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Key Finding 1

Data Streaming ROI Hits New Highs

Tech investments are vital for driving innovation and competitive advantage. But IT leaders need to showcase measurable ROI to justify spending and align technology initiatives with broader business objectives.

Our survey results show that data streaming continues to deliver impressive ROI year over year—and drives significant benefits, including smarter operations and faster innovation, across a wide range of business functions and industries.

44
%

of IT leaders report 5x return on their data streaming investments compared to 41% in 2024.

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Multifaceted Business Benefits That Unlock ROI

Enterprises report widespread benefits across diverse areas, underscoring the strategic value and impact of data streaming as a foundational capability for driving real business value from data.

Data streaming delivering significant benefits in these key areas
Customer experience
0
%
Security and risk management
0
%
Operational improvements
0
%
IT monitoring and management
0
%
Automation and responsiveness
0
%
Enabling new products (AI/ML)
0
%
Reduced time to market
0
%
Responses of “Yes” or “Expecting”

While customer experience leads as the top benefit, our findings include strong showings for risk management, speed to market, operational improvements, and innovation initiatives, particularly for artificial intelligence and machine learning—demonstrating how data streaming creates value throughout the enterprise.

Expected reduced time to market based on by maturity
Level 5
0
%
Level 4
0
%
Level 3
0
%
Level 4
0
%
Level 5
0
%
Responses of “Yes” or “Expecting”

These benefits increase markedly at each stage of maturity. For example, 93% of organizations in Level 4 reduced, or expect to reduce, time to market, compared to 88% in Level 3.

Data Streaming Investments Maintain Momentum

The view of data streaming as a niche capability is long gone. Case in point: Similar to last year, investments in data streaming continues to be a top strategic priority or secondary but important priority for IT leaders.

86
%

of IT leaders cite investments in data streaming as a top strategic priority or second but important priority.

 Investment priorities for 2025
Security
95
%
Data protection & governance
91
%
AI & Machine Learning
92
%
Data Streaming Technologies
90
%
AI/ML fed by data streams
86
%
IT OPs automation
86
%
Cloud strategy & adoption
86
%
Data center modernization
86
%
Responses of “top priority” or “important priority”

A closer look reveals that data streaming technology has firmly established itself among the top-tier technology priorities for IT leaders for 2025, alongside security, data management and governance, and AI/ML solutions.

What’s more, IT leaders expect investments in data streaming technology to continue growing over the next two years—just behind generative AI.

This isn't surprising, given how real-time data capabilities are key enablers of the most pressing needs of a successful business, including AI adoption, security, and data management.

Greater Maturity Yields Stronger Returns

Maturity in tech adoption ensures that technology investments translate into competitive advantages, allowing businesses to drive innovation and achieve measurable ROI.

Overall anticipated ROI
Integrated Deployment
67
%
30
%
Silo-based Deployment
53
%
36
%
Early Adoption
38
%
40
%
5-10x anticipated ROI
2x ROI

Similar to previous years, our survey findings underscore a clear correlation between data streaming adoption maturity and the achievement of higher levels of ROI—with companies further along the maturity curve achieving significantly higher ROI.

High Maturity
52
%

of IT leaders in Levels 4 and 5 say their companies are achieving or anticipating 5x ROI, compared to 46% of those in Level 3.

Early Adoption
34
%

of those in Level 2 say they’re achieving or anticipating 5x ROI—proving even companies at earlier stages in the maturity curve see excellent ROI with data streaming.

Key Finding 2

DSPs Emerge as a Business Imperative

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