AI infrastructure, AI-enabled cloud and software ecosystems are major investment drivers.
Gartner · 21 Oct 2026 ↗MARKET INTELLIGENCE · 2026–2027
From AI experimentation
to intelligent operations.
A research-led view of the forces reshaping enterprise technology: AI infrastructure, agentic workflows, trusted data, adaptive security, digital platforms and the skills needed to put transformation into practice.
AI + DATA
TRUST + SECURITY
CONNECTED OPERATIONS
Evidence · Context · ActionVirtualware Innovations · Technology Outlook
01LEAD SERVICETalent
& Staffing
& Staffing
PRIORITY 01 · TALENT & STAFFING
Turn technology forecasts into a practical talent plan
Investment trends only become business outcomes when organisations can attract, deploy and develop the skills behind them. Start with critical role families and capability gaps, use market mapping to set realistic hiring plans, then evaluate offshore delivery or GCC options as a second-stage scale strategy.
CAPABILITY COVERAGEAI & data · Cybersecurity · Cloud & platforms · Networks · ServiceNow · Transformation leadership
THE MARKET SIGNALS
Investment is accelerating.
Execution is the differentiator.
These are third-party market forecasts, not Virtualware revenue projections or guarantees. They indicate where enterprise investment, architecture choices and workforce priorities are moving.
Infrastructure remains the largest AI spending category; agentic features are increasingly embedded in software.
Gartner · 16 Sep 2026 ↗Compute capacity, memory, data-centre design and IaaS economics are strategic planning topics.
Gartner · 21 Oct 2026 ↗Gartner expects strong growth in IaaS and AI-optimised infrastructure investment in Australia.
Gartner · 16 Sep 2026 ↗Forecasts reflect Gartner estimates published in 2026. Figures are rounded for readability and are stated in the currency shown by the source.
AGENTIC SOFTWARE ECONOMY · US$ BILLIONS
Source: Gartner, Sep 2026 ↗AI agents and assistants: forecast spending trajectory
Gartner forecasts rapid expansion as agentic capabilities are embedded into software and services.
Values are Gartner worldwide estimates in US dollars, shown as rounded figures. They are market forecasts, not Virtualware revenue or an estimate of a customer's likely spend.
WHAT IS CHANGING
Seven shifts reshaping
the enterprise technology stack.
The opportunity is not one product or model. It is the operating system formed by infrastructure, data, platforms, security, networks and people working together.
Agentic AI moves into real workflows
AI agents and assistants are moving from isolated pilots into existing software and multi-step processes. Enterprises need clear permissions, human approval points, observability, evaluation and cost controls.
Context becomes enterprise infrastructure
Semantic layers, metadata, knowledge graphs, reliable pipelines and event-driven data help AI systems retrieve context and support timely decisions. Data quality and lineage become operational controls.
Service management becomes orchestration
ITSM is evolving beyond ticket handling toward joined-up service experiences, knowledge, event context, change risk, release readiness and governed automation across business services.
Security must account for AI identities
Agent sprawl, shadow AI, identity misuse and automated attacks expand the attack surface. Build asset and agent inventories, least privilege, exposure management and rehearsed response paths.
Cloud and data centres become AI platforms
AI workloads raise the importance of workload placement, high-performance compute, network fabric, storage, energy, resilience and FinOps. Design for capacity and cost, not simply migration completion.
Networks carry more intelligence and assurance
Cloud-native operations, automation, API exposure, private connectivity and end-to-end observability help connect applications, edge environments, customers and distributed operations.
Skills shift with the technology stack
AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, technological literacy, analytical thinking and learning agility are rising in importance. Transformation plans need skills pathways alongside platform roadmaps.
FROM SIGNAL TO SERVICE
What this means
for each capability.
Technology priorities should translate into concrete service design, implementation and operating practices — not trend language alone.
ServiceNow, ITSM & enterprise workflows
Connect service catalogue, Incident, Problem, Knowledge, CMDB, Change Enablement, Release Management and employee experience. Add controlled AI assistance only where data quality, approvals, auditability and service ownership are clear.
Explore ServiceNow services ↗AI, data engineering & analytics
Prioritise use cases with measurable process value; engineer trusted data products; evaluate retrieval and model quality; implement human review, policy enforcement, usage tracking and continuous monitoring.
Explore AI and data capabilities ↗Cloud, cybersecurity & data centres
Build secure landing zones, identity controls, workload classification, resilience patterns and cost visibility. Extend security into AI agents, third-party integrations, software supply chains and operational technology where relevant.
Explore cloud and cyber services ↗Telecom, enterprise networks & edge
Modernise network operations through automation, observability, cloud-native platforms and secure service integration. Align network capacity and service assurance with increasingly distributed applications and AI workloads.
Explore network capabilities ↗Technology consulting & architecture
Translate strategy into an actionable roadmap: capability mapping, target architecture, data and AI governance, integration design, investment sequencing and value realisation.
Explore technology consulting ↗Talent, GCC & global delivery
Map skills against transformation demand, build multi-location capability, establish knowledge transfer and define accountable operating rhythms across local and distributed teams.
Explore global delivery ↗2027 PLANNING QUESTIONS
Make the forecast
useful to your roadmap.
Use these prompts to focus investment discussions, architecture choices and delivery mobilisation.
Where is value measurable?
Which business workflow, customer journey or service metric should change — and what baseline will prove it?
What must be governed?
Which data, models, agents, identities, vendors and decisions require policy, evidence and accountable owners?
What is the right foundation?
Are architecture, integration, compute, network, security, data quality and service operations fit for the workload?
Who will operate it?
Which capabilities need reskilling, specialist hiring, a delivery partner, an India GCC or a blended operating model?
TURN INSIGHT INTO ACTION
Build a roadmap for the world
your organisation is entering.
Bring your technology priorities, delivery constraints and skills gaps. We can help frame the next practical step.
RESEARCH & FORECAST NOTES
Sources behind
the market signals.
Sources are external analyst and research publications. Forecasts are forward-looking estimates, not certainty, and can be revised.
- Gartner — Worldwide IT spending forecast for 202721 October 2026 · $7.35 trillion total global IT spending forecast; 2027 growth 15%; data-centre systems $1.366 trillion.Read Gartner forecast ↗
- Gartner — Worldwide AI spending forecast for 202616 September 2026 · $2.7 trillion AI spending forecast, up 49.5%; AI agents and assistants forecast to grow from $29.2 billion in 2026 to $65.5 billion in 2027.Read Gartner forecast ↗
- Gartner — Data and analytics trends16 June 2026 · More than one in ten enterprises forecast to be AI-first by 2030; growing importance of agents, semantic context and converged data platforms.Read Gartner analysis ↗
- Gartner — IT spending in Australia16 September 2026 · Australian IT spending forecast to exceed A$192.2 billion in 2027, up 8.7% from 2026.Read Gartner forecast ↗
- Gartner — Cybersecurity trends for 20265 February 2026 · Highlights agentic AI oversight, governance, evolving attack surfaces and cyber resilience.Read Gartner analysis ↗
- Google Cloud — Cybersecurity Forecast 20262026 outlook · Covers AI-enabled attacks and defence, shadow-agent risk, identity and access management, and modern extortion.Read the security forecast ↗
- World Economic Forum — Future of Jobs Report 2025, Skills Outlook2025 · Employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030; AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy are among the fastest-growing skill areas.Read the skills outlook ↗
Virtualware Innovations interprets these external market signals to inform service positioning. References do not imply endorsement, partnership or certification by the cited research organisations. Forecasts are global or national aggregates and are not estimates of Virtualware’s addressable market or guaranteed client outcomes.