to make this kind of customer service possible.
According to the latest predictions from Grandview Research, the size of the global digital transformation market will grow at an average yearly rate of 28.5% to $4,617,780 million by 2030. Clearly, money is in the pipeline to fuel a period of revolutionary progress. Let's make it count with the optimization, integration and training you need to succeed.
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