Modernization: Nothing to fear except failing to future-proof

Businesses are facing a rapidly evolving technological landscape, with IT budgets either flat or seeing slight increases, but under more pressure than ever to deliver more value. Global IT spending is expected to grow by eight percent in 2024 according to Gartner, reaching a staggering $5.1 trillion this year driven by cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity investments.

Yet despite this growth, many organizations are still struggling with outdated infrastructures that hinder their ability to innovate and remain competitive​. This is because of legacy ‘creep’ of systems accumulated over time, due to M&A, or simply because they don’t have the right level or volume of skilled personnel.

Security and compute performance are no longer optional but critical elements that can make or break a business. With cybersecurity spending expected to top the list of priorities for this year and next, companies are scrambling to integrate robust security solutions into their IT modernization strategies​.

Meanwhile, businesses that fail to invest in modern, scalable infrastructure run the risk of falling behind their more agile competitors. Modernization, powered by solutions like HPE ProLiant Servers and Intel Xeon Scalable processors, ensures not only the security and stability of today but the future-proofing necessary for tomorrow’s innovations.

Balancing business as usual with innovation

Businesses are under increasing pressure to keep daily operations running smoothly while staying ahead of the curve through innovation. According to IDC, global spending on digital transformation is projected to reach nearly $4 trillion by 2027, driven largely by investments in AI, cloud technologies, and cybersecurity.

However, many organizations face tight budgets and skills shortages that mean they struggle to balance maintaining operations with future-proofing their infrastructure.

"The rise of generative AI presents both challenges and opportunities for organizations,” says Mariya Yahnyuk, research analyst with IDC's Data & Analytics Group. “As digital investments become dominant, it is crucial for organizations to partner with vendors who can provide guidance on resource allocation and effective digital transformation strategies. To stay competitive and innovative, it is essential to harness its potential benefits and avoid missing out on opportunities due to uncertainty.”

One of the main issues facing decision-makers is the growing complexity of IT environments. As businesses increasingly adopt hybrid cloud models, managing these environments while ensuring security and scalability can be a big challenge that can risk stealing time and focus away from other important areas.

Gartner forecasts a 15% rise in cybersecurity spending by 2025, indicating that security risks – especially those related to AI and cloud integration – are becoming a major priority for organizations. But many businesses find it difficult to invest heavily in modernization while grappling with the day-to-day requirements of business as usual.

Another challenge is the threat of downtime. Even minor disruptions in IT infrastructure can have a domino effect, impacting customer satisfaction, employee productivity, and revenue generation. As businesses digitize more workloads, particularly to make the most of AI and data analytics, the risk of performance bottlenecks increases. In advance of modernization, leaders must ensure their systems can handle large-scale data processing efficiently, without slowing down or becoming vulnerable to cyberattacks.

In the face of these pressures, companies must embrace modernization not just as a strategy for innovation, but as a way to safeguard their current operations. With predictions showing continued growth in spending on security, AI, and digital transformation, organizations that fail to adapt are likely to face greater risks of downtime, inefficiencies, and lost opportunities in an increasingly competitive landscape.

All this ever-increasing complexity means businesses are craving simplicity in their decision-making and management of their infrastructure. But they need that infrastructure to still be sophisticated and innovative in powering their business and setting them up for success today and tomorrow.

HPE ProLiant Servers powered by Intel Xeon Scalable processors, deliver on these needs, providing security, performance, and stability to help meet the demands of doing business today as well as what tomorrow may bring.

Security and performance: the pillars of modern infrastructure

When it comes to maintaining business operations while embracing innovation, security and performance are foundational. As organizations move towards more complex IT environments, integrating AI, cloud, and hybrid models, they can lose track of their environment which raises the risk of cyber attacks.

A modern infrastructure that embeds security into every layer of its design – covering endpoint protection, data encryption, and access controls – helps organizations mitigate these risks. With advanced, real-time threat detection and response capabilities, businesses can safeguard sensitive information while maintaining operational resilience.

However, security isn't the only priority. In today's data-driven economy, performance is just as critical. Systems that can't process and analyze massive amounts of data efficiently risk falling behind. High performance is essential for everything from powering AI applications to managing hybrid workloads and ensuring that critical business applications run without interruptions. In an era where downtime or even lengthy processing delays can mean millions in lost revenue, organizations need infrastructure that can deliver reliable, high-speed performance without compromising on security.

Beyond just technical capabilities, there is enduring value in investing in a platform with long-term product roadmap and support. HPE and Intel customers can count on their servers to evolve alongside customer needs, ensuring they stay ahead of the competition and are prepared to handle whatever challenges or opportunities the future may hold.

Versatile infrastructure for today and tomorrow

Businesses today face the challenge of maintaining reliable, high-performing IT operations while also preparing for future innovation. HPE ProLiant Servers, powered by Intel Xeon Scalable processors, provide a well-rounded infrastructure solution to address these needs.

These servers offer a compelling combination of security, performance, and scalability. Designed with robust security features that protect data from edge to cloud, HPE ProLiant Servers have been built to withstand the latest threats without compromising on availability or computing power.

In terms of performance, the ProLiant line is optimized to handle a wide range of workloads. Whether running resource-intensive AI and analytics applications, processing massive datasets, or executing mission-critical business operations, these servers deliver the speed and reliability required to avoid costly downtime and maintain operational excellence. Their ability to scale resources up or down seamlessly enables organizations to adapt to changing needs without disruptive infrastructure overhauls.

The capacity for continuous innovation is essential for long-term growth and competitiveness. In striving for this via modernization, leaders would do well to pursue hardware such as HPE’s ProLiant Servers, paired with Intel Xeon processors, which provide a technology foundation built to support both current and future business requirements.

Organizations planning to leverage AI, cloud-native applications, edge computing, or other innovative solutions can rely on the ProLiant family to deliver the necessary processing power, scalability, and flexibility. By future-proofing their IT infrastructure in this way, businesses can adopt new capabilities seamlessly without requiring costly system replacements down the line.