IT Spending Priorities Shift: Why Back-Office Applications Are at Risk in 2026

This IDC Market Perspective demonstrates IDC survey data that shows back-office applications face elevated budget-cut risk, while security, AI, and resilience remain protected, forcing ALM and FM vendors to reposition around measurable value, cost efficiency, and strategic business impact."Economic uncertainty and value perception have the potential to adversely impact back-office applications over the next year, including facility management and asset life-cycle management," said Brian O'Rourke, research manager, Enterprise Asset Management and Smart Facilities at IDC. "Vendors must link their applications to enterprise priorities such as security and AI while emphasizing their connection to broader enterprise workflows."