3stepIT has published a global study showing a gap between what organisations expect technology to deliver and how they make investment decisions. The survey covered 1,000 senior technology leaders.
The findings suggest that while many businesses now see technology as central to business value, they do not consistently link procurement decisions to broader corporate goals. The study found that 82% of organisations rank technology alongside people as the leading driver of business value. Yet, only 16% strongly agree there is a clear link between business strategy and technology procurement.
That disconnect extends to efficiency and security. While 83% of respondents said technology drives efficiency, only 8% said it is treated as a business-critical investment consideration. Security also featured prominently: 62% described it as a top threat to their business, but fewer than half, 49%, rated data protection as a high investment priority.
The research also points to a pattern of businesses placing too much weight on upfront spending when choosing technology. Nearly two-thirds (64%) said they had rejected a better technology option because of initial cost, while 67% said the purchase price is weighted too heavily in procurement.
Those results come as technology leaders face greater scrutiny over business outcomes. Almost 90% said they are assessed on the overall business impact of technology, but 58% said they do not have an effective way to demonstrate the long-term value of those investments.
Short-term focus
The survey indicates that many organisations still make decisions based on short-term financial measures rather than a full view of costs and risks over an asset's life. This appears most sharply at the end of the technology lifecycle, where decommissioning, data handling and value recovery can create additional exposure.
Three-quarters of organisations said they prioritise the data security of active assets over retired ones when making investment decisions. A further 26% said they recover no value at all from decommissioned technology.
"Technology has shifted from a collection of operational tools to critical infrastructure that organizations fundamentally rely on. But the investment impact gap is undermining tech value and exposing organizations to critical business risks from procurement to retirement. Today, nearly 90% of leaders are evaluated on the overall business impact of technology, yet most are making investment decisions without visibility of their lifecycle consequences," said Jakob Lagander, Chief Executive Officer, 3stepIT.
3stepIT is using the research to introduce what it calls the Total Cost of Impact (TCI), a model intended to help organisations assess technology investment decisions across the full lifecycle. The framework covers financial, operational, security, compliance, environmental and social factors at the point decisions are made.
Lifecycle model
The model is intended to give procurement, technology and finance teams a common basis for evaluating cost, risk and value before committing to purchases. The study argues that without that wider view, businesses can lock in hidden costs and miss value later in the lifecycle.
"Tech investment decisions shape long-term value and risk. But too often, they are made with a transactional, short-term lens. Having a lifecycle view upfront can be the difference between locking in hidden costs and vulnerabilities, or building resilience and long-term competitive advantage," Carmen Ene, Chief Executive Officer, BNP Paribas 3 Step IT, said.
The report also reflects a broader shift in how companies view their technology estate. Rather than treating devices and infrastructure as isolated purchases, businesses increasingly see them as assets that affect operations, resilience, compliance and balance-sheet performance over time.
That change is making investment decisions more difficult, especially as businesses manage tighter budgets, cybersecurity concerns and greater regulation. The study suggests these pressures are exposing weaknesses in procurement processes that still favour simple price comparisons over longer-term assessment.
Lagander said, "Organisations that adopt a lifecycle view of technology, treating it as critical infrastructure rather than a set of discrete investments, will build compounding advantages over time, as early decisions shape long-term performance."
Ene also warned about the effect of newer technologies on those choices.
"Emerging technologies are making technology investment decisions more complex and more consequential. Organisations must keep pace with innovation while managing rising costs, security threats, and regulatory demands. With AI, risks can scale rapidly and become harder to control, making early lifecycle decisions critical to determining long-term cost, risk, and resilience."