Eight out of ten IT professionals reported that their company’s usage of cloud technology increased during the pandemic, according to a new global research survey by ManageEngine. The survey focused on trends related to artificial intelligence (AI), business analytics, and technology.

With organizations increasingly supporting a distributed workforce, IT personnel are more willing than ever to invest in new technologies. Security, reliability, and price were the top three drivers behind organizational decisions to adopt new technologies.

The survey also found that organizations are using tools that facilitate business analytics and data-driven decision-making. The vast majority (89%) of respondents indicated that their reliance on business analytics efforts had increased over the past two years; interestingly, these efforts were primarily led by IT teams. Across the globe, 64% of respondents said that they currently use business analytics to improve their decision-making.

Confidence in AI has increased dramatically as organizations look to AI to improve operational efficiency and customer experiences. 86% of organizations have increased their AI usage over the last two years, and 81% of respondents said their confidence in AI solutions has grown. This number was even higher in India, where 91% reported increased confidence in AI solutions. Lastly, respondents said they believe that AI drives improvements in business insights, operations and customer satisfaction.

With more people than ever working remotely, companies are increasingly reliant on tools that can facilitate artificial intelligence and business analytics initiatives.

Read the full report by ManageEngine.