Budgets are tight, but tech investment isn’t slowing. For leaders, 2025 is a year of trade-offs, namely, controlling spend without stalling innovation. The challenge is easy to describe and hard to deliver: how do you keep pace with transformation when every pound has to prove its value?
In most sectors, organisations are reassessing what capability means. AI and automation have re-entered the boardroom conversation as tools to cut operational waste and strengthen long-term resilience.
Yet the same leaders adopting AI to streamline workflows are still under pressure to modernise infrastructure, protect data, and retain specialist talent. Efficiency gains only go so far if teams lack the skills to turn them into results.
We’re seeing a recurring mistake: leaders framing AI as a cost reducer instead of recognising its power to open fresh revenue opportunities.
The Cost of Short-Term Thinking
Many firms are feeling the pinch of legacy systems and deferred transformation projects. Quick fixes often save money in the quarter, but limit scalability later. This has been particularly visible in banking and financial services, where outdated frameworks have become data-privacy risks in themselves.
Decision-makers are learning that investing in capability (secure architecture, skilled people, reliable data) is no longer optional. It’s the cost of staying compliant and competitive.
Why Talent Still Defines Efficiency
Hiring trends tell a clear story. Demand for cross-functional engineers, DevOps specialists, and data professionals continues to rise, even in conservative markets - the predicted 21.76% compound annual growth rate of the DevOps market being a prime example.
The most successful teams pair automation with autonomy by bringing in people who can not only run but also design smarter systems.
The growth of project-based and statement-of-work hiring reflects this. Organisations want flexibility, but not at the expense of quality. Contract specialists and consultancies with deep technical expertise are stepping in to bridge skills gaps and deliver outcomes faster. It’s a model that values precision over scale, and it’s one that suits the pace of modern tech delivery.
A Better Balance
Balancing cost and capability isn’t about choosing one over the other. It’s about sequencing investment intelligently: building infrastructure that enables speed, empowering teams to deliver, and using data to decide what matters next.
For hiring managers, that means defining capability beyond job titles. For candidates, it’s a reminder that breadth and adaptability hold real value. The organisations that thrive in 2025 will be those that can flex between efficiency and experimentation, combining fiscal discipline with technical ambition.
At Trust in SODA, we’re seeing this balance play out across our network, from cloud modernisation projects in Switzerland to AI-driven product teams in the UK. Cost pressures may dominate the headlines, but capability is still the story.
Sound Familiar?
If you’re balancing the same questions around cost, capability, and where to invest next, we’d love to chat. At Trust in SODA, we work with tech teams navigating these pressures every day, building capability that lasts, without losing sight of efficiency.
If you’re curious to hear how others are handling it, we’re happy to compare notes. Drop us a message: https://www.trustinsoda.com/general-enquiries.