What's Driving IT Buying Decisions in 2026
Across four proprietary Futurum surveys, six findings define the 2026 enterprise technology buyer — and explain why so much vendor marketing is missing them.
The growth in CIOs who say their strategy needs a "significant overhaul." Nearly one in five enterprise IT leaders are actively looking for a new direction.
Futurum CIO Insights, Q2→Q4 2025The growth in "deeper automation" as a buying driver in six months. Strategic AI grew +127%. Meanwhile, cybersecurity tools dropped from 58.6% to 37.7%. The buyer your messaging targets is not the buyer in the market today.
Futurum CIO Insights, Q2→Q4 2025The combined influence of vendor-provided information in the enterprise buying journey. Vendor content gets buyers aware — but only 15.1% of Rank 3 (decision-stage) influence comes from analyst and media sources. Independent content closes the deal vendor content can't.
Futurum Cybersecurity DM, 2H 2025The share of stalled enterprise software deals where the #1 blocker is "vendor cannot demonstrate or validate competency." Add the 5.8% explicitly blocked on "lack of independent validation" and over a quarter of frozen pipeline could be unstuck with credible third-party research.
Futurum Enterprise Apps DM, 1H 2026The share of enterprise buyers who say they would allocate more budget if vendors could prove integration capabilities. 55.1% would spend more with faster time-to-value evidence. 53.7% would spend more with clear total cost of ownership. Buyers are not refusing to spend — they're refusing to spend without proof.
Futurum Enterprise Apps DM, 1H 2026The growth in "vendor and supplier management" as a top CIO challenge in six months. Your outreach is not getting through — it's becoming part of what your buyers want help managing.
Futurum CIO Insights, Q2→Q4 2025What today’s enterprise buyers need from you
This report unpacks the signals reshaping enterprise technology purchases in 2026 — and what they mean for marketers, sales leaders, and GTM teams trying to reach buyers who are harder to persuade than ever.
- Why vendor outreach is becoming part of the buyer overload problem, not the solution.
- How declining CIO confidence is changing the buying journey and increasing demand for outside guidance.
- Why strategic AI and automation are rising while older cybersecurity-first and cost-savings-first narratives lose momentum.
- What proof buyers need most before they commit budget, including integration evidence, time-to-value, and TCO clarity.
- Why independent research and third-party validation now play a larger role in late-stage purchase decisions.
- How to realign your content strategy to the buyer signals actually shaping enterprise IT spend in 2026.
Buyer shift snapshot
Key buyer signals changed fast
Q2 to Q4 2025 shows a clear change in what buyers prioritize — and what is getting in the way.
Cybersecurity tools as a spending driver
Declined significantly by year-end
Q2 2025: 58.6% → Q4 2025: 37.7%
Vendor management as a top CIO challenge
Rising friction inside the buying process
Q2 2025: 16.3% → Q4 2025: 30.3%
CIOs needing a significant strategy overhaul
Confidence weakened as priorities shifted
Q2 2025: 7.9% → Q4 2025: 18.0%
Source: Futurum CIO Insights, Q2–Q4 2025
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