Enterprise IT budgets are under scrutiny, yet 63% of organizations plan to increase annual IT infrastructure spending in 2026. That tension between fiscal discipline and the relentless demand for secure, scalable infrastructure defines the challenge facing every CTO and CIO today. Understanding the major trends influencing the infrastructure landscape across network security, data center operations, and emerging delivery models is not optional. It is a prerequisite for competitive survival.
This article breaks down the findings of the 2026 State of Infrastructure study, contextualizes each trend for enterprise decision makers, and outlines the strategic implications for organizations navigating infrastructure modernization right now.
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What the 2026 State of Infrastructure Study Reveals
The 2026 State of Infrastructure study surveyed approximately 150 IT leaders and practitioners involved in purchasing or managing infrastructure systems across diverse industries and organizations of varying sizes. The study examined organizational responses to growing data storage and management demands; key drivers and inhibitors of infrastructure modernization; infrastructure investment priorities; and the expanding role of IT infrastructure consulting.
The findings paint a clear picture: enterprises are spending more, prioritizing security above all else, and seeking infrastructure models that deliver agility without sacrificing control.
1) Increased Spend on IT Infrastructure
Six in ten organizations (63%) plan to increase annual IT infrastructure spending. The breakdown matters as much as the headline number:
- 25% plan an increase of more than 10%
- 20% plan an increase of 5 to 10%
- 18% plan an increase of less than 5%
- 30% expect no change in spending
- 5% anticipate a decline
Data storage growth, rising workforce demand, and the need to support new business opportunities are the primary drivers of investment. Organizations that treat infrastructure spending as a cost center rather than a growth enabler risk falling behind peers that use modernized infrastructure as a competitive differentiator.
For enterprise leaders looking to structure that investment intelligently, IT infrastructure management frameworks offer a proven starting point for aligning spend with business outcomes.
2) Network Security Remains the Prime Priority
Organizations consistently rank security as the primary factor governing their investments in networking technologies. Approximately three fifths of survey respondents placed security among their top three investment priorities.
The next two priorities reveal where organizations are directing complementary spending:
- Increasing bandwidth via high speed Ethernet: 29%
- Upgrading network hardware or operating systems: 21%
This prioritization reflects the reality that a faster, larger network is only valuable if it is secure. The convergence of network performance and security investment is a defining characteristic of mature enterprise IT strategies in 2026.
Effective data security and storage practices are foundational to this convergence. Enterprises that treat network security as a standalone function rather than an integrated infrastructure discipline consistently report higher incident rates and remediation costs.
For organizations building or evolving their security posture, a dedicated Security Operations Center provides the continuous monitoring and rapid response capability that network complexity demands.
3) Data Centers Continue to Dominate Infrastructure Budgets
Despite sustained growth in cloud adoption, data centers remain a cornerstone of enterprise infrastructure strategy. The study findings are unambiguous:
- Over 30% of respondents plan to allocate more than half of their IT budget to data center facilities, operations, and hardware
- Data center servers are the top technology priority for 44% of organizations
This does not signal a retreat from cloud. It signals a maturing understanding that cloud and on premises infrastructure serve different workloads, regulatory requirements, and risk profiles. The enterprises outperforming their peers are those running hybrid environments with intentional design rather than ad hoc accumulation.
The practical implications of this method are well illustrated in real world delivery. Veritis partnered with a leading banking institution to execute a full scale data center migration, server builds, and IT infrastructure support initiative. The bank’s legacy data center was reaching capacity limits and struggling to meet evolving security and compliance requirements. Veritis delivered the migration with zero operational disruption, implemented fortified network protections aligned with industry standards, and built a scalable, resilient infrastructure to support the bank’s evolving operations. The outcome: business continuity preserved, regulatory alignment achieved, and a future ready infrastructure foundation established.
That engagement underscores a broader principle: data center modernization is not simply a technology upgrade. It is a risk management exercise and a platform for future growth.
4) Converged and Hyper Converged Infrastructure for Speedier Deployment
As organizations look to reduce operational complexity, Converged Infrastructure (CI) and Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) are attracting significant attention. The study found that 65% of respondents are either using or actively considering integrated infrastructure technologies.
The distinction between the two models matters for planning purposes:
Converged Infrastructure bundles compute, storage, networking, and server virtualization into a single, optimized package. It simplifies procurement and reduces integration risk.
