ANZ CIOs to prioritise cyber security investments in 2025

Around nine in 10 Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) CIOs and technology executives revealed that cyber security remains the top technology investment in 2025, followed by data analytics, cloud platforms and generative AI (GenAI), according to a survey by Gartner.

Brian Ferreira, vice-president for executive partners advisory at Gartner, noted that with greater government regulation, coupled with some of the largest cyber attacks in ANZ this year, organisations are under pressure to avoid becoming the next target.

“This continues to drive significant focus and investment towards cyber security and legal compliance into next year,” he said.

The 2025 Gartner CIO and technology executive survey gathered data from 3,186 respondents, including 109 from ANZ across the public, private and non-profit sectors. 

While not included in last year’s survey, Ferreira said that it was not surprising GenAI has shot towards the top of the technology investment list for next year.

However, he noted that organisations continue to work towards realising the business value of GenAI as the hype subsides, adding: “They’re also facing more stringent laws to increase stewardship obligations”.

The top three technologies ANZ CIOs said they will decrease investments in next year are legacy infrastructure (43%), augmented reality, virtual reality and immersive technologies (17%) and next-generation compute (11%). 

In terms of focus areas, managing cyber security and other technology risks is the leading priority for 82% of ANZ CIOs next year. This is followed by managing technology financials (59%); demonstrating the business value of IT (52%); and innovating and modernising enterprise applications and software (51%).

“The uncertain economic climate businesses have operated in the last few years has increased executive and board scrutiny on technology investments,” said Ferreira. “Next year will be critical for ANZ CIOs to prioritise technology activities, in conjunction with executive stakeholders, by aligning technology spend and resources to validated high-priority smart spending levers at the enterprise level.” 

When it comes to outcomes of technology investments, ANZ CIOs are looking to improve operating margins (94%), up from 48% in 2024. This is followed by ensuring compliance and minimising risks and excelling in customer or citizen experience.

“As the Australian regulatory landscapes continue to evolve, it is incumbent upon CIOs to steer their organisations towards a future marked by digital stewardship, responsible innovation, stringent compliance and active participation in shaping regulatory norms,” said Ferreira.