Nearly nine in ten organisations must adapt their IT environment for new technology
The desire to implement AI is the main reason for accelerating modernization
Apeldoorn, November 12, 2026 – At 86 percent of Dutch organizations, the IT environment must first be adapted before new technology can be implemented. One in five organizations (21%) requires significant investments to do so. This is according to a Thinkwise survey of 312 managers involved in IT decision-making at organizations with 100 FTEs or more.
Eleven percent can get started right away
Only 11 percent of organizations can integrate new technology without making any changes to their existing systems. The largest group, 65 percent, can do so with limited adjustments. At the same time, the desire to deploy AI and new technologies is the main reason for accelerating modernization (21%), followed by competitors innovating faster (17%) and a security incident or data breach (14%).
“Everyone wants to get started with AI, but many organizations don’t yet have the IT foundation in place to support it,” says Victor Klaren, co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Thinkwise. “Integrating AI into outdated applications doesn’t make your IT landscape more innovative, it makes it more complex. True acceleration starts with the foundation.”
IT sets the course, management weighs in
The reasons for modernizing are company-wide, but the decision lies primarily with IT. In 54 percent of organizations, the IT department, the CIO, or the IT manager has the most influence on IT strategy. The executive board or board of directors plays that role in a quarter of organizations. Management isn’t left out: 61 percent say that management is actively involved in technological innovation.
“AI and competitive pressure are business issues,” says Klaren. “If the decision to modernize rests solely with IT, it quickly becomes a technical project with a technical business case. Then it loses the battle for budget to investments that are easier to understand. Simply weighing in isn’t enough. The executive board must take ownership of defining what the applications will need to be capable of in the future.”
Step by step instead of all at once
The perspective on modernization is changing. More than six in ten organizations (63 percent) expect their IT investments to shift from maintenance to innovation and modernization over the next three years. Half (51 percent) view IT modernization primarily as a strategic investment and not just as a cost center.
“When it comes to renewal, there’s a strong temptation to start from scratch,” says Klaren. “Then everything has to be rethought and redefined. News about stalled IT projects shows time and again just how daunting that task is. Therefore, first migrate existing operations to new technology and then make improvements. That way, the knowledge embedded in the business logic is preserved, users recognize their processes, and AI can work directly with those applications.”
About the Study
This study was conducted by the research firm Markteffect, commissioned by Thinkwise. The survey was conducted among 312 managers involved in IT decision-making in the Netherlands, working at organizations with 100 FTEs or more. The respondents come from middle management, executive management, the C-suite, and the board of directors.
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