Hyper Converged Infrastructure goes further, enabling tighter integration between components through software defined architecture. This approach delivers greater flexibility, easier scaling, and simplified management at the cost of some hardware level customization.
Both models address a shared enterprise pain point: reducing the time, expertise, and overhead required to deploy and manage infrastructure at scale. For organizations facing skills shortages and deployment backlogs, CI and HCI represent a practical path to operational agility.
5) Mission Critical Wireless Networks
Wireless infrastructure is not all about a convenience layer. It is a mission critical component of enterprise operations. Organizations continue to invest heavily in building Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) to meet growing connectivity demands.
The top wireless investment priorities among survey respondents:
- Wireless access points: 47%
- Wireless and mobile security: 39%
The pairing of these two priorities is significant. Access point expansion without corresponding security investment creates new attack surfaces. Enterprises treating wireless infrastructure modernization as a security initiative, not just a connectivity initiative, are making the right strategic call.
6) The Shift to Consumption Based Pricing Models
Gartner forecasts continued strong growth in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) adoption. IaaS and PaaS represent the highest growth segments in cloud and infrastructure services, with 73% year over year growth recorded in 2026.
This shift reflects a fundamental change in how enterprises think about infrastructure economics. Moving from capital expenditure (CAPEX) to operational expenditure (OPEX) through as a service models delivers three core benefits:
a) Reduced financial riskthrough predictable, usage based costs
b) Increased flexibilityto scale capacity in response to business demand
c) Improved capital managementby freeing budget previously locked in depreciating hardware
Most enterprises will not make a binary choice between cloud and on premises. They will manage hybrid combinations of on premises and off premises infrastructure, leveraging both cloud and non cloud architectures. Understanding how cloud infrastructure automation enables this hybrid model at scale is essential for leaders planning their next infrastructure cycle.
For organizations evaluating where the cloud infrastructure market is heading, analysis of the burgeoning cloud infrastructure services market provides useful strategic context.
Useful link: Advantages for C-Suite Leaders with Veritis’ IT Infrastructure Outsourcing Solutions
Key Challenges to Infrastructure Modernization
No honest assessment of infrastructure trends is complete without confronting the barriers. The study identified six primary inhibitors of modernization:
1) Cost of implementation: The most frequently cited barrier across all organization sizes
2) Lack of staff expertise: A persistent constraint as infrastructure complexity outpaces talent supply
3) Security concerns: Particularly relevant when migrating sensitive workloads
4) Complexity of implementation: Especially in organizations with significant technical debt
5) Lack of resources to evaluate new solutions: A capacity problem as much as a capability problem
6) Non compelling value propositions and product immaturity: A signal that vendor selection requires rigor
These challenges do not diminish the case for modernization. They define the conditions under which modernization must be planned and executed. Organizations that approach infrastructure transformation with clear success metrics, phased implementation plans, and qualified external partners consistently achieve better outcomes than those that attempt wholesale change without a structured framework.
Leaders managing sensitive data environments should also ground their modernization strategy in a clear understanding of what data security means and how to maintain compliance throughout the transition.
Strategic Implications for Enterprise IT Leaders
The 2026 data points to a clear strategic direction for enterprise IT leaders:
- Spend more, but spend intentionally: Majority investment growth signals that peers are building capacity advantages. Standing still is a competitive choice with consequences.
- Integrate security into every infrastructure decision: Network security is not a line item. It is a design principle that must run through data center planning, wireless deployment, and cloud architecture equally.
- Design for hybrid by default: Data centers and cloud are not competing strategies. They are complementary components of a resilient, flexible enterprise architecture.
- Evaluate CI and HCI seriously: 65% adoption or consideration signals that integrated infrastructure is moving from early adopter territory to mainstream enterprise practice.
- Address the talent gap proactively: Staff expertise is the second most cited modernization barrier. Partnerships with experienced infrastructure providers are a structural solution, not a stopgap.
Conclusion
The infrastructure decisions enterprise leaders make in the next 12 to 24 months will determine their organizations’ agility, security posture, and cost competitiveness for the following decade. The trends are clear. The barriers are real but surmountable. The differentiator is execution quality.
Contact Veritis to build a custom infrastructure strategy grounded in your specific environment, risk profile, and growth objectives.