Softcat reveals cybersecurity top priority for UKI businesses: Report
Report comes as annual global spending on digital transformation is set to reach £3.12tn by 2027
IT infrastructure solutions provider Softcat has published its annual Business Tech report, unveiling how UKI businesses are reacting to both tech challenges and opportunities.
The study has been based on responses from 3,870 organisations across 30 sectors, both public and corporate.
Cybersecurity and evolving technologies
This year, cybersecurity maintains its number one position, with 67 per cent of firms naming it as their main focus, since the rapid evolution and multiplication of cyber threats is pushing organisations to adopt solutions such as SecDataOps and AI to identify risks and improve response times.
This comes as Kaseya’s 2025 State of the MSP report recently revealed 97 per cent of MSPs offered managed security services, such as email security, endpoint detection and response, and managed detection and response.
A recent e92 study also highlighted that nearly half of the cyber distributor’s customers consider cybersecurity as a strategic business investment.
38 per cent of participants also said they are leveraging GenAI and automation to bolster productivity, enhance data analytics, and improve customer experience.
Hybrid cloud platforms are getting more and more interest as well, with firms trying to modernise their IT systems to achieve scalability, optimise costs and integrate AI further into their environment.
38 per cent and 37 per cent of respondents, respectively, named technology awareness and technology selection as priorities.
Companies also labeled observability - the ability to monitor one’s IT environments and troubleshoot systems efficiently - as a priority, as they expect its importance to ramp up over the coming years.
The rising importance of observability is heavily influenced by the rapid adoption of SaaS, cloud and hybrid working, which have spread users, devices and applications across multiple locations, making it increasingly challenging to have a clear view on the full IT stack.
Investment in the digital workspace is continuing at pace, with 33 per cent of answerers focusing on streamlining the end-user experience and empowering employees with AI-powered tools like Microsoft Copilot.
Technology sourcing and afterlife
More than half (54 per cent) of contributors said they are prioritising cost control and budgeting after experiencing growing pressure to work in a cost-effective manner.
44 per cent of respondents said they are prioritising technology sourcing and procurement, with many looking to upgrade their technologies to improve operational efficiency and resiliency.
40 per cent said they are targeting governance and regulatory compliance in 2025, to avoid any potential legal penalties.
Green and social strategies were also at the heart of the interviewees’ preoccupations, with more IT companies rethinking how they retire their end-of-use and end-of-life IT equipment, adopting solutions like trade-ins, buybacks, or even donating their equipment.
19 per cent of organisations identified sustainability as a top strategic priority.
“The pace of change over the past year has been remarkable,” said Richard Wyn Griffith, CCO at Softcat.
“Looking ahead, consolidating platforms, services and technologies will provide a full view of everything from assets and users to connectivity and security.
“In addition, building a data-driven culture will make it easier to take advantage of ever-smarter technologies while complying with evolving regulations.
“But real change comes from understanding which technologies will best meet each organisation’s unique needs and having the agility to evolve when they do.
“This is what Softcat has done best for years, and we’re looking forward to continuing to support customers on the journey.”
According to IDC, annual global spending on digital transformation will reach $3.9tn (£3.12tn) by 2027, as all sectors are trying to keep up in the tech race.