TRENDING
Nathan Knight , ANZ Managing Director ,
Hitachi Vantara
These advancements promise significant productivity gains and cost savings , particularly in areas such as predictive maintenance , customer support automation , and network optimisation .
15 countries , including 75 from Australia . The survey found that most Australian businesses were focused on data security risks at the expense of data quality , sustainability and infrastructure management .
“ However , the rapid adoption of AI also introduces new vulnerabilities . Automated processes could inadvertently create flawed code , leaving networks exposed to exploitation . Consequently , businesses should be focusing on handling massive data sets in a way that prioritise data resiliency , business continuity and energy efficiency and balance the benefits of AI with rigorous oversight to ensure secure and reliable implementation . This includes deploying secure development practices , conducting extensive testing of AI-generated systems , and creating transparent accountability structures for AI-driven decisions .”
Key Australia findings include :
• Highlighting the disconnect with proper data management , only 44 % of respondents say that data is available when they need it the majority of the time .
• Around four in ten ( 41 %) are not taking steps to improve their data quality by tagging data for visualization , only 36 % are enhancing training data quality to explain AI outputs and just under a quarter ( 23 %) don ’ t review datasets for quality .
• Return on investment ( 45 %) is top-of-mind with AI deployments followed by speed to deploy ( 44 %) and cost and security ( 42 %) as the highest areas of concern with their infrastructure . Additionally , 76 % acknowledge that a significant data loss could be catastrophic to their operations , while 76 % of respondents are also concerned that AI will provide hackers with enhanced tools .
• 25 % of Australian IT leaders are addressing the inability of AI to explain module outputs through establishing AI governance frameworks compared to 36 globally while 33 % of Australians are enhancing data for accurate model training compared to 38 % globally .
• AI strategy is lacking sustainability considerations , as only 28 % ranked sustainability as a priority in AI implementation . At the same time , 45 % said they were prioritising ROI for their AI strategy .
Additionally , the survey reveals that as organisations advance AI initiatives , most IT leaders recognise the need for third-party support in critical areas , including :
• Hardware – To be effective , hardware needs to be secure , available 24 / 7 and efficient to meet sustainability goals . In the survey , 28 % of IT leaders report needing assistance to create scalable , future-proof hardware solutions .
• Data Storage and Processing Solutions – Effective data solutions bring data closer to users while emphasising security and sustainability . The survey found that 22 % of leaders need help with ROT data storage and data preparation , while 23 % seek assistance with data processing .
George Dragatsis , ANZ Chief Technology Officer , Hitachi Vantara , said : “ The survey makes it clear that during 2025 , AI will stand out as both an opportunity and a challenge for Australian businesses . On one hand , it offers unprecedented possibilities for innovation and efficiency . AI-powered tools are enabling organisations to automate network design , optimise operations and even generate software code .
George Dragatsis , ANZ Chief Technology Officer , Hitachi Vantara
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