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As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, IT leaders face numerous challenges, from defending against growing cyber threats to ensuring on-time and on-budget tech implementations. Here, we¡¯ll explore actionable strategies for IT leaders to overcome these challenges and accelerate growth.

Embracing AI for operational efficiency and revenue creation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way IT leaders approach operational efficiency and data insights. According to a global survey of IT leaders as part of the 2025 CFO Insights, this group is increasingly focused on AI initiatives that not only enhance operational efficiency but also help generate revenue. The main benefits IT leaders have observed from AI include:

• Increased operational efficiency (46%)
• Better data insights and analytics (42%)
• Improved decision-making (38%)

However, when adopting AI-powered solutions, beware of common pitfalls that can hold you back or expose sensitive data. IT teams must implement robust data security, privacy, and governance measures to protect company data and maintain ethical and regulatory standards.

Strengthening cybersecurity with cross-functional collaboration

With predicting the cost of cybercrime to surge to 69% worldwide to $15.6 trillion in the next four years, it¡¯s no surprise that cybersecurity is a top concern for IT leaders. The CFO Insights survey found that 71% of IT leaders feel "somewhat prepared" to respond to an increased cyberattack risk, but only 26% say they are "very prepared." In addition, 43% of IT leaders rank phishing and social engineering attacks as a top-three vulnerability for their business, and 29% identify inadequate employee cybersecurity training and insufficient endpoint security as significant vulnerabilities.

In the face of all these challenges, however, it¡¯s not up to IT alone to address cyber threats. Finance and IT teams must work together to reduce cybersecurity risks. Key strategies to improve cybersecurity include:

• Building a cross-functional cybersecurity task force
• Fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration, trust, and accountability
• Strengthening data access control
• Regular auditing of cybersecurity measures
• Encrypting data both in transit and at rest
• Developing a well-defined incident response plan
• Prioritizing employee awareness and training

8 ways finance and IT teams can reduce cybersecurity risks

Learn 8 key strategies IT and finance leaders must take to address cyberthreats. Download the tip sheet now.

Optimizing IT policies for effective vendor management and data privacy

Your organization¡¯s IT policies¡ª which are crucial for safeguarding data privacy¡ªestablish the strategic and operational tone for your IT team. By determining guidelines for procurement of third-party software, data governance, and much more, IT policies help your entire business make the most of the technology you have now and will have in the future.

Key components of effective IT policies include:

• Clear decision-making and approval processes: Ensure that all stakeholders, both at the executive level and within relevant lines of business, have a seat at the table from the start.
• Detailed vendor guidelines: Consistency in evaluating, selecting, and managing IT vendors is essential, covering aspects such as security, compliance, technical compatibility, and financial stability.
• Security and data privacy requirements: These should be well-articulated to include incident-response and breach-notification procedures, compliance and audits, enforcement and violations, data classification, data access control, data security measures, data storage and backup, and data retention and disposal procedures.
• Integration flexibility: Policies should embed flexibility to fit each situation, application, business process, and timeline, as business needs are constantly evolving.
• Ongoing communication and education: Establishing IT policies is one thing, but ensuring they are followed and understood by employees requires ongoing communication and education.

Leveraging SAP ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ solutions for business efficiency

SAP ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ solutions streamline and automate travel, expense, and invoice management, making life easier for travel managers, business travelers, and finance teams. But they¡¯re not the only ones who benefit¡ªexpense, travel, and invoice automation offers plenty of advantages for IT teams, too.

By enabling better spend visibility, control, and compliance, SAP ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ empowers IT leaders to streamline tedious manual processes, seamlessly integrate and centralize spend data, enjoy a smooth deployment and user onboarding process, and reduce the need for ongoing IT support thanks to self-serve reporting¡ªall without sacrificing cybersecurity and data privacy.

With fewer manual tasks to worry about, finance teams, business travelers, and IT teams can focus on higher-priority activities that drive business resilience and innovation.

Conclusion

IT leaders have a unique opportunity to drive growth and enhance cybersecurity by strategically embracing AI for operational efficiency and revenue creation, fostering cross-functional collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity, optimizing IT policies for effective vendor management and data privacy, and leveraging SAP ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ solutions for business efficiency. By implementing these actionable strategies, IT leaders can not only overcome today¡¯s challenges but also position their business for sustained success and innovation, ultimately fostering a more secure, efficient, and forward-thinki