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Dive Brief:

• Enterprise modernization initiatives are too often threatened by aging infrastructure and systems that have run out of technical support, according to a recent Kyndryl report. The IT services firm surveyed 3,200 C-suite executives and collected anonymized customer data from its Kyndryl Bridge platform.

• While 9 in 10 executives said their company’s technology is best-in-class, nearly two-thirds acknowledged that outdated systems present a major concern. Data indicating 44% of mission-critical enterprise IT infrastructure is approaching or at end-of-life confirmed the apparent paradox.

• If a company lacks comprehensive IT asset and configuration management, locating tech debt is a challenge, according to Michael Bradshaw, Kyndryl’s SVP and global practice leader for applications, data and AI. “It’s almost like an archeological dig,” he said. “You don’t know where the problems are unless you stub your toe on something that’s reached end-of-support.”

Dive Insight:

Executives are bullish on additive digital transformations that enable smarter chatbots, sleeker dashboards and more user-friendly interfaces. But drumming up enthusiasm for the everyday gruntwork that keeps the IT machine humming can be a challenge.

“It's hard for companies to strike that balance between investment in the new and making sure that you're tending to and you're being a good steward for those things that have been around for a period of time,” Bradshaw said.

Headlines, regulations and business disruptions can help bring IT security and privacy risks into focus. When companies absorb the financial and reputational hit of a data breach, it keeps cyber resilience on the corporate radar.

Nearly two-thirds of executives worry about cyberattacks and less than one-third feel their organization is prepared to manage those risks, according to the survey.

CIOs can reframe conversations around tech debt to emphasize the business value of remediation investments on data flow and AI adoption, two related enterprise priorities.

Three-quarters of respondents are investing in traditional AI and machine learning but fewer than half see a positive return on investment, the report found. While data privacy and compliance concerns are two of the most visible hurdles, a lack of investment in core infrastructure can consume ROI.

“When you’re talking about refreshing technology to eliminate technical debt, you’re rarely in an ROI conversation,” Bradshaw said. “The only time you get recognized is when a project delivers on time or if something goes wrong.”