Building a Culture of IT Innovation: How Leaders Navigate Budget Constraints, Cyber Threats & Legacy systems
By Rachel Kim, World-Today-News.com – November 14, 2025
For IT leaders, fostering consistent technological creativity isn’t simply about brainstorming new ideas; its about building an environment where innovation can thrive, even - and especially – under pressure. A significant hurdle in this endeavor is securing buy-in from teh C-suite, demanding a strategic approach to justify investment in forward-thinking solutions.
recent insights from industry experts Rachel Lockett, VP of Business Technology Solutions and Operations at Surescripts, and Jason Kikta, CTO at Automox, highlight the critical strategies prosperous IT leaders are employing to overcome a particularly challenging “triple threat”: shrinking budgets, escalating cyber threats, and the complexities of maintaining legacy systems. Their discussion, originally presented as a keynote session during InformationWeek’s live webinar, ”How IT Leaders Can Create and Sustain a Culture of IT Innovation” (November 13, 2025), offers a roadmap for building resilient and innovative teams.
The Innovation Imperative in a Constrained Landscape
Lockett and Kikta emphasized that innovation isn’t a luxury, but a necessity for modern organizations.Though, the path to embedding innovation is rarely straightforward. Leaders must demonstrate a clear return on investment (ROI) to secure funding, particularly when facing budgetary pressures. This requires framing innovation not as an expense, but as a strategic enabler of business growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage.
“The narrative is key,” explained Kikta. “You can’t just ask for money for ‘innovation.’ You need to articulate how a specific technological advancement will directly address a business challenge, reduce risk, or unlock new revenue streams.”
Navigating the cybersecurity Minefield
the ever-present threat of cyberattacks adds another layer of complexity. Innovation must be inherently secure, and IT leaders need to champion a “security-first” mindset throughout the organization. Lockett stressed the importance of integrating security considerations into every stage of the development lifecycle, rather than treating it as an afterthought.
“Proactive security isn’t a roadblock to innovation; it’s a foundational element,” she stated. “Investing in secure development practices and robust threat intelligence is crucial for building trust and enabling the adoption of new technologies.”
Taming the Legacy System Beast
Perhaps the most persistent challenge for many IT departments is the burden of legacy systems. These outdated infrastructures can stifle innovation, create security vulnerabilities, and consume valuable resources. Lockett and Kikta advocated for a phased approach to modernization, prioritizing systems that pose the greatest risk or offer the most significant potential for enhancement.
“Rip and replace isn’t always feasible or desirable,” Kikta noted. “A more pragmatic approach involves strategically integrating new technologies with existing systems, leveraging APIs and microservices to create a more agile and adaptable infrastructure.”
Building a Resilient & innovative Team
Ultimately, a culture of innovation hinges on empowering and supporting the IT team.This includes fostering a learning environment, encouraging experimentation, and providing the resources necessary to explore new technologies. lockett and Kikta highlighted the importance of:
* Dedicated Innovation Time: Allocating specific time for employees to pursue personal projects and explore emerging technologies.
* cross-Functional Collaboration: Breaking down silos and encouraging collaboration between IT and other departments.
* Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity: Creating a safe space for experimentation, where failures are viewed as valuable learning experiences.
Further exploration:
For a deeper dive into these strategies, watch the archived webinar, “How IT Leaders Can Create and Sustain a Culture of IT Innovation,” on demand: https://iw-resources.informationweek.com/free/w_autp128/?p=w_autp128
Keywords: IT Innovation, Cybersecurity, Legacy Systems, Digital Transformation, IT Leadership, C-Suite Buy-in, Budget Constraints, Technology Strategy, Innovation Culture, InformationWeek, Surescripts, Automox.
