2026 State of IT Video: B2B Insights on Tech Spending and AI
Once a year, the Spiceworks IT community comes together in person at the SpiceWorld conference — a celebration of IT, where learning meets connections and technology professionals exchange forward-thinking ideas.
One of the most popular sessions at every SpiceWorld is the State of IT keynote, where we share fresh, research-backed insights about IT spending and emerging tech adoption plans over the next 12 months.
If you missed the live presentation, the 2026 State of IT video keynote can help IT professionals explore key tech trends based on data gathered from surveying hundreds of IT professionals in the Spiceworks Community, and beyond. Our goal? To help everyone in IT understand the current state of hot IT topics and to offer a glimpse into strategic moves businesses expect to make in the year ahead.
Watch the Recording of the SpiceWorld 2026 State of IT Keynote
Recently, we hosted a watch party for the 2026 State of IT SpiceWorld keynote, along with the presenters themselves—Peter, Jim, and Derek. In addition to sharing key highlights from the 2026 State of IT report, our analysts provided behind-the-scenes context beyond what they presented at the conference.
To help you parse the dozens of charts and many insights contained in the 2026 State of IT report, we surfaced the findings we think IT pros care about most. Like your favorite podcasters, the Spiceworks and Aberdeen Research team is here to share why we’re so excited about the research, to help you level up your business and career.
Simply watch the embedded State of IT video below for highlights from the 2026 State of IT.
If you’re short on time, you can skip to the areas that interest you most by following the timestamps posted below.
Key 2026 tech insights in the State of IT video
- Tech jobs: Is IT still a good career to go into?
- 9:48 — Is it currently difficult or easy to hire IT talent? Is it now easier or hader to hire than in previous years?
- 11:15 — Is the IT field growing, or contracting? How is IT pay compared to pay in other jobs?
- 12:20 — How important are cybersecurity skills for a career in IT?
- 12:50 — How is AI expected to impact the IT job market over the next 10 years? Which roles will be most in demand?
- 15:44 —Why are AI skills important for a career in IT? Which job titles and types of companies value AI skills the most?
- Emerging tech: How are businesses using AI today?
- 18:01 — Which emerging technologies (i.e., AI, Edge computing, containers, etc) are businesses actually using today? Why do AI adoption rates vary widely between studies?
- 21:54 — How has AI adoption and spending changed in recent years? What AI challenges are businesses running into?
- 23:42 — What technologies are businesses spending on? What factors are influencing IT budgets?
- 25:24 — How are AI investments driving IT modernization and infrastructure spending?
- 28:30 — What percentage of IT budgets is spent on AI?
- 30:37 — What are the most popular AI use cases in businesses today? Which industries are more likely to adopt certain use cases?
- 32:18 — How is AI impacting computer programmers and software developers differently?
- Tech spending: How much do companies spend on IT and cybersecurity?
- 32:50 — How is IT spending increasing or decreasing year-over-year?
- 34:05 — What is the relationship between company revenue and total IT spend? How much are companies spending on IT per employee?
- 35:30 — How much are IT budgets increasing or decreasing in 2026?
- 36:55 — Are businesses spending enough on IT? Who thinks tech spending is adequate, and who thinks tech spending is inadequate?
- 38:20 — Which factors are driving IT budget increases (i.e., AI, cybersecurity, remote and hybrid work, etc.)
- 39:37 — How much do companies spend on cybersecurity, as a percentage of IT budgets?
- 41:50 — How do you make a business case for IT spending? What is the business value of cybersecurity spending? Why isn’t there an ROI on cybersecurity?
- Key Takeaways from the 2026 State of IT report
- 44:30 — Career outlook and advice for IT professionals in 2026
- 45:36 — When should businesses modernize IT infrastructure?
- 46:12 — How do you convince the boss to spend more on IT budgets and advance your career?
Dive deeper into 2026 IT data
Still want more? For additional in-depth findings on forward-looking IT trends, read the full 2026 State of IT report.
Also, stay tuned to Spiceworks.com for more research-backed insights on IT careers, tech spending, emerging tech, and AI. Our IT analysts will share findings and explain why they’re relevant to you, so you can stay up to date on the current and future State of IT.
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