Dive Brief:

• A lack of businesswide integration could be costing organizations in their digital transformation initiatives and undercutting investment in new technologies, according to a MuleSoft connectivity benchmark report. 
• Integration barriers are slowing down 84% of organizations planning or in the midst of digital transformation efforts, according to the survey of more than 650 IT leaders around the world. Of the more than 1,000 applications that almost half of respondents were using, less than one-third are integrated, contributing to a data silo problem. 
• Project demands and delivery expectations are increasing every year, and IT is also expected to improve technology operational efficiency and business efficiency. But existing infrastructure is limiting IT's ability to introduce new technologies, widening the IT delivery gap. 

Dive Insight:

Technology integration, or a lack thereof, can be a reflection of how future-focused a company's culture is. The majority of workers fear falling behind if their office's technology is not fully integrated, and a workplace not driven by digitization could miss out on acquiring top talent because of that. 

While organizations and CIOs generally agree that technologies like data analytics and artificial intelligence are critical for long-term competitiveness and successful customer delivery, many still struggle to make these a priority or even a reality. 

Success down the road means investing in the people, processes and technologies now, but tight budgets can stall those efforts and bottleneck adoption of new innovations. 

This year, the bulk of IT spending will go to back-office spending and maintenance and operation of existing systems. A slowing economy can make it harder to justify investments in new technologies. CIOs, expected to keep the lights on and to drive revenue and innovation, are hard-pressed to balance what can feel like competing priorities.