Based on insights from McKinsey & Company’s report: “Triple the return: How companies can get more from enterprise tech.” DigitalBase Media’s editorial team shares its perspective below.

For years, IT was viewed as a cost center, necessary but rarely transformative. That mindset no longer works. According to a recent McKinsey & Company analysis, companies that reimagine their enterprise technology through a value-creation lens can triple their ROI compared to traditional approaches.

We are entering what McKinsey calls the “agentic age”, a new era where AI, automation, and intelligent agents redefine how technology delivers business value. The economics have shifted: productivity gains are accelerating while the cost of innovation keeps falling. The real question is not whether to invest, but how strategically to invest.

Six Imperatives for Next-Level Tech ROI

McKinsey identifies six critical moves that separate top performers from the rest. Here is how they translate into real-world action and where we see leading organizations focusing their energy:

1. Recalibrate IT Economics
   Stop treating technology as a sunk cost. Shift budgets toward automation, platform tools, and innovation enablers. A modest 4% annual increase in IT spend, directed smartly, can yield outsized EBITDA growth.
2. Rebuild Technology Platforms
   Outdated systems slow innovation. Modernizing architecture, especially with AI-assisted development, can accelerate delivery by up to 50% while cutting costs by roughly 40%. Think cloud-native, composable, and scalable.
3. Renovate Data Foundations
   AI runs on data. Building clean, structured, and governed data layers unlocks hidden insights and new value streams. Treat data as a product, not a byproduct.
4. Redesign the Talent Model
   The workforce of the future is hybrid: humans plus AI agents. Organizations that invest in reskilling and new collaboration models will innovate faster and smarter.
5. Revamp Vendor Strategy
   The vendor landscape is evolving. Rather than relying on dozens of SaaS contracts, forward-thinking firms are combining open-source tools and agentic workflows to drive flexibility and reduce dependency.
6. Remodel Risk and Resilience
   AI introduces new risks such as bias, misalignment, and security issues, but it also brings new solutions. Embedding AI-driven monitoring, threat modeling, and governance loops will define tomorrow’s resilient enterprises.

The Payoff: From Cost to Catalyst

McKinsey’s modeling shows that increasing early-stage investment in core IT and data platforms can more than triple EBITDA lift by year five compared to peers that underinvest.

The key mindset shift is moving from “How much can we save?” to “How much value can we create?” This pivot redefines technology from a cost center into a growth engine.

Our Take

At DigitalBase Media, we see this shift unfolding across every industry. Organizations that prioritize platform modernization, clean data, and human-AI collaboration are not just running more efficiently, they are out-innovating their competitors.

As you plan next year’s digital roadmap, do not just ask what your IT budget can cut; ask what it can compound. The return on modern tech investment is not linear—it is exponential.

Get in touch today to learn how DigitalBase Media can help you close your talent gaps and keep your roadmap on track.