New Open Systems Report Reveals 71% of Organizations to Increase IT Budgets in 2025

A shift toward cloud computing, supporting broader digital transformation initiatives and regulatory compliance were cited as key drivers for network transformation projects

ZURICH, August 27, 2024 - Open Systems, the leading provider of native, managed SASE solutions, today announced the results of its 2025 IT Infrastructure Report. According to the report, many U.S. organizations expect to spend more on networking and security in 2025, particularly on SASE-related expenses.

Open Systems commissioned Osterman Research to survey 200 IT leaders in the U.S. about their priorities, challenges, and budgets related to SASE and network transformation. The report’s findings highlighted a trend toward increased IT spending and a growing preference to outsource SASE management to a third party.

Key findings:

1. Organizations are moving toward SASE, despite the implementation barriers that many face such as infrastructure problems and lack of skilled staff. What’s more, many organizations are allocating extra budget to address these barriers. For example, nearly two-thirds of IT leaders who cited infrastructure problems as a barrier to SASE implementation reported that their IT budget will significantly increase in the next 12 months.
2. Managing SASE internally is more expensive: 43% of organizations currently managing SASE internally expect to significantly increase their budgets over the next 12 months. By comparison, only 31% of those managing SASE externally are planning a significant budget increase. Keeping up to date with new equipment and finding new staff members to manage the deployment often equates to a big price tag.
3. Organizations increasingly want to outsource SASE management to external providers. Seventy percent of organizations already rely on an external provider to manage their SASE deployment and that figure increases to 73% three years from now. Additionally, more than 70% of organizations managing SASE internally see complexity, limited budget, and a lack of expertise as their main challenges to SASE implementation.

“Despite challenging economic times, organizations see the value of investing in IT needs, especially networking and security,” said Stefan Keller, Chief Product Officer, Open Systems. “Our research shows that while many companies face challenges in implementing SASE, they are still moving forward with SASE adoption and are dedicating resources to ensure a successful implementation. It’s gratifying to see that many organizations understand the benefits of outsourcing SASE management to a third party like Open Systems.”

The report also explored what IT leaders look for in a SASE service or solution and respondents cited 24/7 customer support from experts, technical integrations, service agility, and having a single-vendor SASE solution as equally important factors. Interestingly, having a single-vendor SASE solution was less important to those who manage SASE internally than it is to those who outsource SASE management.

For further analysis of the survey findings and to download the full report, visit https://go.open-systems.com/LP-ITIndustrySurvey-US.html.

About Open Systems

Open Systems is an AI-first SASE platform company delivering secure access and networking to help enterprises connect users, applications and infrastructure across complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Its proprietary platform combines SSE capabilities, including ZTNA, SWG, CASB and FWaaS, with SD-WAN, end-to-end connectivity, unified policy management, and advanced analytics in a single architecture.

While many cybersecurity providers focus primarily on advancing technology capabilities, Open Systems combines its AI-first SASE platform with an execution model designed for real-world operability, ensuring services are not only deployed, but continuously run, adapted and improved through a combination of AI-enabled operations and NOC-based expertise (Mission Control), built on decades of operational experience, helping organizations reduce complexity, increase visibility and strengthen security outcomes at global scale.

Founded in Switzerland in 1990, Open Systems generates more than USD 100 million in annual revenue and supports global enterprise customers operating in more than 180 countries. Since 2024, the company has been part of Swiss Post, combining Swiss trust and stability with global reach. As a European alternative to US- and Israel-based cybersecurity providers, Open Systems is guided by strong principles around sovereignty requirements, regulatory alignment, transparency and shared responsibility - taking clear ownership for security, performance and operational outcomes, helping organizations maintain control in an increasingly complex digital landscape.