IT is constantly evolving as it adapts and adjusts to a tumultuous business climate. Digital transformation is driving IT initiatives at an unprecedented level, but organizations still have plenty of room to grow. A combined 44% of organizations surveyed by ESG said they currently have not implemented or are just starting to implement digital transformation initiatives. This effort is business-critical: 86% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that if they do not embrace digital transformation, they will be a less competitive and/or effective organization.

Storage and data protection were of particular note. Forty-five percent of the organizations surveyed by ESG indicated that they will increase their spending in data protection, and 42% will increase their storage infrastructure spending. That should not be surprising: According to separate ESG research, the growth rate of total primary storage capacity now averages roughly 34% annually.