Master IT transformation under the pressures of global change.

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Setting up strategic innovation for future success The economic and technological landscape is changing faster than we’ve prepared for. IT leaders now face shifting global economics, sharp increases in tariffs, and legacy infrastructures that struggle to keep up with rising demands. These pressures come at a time when the AI revolution promises enormous rewards—but only for those who move fast and think smart.

The exciting part? These shifts aren’t just challenges; they’re the starting point for unparalleled growth. The AI-powered tools and tech innovations at your fingertips have the potential to elevate organizations into industry leaders, boosting resilience and unlocking entirely new levels of efficiency.

This guide is your toolkit for turning the demands of today into the opportunities of tomorrow. By aligning strategic vision with advanced technology, IT leaders can become the architects of long-lasting, scalable success.

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Streamline workflows to elevate gains   The friction employees are feeling at work directly implicates IT. Most workers (74%) wish workplace tech was better, and more than half believe IT doesn’t care about or understand their needs.1 Meanwhile, businesses grapple with rising costs that make every operational inefficiency glaringly obvious. The result? Increased pressure on IT to do more with less.

Challenge Rising employee frustration with outdated tools, while businesses grapple with shifting global economics, putting IT under pressure to improve efficiency, reduce friction, and deliver more impact with less.

Opportunity Modernize IT infrastructure and strategically leverage AI to unlock cost savings, reduce complexity, and boost employee fulfilment.

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report that AI enhances their focus and decreases time

spent on routine tasks1

are optimistic about AI’s positive impact

on growth2

7 out of 10 workers

71%

To address this friction and achieve long-term growth, you’ll need to upgrade tools for today’s demands. Streamline operations by integrating scalable, cloud-enabled solutions. This approach simplifies processes, boosts efficiency, and ensures your IT infrastructure can support both centralized systems and individual devices. As a result, you’ll lower costs and improve the overall user experience.

AI is a significant component that can help unlock gains in operational efficiency and employee productivity. AI doesn’t just automate tasks; it adds intelligence. Think recommendation engines, predictive analytics, and enhanced collaboration that drive smarter decision-making, boost productivity, and create better employee experiences. With the right tools, your teams can unlock insights that fuel innovation that delivers measurable outcomes.

7 out of 10 workers report that AI enhances their focus and decreases time spent on routine tasks.1 When employees are more engaged, companies can see an 18% increase in productivity and a 23% gain in profitability. 2 There are over 32,000 AI tools for almost 5,000 different jobs, and this number is growing every day.3

There is an abundance of options, but where to start? The key lies in aligning tools with specific roles and outcomes. For example, using AI for coding assistance in developer teams, or strategic AI assistants to support business leaders in making more informed decisions, faster. Partnering with third-party experts can also help vet and scale tools more efficiently. When thoughtfully applied, these AI solutions make work smoother and more rewarding—fueling productivity gains that translate into stronger, more sustainable business growth.

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Leverage AI tools and devices Organizations are already investing in PCs for their employees—why not make that investment transformative? By upgrading to AI PCs, businesses can create a game-changing transformation in the workplace. These devices, with built-in AI capabilities, empower teams to work smarter, adapt faster, and drive unprecedented productivity, all while staying ahead of change.

To resolve friction IT leaders can:

Audit tools and systems Identify overlap, redundancy, and underused platforms. Replace them with scalable solutions that integrate predictive, AI-powered devices and cloud-based platforms. Local AI capabilities on modern PCs such as those featuring Intel® Core™ Ultra processors can enhance productivity and decision-making while reducing reliance on external infrastructure.

Focus on user-friendly platforms  Your teams won’t adopt a tool just because it ’s cheaper. Invest in solutions that streamline workflows with a clear return on investment (ROI).

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A winning strategy during economic volatility   IT leaders stand at the crossroads of transformation and tradition. The AI revolution, persistent change, and aging infrastructures have redefined the battlegrounds of business. But amid the challenges, there’s an undeniable truth: IT isn’t just a support function—it’s the driver of strategic business growth.

When IT leaders focus on enabling employee productivity, fostering engagement, and delivering tools for seamless collaboration, they reshape their company’s trajectory. IT can deliver measurable business results by breaking down silos, simplifying workflows, and leveraging data-driven insights.

