How CIOs Can Deliver Successful AI Implementations In 2025

Uploaded on 2025-07-15 in TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Artificial Intelligence, TECHNOLOGY--Resilience, FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Services-IT & Telecoms

More and more European business leaders are adopting AI, with usage among firms increasing from 33% in 2023 to 42% in 2024. But with such speedy adoption, CIOs are feeling overwhelmed.

They aren't just tackling AI integration into day-to-day business operations, they are also facing broader challenges like enabling an evolving hybrid workforce, demonstrating ROI, and, as budgets tighten, they’re constantly being tasked with finding new ways to do more with less.

With all this in mind, it’s not surprising that IT leaders are feeling the heat.

To successfully implement AI – in ways that make a genuine impact – CIOs need to first ensure that the underlying IT infrastructure is sound. As they look to take advantage of the emerging technology to drive revenue and better position the business, here are a few strategies that CIOs can consider to maximise AI implementation in 2025.

AI Implementations: Dream big, But Start Small

AI is becoming an increasingly foundational technology for businesses. While technological advancements can provide a competitive advantage, innovation can’t come at the cost of security and stability. To gain the trust and buy-in of the wider organisation, CIOs should take a strategic, measured approach with their AI rollouts. For example, consider where your IT team is spending most of their time, and identify those high-volume, repetitive, and rules-based tasks that can be automated. By strategically implementing AI and showcasing clear improvements and added value, CIOs can build trust and pave the way for future use cases.

It’s also up to CIOs to educate the wider business on what successful (and realistic) AI deployment looks like.

While some leaders may be excited by the potential gains of large-scale AI projects, guardrails and limitations should also be clearly communicated from the start. For example, executive boards should understand how to manage AI-related risks, from compliance and data leakage, to ethical concerns. CIOs also need to engage with privacy, legal, and compliance teams early on, given data access and data governance concerns will need to be addressed.

A well-structured strategy that accounts for communication, transparency, and security will play a central role in ensuring responsible and effective future AI deployments.

Robust IT Infrastructure Forms The Bedrock For Successful AI Deployment

While AI tools may introduce a slew of new productivity benefits for employees, they can also bring with them a number of new headaches for CIOs. Not only are CIOs required to drive organisational innovation day to day, but with employees leveraging a whole host of new tools, the attack surface and opportunity for risk only widens.

In order to keep employees happy (and secure) as the digital ecosystem evolves, organisations need strong data management practices in place. Backups, cloud storage, rigorous data audits, and automated device management are the foundation of a sustainable technology strategy. AI usage policy should also be implemented and communicated to employees accordingly, because not all AI tools are fit for use. The last thing you want is an employee using a poorly trained or unsecure AI plug-in taking down your entire enterprise or capturing sensitive information.

As employees leverage more and more SaaS applications and connected devices to do business, IT teams should adopt solutions that support not just these endpoints but also the users behind them. A balanced approach, one that allows for technical curiosity and operational stability, is key to long-term success.

Invest In Your IT Team

CIOs can only be successful if they protect the time and wellbeing of their teams. With more endpoints to manage, more requests to address, and a wider variety of IT demands to attend to, it’s no surprise we’ve seen an unprecedented level of burnout hit IT professionals.

Recent research shows that 93% of IT security decision-makers and CISOs cite overwhelming stress as a reason for wanting to leave their roles. Overworked IT teams, lacking time and mental bandwidth, are also more likely to make mistakes and experience operational disruptions.

Automation, especially in areas like configurations, installations, monitoring, endpoint management and network operations, has the potential to greatly improve consistency and enhance productivity while also alleviating burnout among overworked teams, enabling them to do more with less while reducing the margin for human error. Perhaps most importantly, automation can help free up time for IT professionals to focus on more strategic work that doesn’t just move the organisation forward but also allows them to further grow in their individual careers.

These automation-driven efficiencies can make a huge difference in boosting morale among IT teams, while also resulting in better business outcomes.

Looking Towards The Future

In the future, CIOs that move beyond a fragmented approach and champion small, thoughtful AI initiatives that demonstrate true value, will be the ones that best position their organisation and teams for future growth.
With consistent communication in place, and a focus on collaboration, transparency, and resilience in mind, CIOs can act as a central resource and a beacon of organisational advancement as their organisation evolves.

There’s a lot of change and progress on the horizon for AI, but building a strong aptitude for AI experimentation and implementation now will help CIOs set the tone for greater success down the line.

Joel Carusone is SVP of Data and Artificial Intelligence at Ninja One

Image: Tima Miroshnichenko

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