As AI accelerates from experimentation to enterprise scale, IT leaders across industries – from CIOs, CTOs, to Heads of Architecture, Enterprise and Engineering – are grappling with a familiar tension: cloud is now business as usual, but performance, resilience, and measurable value demands they deliver sharper infrastructure, governance, and talent strategies — without taking on runaway costs or risks.
Ahead of Cloud & Infrastructure Sydney, we spoke with IT leaders to learn what’s on their minds. Here are their candid insights on building AI-optimised infrastructure, embedding resilience with governance, accelerating cloud modernisation, and shifting from technology-first to value-first priorities.
"Cloud is now business as usual. AI drives the next wave of business transformation and productivity." — Head of Engineering, Technology Services
AI-driven automation is becoming a standard feature across cloud ecosystems, with savvy IT leaders keenly anticipating its significant transformation of cloud itself.
"AI workloads are eating capacity fast. Cloud is essential for cost and performance optimisation," notes a Head of Architecture in financial services, adding that he sees AI changing infrastructure management approaches. Trends include anomaly detection, automated governance and deeper insights. For developers, this means fewer constraints; for IT leaders, faster decisions backed by predictive insights.
"Customer-centric decision-making demands zero downtime; resilience is non-negotiable amid cloud sprawl and cost concerns." — Head of Architecture, Financial Services
As environments become more distributed, resilience, governance and risk management are moving to the centre of the conversation. Multi-cloud strategies are being adopted, while recognising that innovation must co-exist with these factors.
"Innovation and resilience are essential. Some complexity is expected but must be governed to avoid chaos," explains a CTO from the manufacturing industry. Governance embedded early in design is emerging as the safeguard that enables innovation while managing complexity and risk.
"In retail, legacy ERP and payments run on-premise; AI workloads and customer apps require scalable cloud." — Head of Engineering, Retail
We spoke with IT leaders from a range of industries, from retail and financial services to higher education and manufacturing. What’s clear is that everyone is dealing with the same tension: modernising fast, without losing control over operations or sensitive data.
"Higher education faces the challenge of modernising without disrupting operations or losing control over sensitive data," says a higher education C-level IT advisor. This points to the growing complexity of strategic transformation, which requires the careful evolution of legacy systems with new platforms, with integration and change management critical to success.
"The pressure to adopt AI now is intense, but true business value comes from focusing on outcomes, not hype." — Head of Engineering, Technology Services
This is reflected in IT leaders demanding clear business outcomes and ROI from every cloud and infrastructure investment. So how are they safeguarding these key goals? For example, a retail CIO emphasised the need to empower teams to be proactive and scalable, aligning technology with business strategy for long-term value.
And an insurance industry CIO highlighted that a customer-first mentality is key to gaining executive buy-in, adding, "Talent acquisition and legacy planning remain challenges as tech evolves rapidly." Success now depends on people, processes, and governance as much as on underlying technology.
For IT leaders navigating AI-driven cloud challenges, peer conversations deliver unmatched value — sharing real-world strategies, battle-tested frameworks, and candid insights that sharpen decision-making.
Be part of these discussions when you join your peers at Cloud & Infrastructure Sydney to exchange ideas and build the clarity and connections needed to lead confidently.
Cloud & Infrastructure Sydney takes place on 10 March at the Dockside, Sydney.