Challenge Economic uncertainties and rapid technological advancements are pressuring margins and complicating IT procurement.

Opportunity IT is now a strategic driver of innovation and success. By aligning with business goals and championing people-first strategies, IT can redefine what success looks like and lead the charge in shaping the future of work.

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The battle for operational efficiency starts with empowering employees. Legacy systems often hinder progress, creating friction in daily operations. When technology stands in the way of efficiency, productivity stagnates.

By streamlining processes and leveraging automation, IT and employees can reclaim time for strategic, high-value work. For example, AI-powered IT management tools offer user insights and predictive analytics to automate repetitive tasks and provide smart recommendations. Not only does this enhance productivity, it also fosters innovation, as IT and employees can focus on big-picture goals rather than mundane activities.

The modern workplace thrives on collaboration. As companies and employees continue to navigate the evolving dynamics between remote, hybrid, and in-office work, teams must find ways to collaborate effectively across time zones, departments, and hierarchies. A disjointed tech stack often creates barriers to these essential connections. IT has the power to remove those barriers, fostering a culture where collaboration is seamless, dynamic, and adaptable to wherever work happens.

When collaboration becomes effortless, teams can solve problems faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver results that directly impact the bottom line.

Actionable steps for business gains

Use telemetry data and predictive analytics to optimize IT management for maximum impact.

Invest in integrated collaboration tools to improve user experience and foster growth.

Monitor productivity metrics to ensure technology is translating into measurable impact on business results.

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Modern management for the dynamic workforce     The modern workforce has moved beyond “hybrid” to a WFA (work-from-anywhere) model—it’s distributed, dynamic, and fluid. Along with this distribution comes the inherent stress of managing remote, on-site, and on-the-go staff, who all have different requirements for doing their best work.

The good news is, this can be mitigated with cloud solutions, which makes IT oversight and employees’ day-to-day easier. With cloud-enabled updates, IT can support teams who aren’t centrally located much more effectively, especially as employees’ needs change faster than their devices.

Challenge Today’s complex, tech-rich environments demand more seamless coordination.

Opportunity Enable a true WFA environment and smart cloud strategy to boost the speed and quality of work.

Cloud-enabled solutions can support ever-changing workforce needs by scaling up or down instantly as business requirements shift. Without typical delays from traditional systems, IT spend can become more transparent and flexible.

Smart cloud design also reduces complexity, freeing employees to focus on meaningful work. When knowledge workers feel like effective members of their team, they produce higher quality work (42%) and report improved efficiency (37%). 2 But with the ever-growing range of applications available, in-house resources often don’t have the in-depth insight required for understanding interdependencies and integration subtleties for each new piece of tech.

higher quality of work2

improved efficiency2

42%

37%

Key cloud tactics

Move from siloed tools to scalable cloud ecosystems that support updates, access, and performance.

Use telemetry data and usage trends to fine-tune cloud services to team needs.

Tap managed solution providers to streamline deployments and integrate new tools quickly.

That’s why getting support with building, deploying, and managing IT solutions around the world is imperative. Leveraging cloud and device management services can fast-track adoption and provide tailored approaches to significantly reduce internal strain, improve speed of deployment, enhance scalability, and mitigate operational risks.

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During rising risk, resilient technology is imperative     As work models have become more fluid and AI more advanced, the risk landscape has shifted to match. Cyberattacks have grown more targeted, more automated, and more relentless. In the modern era, resilience is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s an imperative. And true resilience starts with security.

Airtight security means adopting a Zero-Trust approach—assuming nothing, verifying everything, and reducing exposure. Traditional defenses can no longer keep up—ransomware attacks have increased by 76% since the launch of ChatGPT, signalling that threat actors are using AI to outmaneuver conventional tools.4 Zero Trust is designed for this—it minimizes risks by eliminating blind spots and continuously validating access.

Challenge As tech evolves, so do threats—smarter, faster, and harder to anticipate.

Opportunity Establish proactive security and a Zero-Trust approach to enhance control.

