A new report from Jitterbit paints a picture of how enterprises are racing to harness AI and automation – not just to keep up, but to fundamentally transform how they operate.

The 2025 Automation Benchmark Report, based on a survey of 1,000 senior IT leaders across the U.S. and UK, reveals an industry at a crossroads: while nearly all organisations (99%) recognise the critical need for seamless integration and automation, the majority (71%) still lack the unified platforms required to make it happen.

The scale of the challenge is staggering.

Modern enterprises now juggle more than 500 applications on average, creating a web of 125,000 potential integrations that demand constant maintenance.

IT teams, already stretched thin, are struggling to keep pace with the exploding demand for new applications and automations. This widening “data divide” is pushing organisations toward low-code and AI-powered solutions that promise to unlock innovation without overburdening technical staff.

The Push For IT Automation

What’s driving this shift? A fundamental change in priorities, according to the report.

Where cost once dominated platform selection, today’s IT leaders are laser-focused on capabilities that enable true end-to-end automation (56%) and robust AI integration (51%). Yet significant barriers remain, particularly around security and compliance (47%), the integration of legacy systems (40%), and the sheer complexity of automating intricate processes (40%).

Perhaps most striking is how automation is breaking out of the IT department. More than 60% of business processes are now being automated by line-of-business teams in functions like HR, Sales, and Operations – a dramatic shift from the traditional model where IT handled all development.

The benefits are clear: improved operational efficiency (46%), enhanced customer experiences (40%), and better financial forecasting (34%) are just some of the advantages being realised.

The Rise of Agentic AI

The report also highlights the rise of “agentic AI” as the next frontier. With virtually all enterprises (99%) already using AI in some form, nearly a third (31%) are actively planning for systems that can autonomously adapt and make decisions – a development that could redefine how businesses operate.

But this rapid advancement comes with growing pains. Security concerns loom large, with 43% of IT leaders citing data privacy as their top worry and half expressing concerns about vulnerabilities in third-party AI integrations. Regulatory compliance presents another hurdle, with 36% reporting it as a major constraint on full AI deployment.

The potential rewards, however, are too significant to ignore. Early adopters are already seeing remarkable efficiencies, with 72% estimating AI automation saves them over 160 developer hours each month. Financially, 57% expect their investments to yield ROI increases of 26-50%, explaining why two-thirds of organisations now dedicate at least 30% of their IT budget to integration and automation initiatives.

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As the report makes clear, the path forward requires more than just adopting new tools – it demands a fundamental rethinking of data strategies. Enterprises that successfully build strong data foundations, implement end-to-end automation, and navigate the security challenges will be positioned to reap AI’s full potential.

In an era where business agility increasingly determines success, the message is clear: the future belongs to those who can automate intelligently.

“The path to success is clear: businesses must break down data silos and automate workflows to thrive in the age of AI,” said Jitterbit president and CEO Bill Conner.

“While many organisations still struggle to find the resources across IT, IS, and line-of-business teams to bridge this ‘data divide,’ the opportunity for those who can is immense. We’re on the cusp of a new era of efficiency and innovation, driven by true end-to-end AI automation.”