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But building resilience doesn’t stop at architecture. It requires consistent attention and wise investments. Among IT leaders, 63% do not make firmware updates as soon as they are available for laptops, leaving devices vulnerable.5 And upgrading to more secure systems like Windows 11 Pro6 has led to 62% fewer security incidents and a 20% drop in successful attacks.7

Resilient systems aren’t just harder to break; they’re built to bounce back. The Intel vPro® Platform offers complete remote management capabilities8 that enable IT teams to discover, configure, update, repair, and even retire user devices no matter where they are. No matter what cloud and AI you incorporate, if your tech stack can’t recover quickly or stay strong under pressure, it ’s not truly strategic.

3 risk reduction musts

Zero Trust Assume nothing, verify everything, validate continuously.

Upgrades Secure-by-design platforms like Windows 11 Pro6 reduce incident rates.

Patches Address vulnerabilities promptly with routine firmware and system updates.

fewer security incidents7

drop in successful attacks7

62%

20%

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From strategy to success Every twist and turn in today’s rapidly evolving landscape is an opening for transformation. The IT leaders who see challenges as blueprints for innovation will forge enduring success, creating solutions that empower growth from every angle.

By building smarter systems, synchronized strategies, and resilient security, you transform IT into the driving force behind your organization’s brightest future.

HP brings the gears and the glue—with powerful devices featuring Intel® Core™ Ultra processors powering Intel vPro®, scalable ecosystems, and AI-driven insights that simplify complex IT challenges. Together, we design systems where technology aligns seamlessly with your aspirations.

Because with the right tools, work doesn’t have to feel like work.

Learn how partnering with HP can help you lead with confidence and build what’s next.

https://www.hp.com/us-en/solutions/future-of-work.html https://www.hp.com/us-en/solutions/future-of-work.html

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1. HP, “Global Sentiment Study: Fulfilment at Work,” April 2025.

2. Gallup, “How to Build Better Teams in the Workplace.” https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/ en/278225/how-to-improve-teamwork.aspx

3. TheresanAIforthat.com, March 2025. https://theresanaiforthat.com/lists/

4. Accenture, “Redefining resilience: Cybersecurity in the generative AI era,” May 2024. https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/accenture-com/document-2/Accenture- Cybersecurity-In-The-Generative-AI-Era.pdf

5. HP, “Securing the Device Lifecycle: From Factory to Fingertips, and Future Redeployment, .” December 20245. https://www.hp.com/content/dam/sites/garage-press/press/press-kits/2024/hp-wolf-security- study-reveals-platform-security-gaps-that-threaten-organizations-at-every-stage-of-the-device- lifecycle/Wolf_Security_Lifecycle_Report.pdf

6. Not all features are available in all editions or versions of Windows. Systems may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware, drivers, software or BIOS update to take full advantage of Windows functionality. Windows is automatically updated and enabled. High speed internet and Microsoft account required. ISP fees may apply and additional requirements may apply over time for updates. See http://www.windows.com.

7. Techaisle, “Windows 11 Survey Report,” September 2024. Windows 11 results are in comparison with Windows 10 devices. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/business#b4

8. Based on each version of Intel vPro®, which is tailored to meet specific manageability needs for various types of businesses. See intel.com/Performance-vPro for details. Results may vary.

© Copyright 2025 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/278225/how-to-improve-teamwork.aspx https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/278225/how-to-improve-teamwork.aspx http://TheresanAIforthat.com https://theresanaiforthat.com/lists/ https://www.hp.com/content/dam/sites/garage-press/press/press-kits/2024/hp-wolf-security-study-reveals-platform-security-gaps-that-threaten-organizations-at-every-stage-of-the-device-lifecycle/Wolf_Security_Lifecycle_Report.pdf https://www.hp.com/content/dam/sites/garage-press/press/press-kits/2024/hp-wolf-security-study-reveals-platform-security-gaps-that-threaten-organizations-at-every-stage-of-the-device-lifecycle/Wolf_Security_Lifecycle_Report.pdf https://www.hp.com/content/dam/sites/garage-press/press/press-kits/2024/hp-wolf-security-study-reveals-platform-security-gaps-that-threaten-organizations-at-every-stage-of-the-device-lifecycle/Wolf_Security_Lifecycle_Report.pdf http://www.windows.com. http://intel.com/Performance-vPro