IT leaders want their employees to work without running into digital hurdles, but many still struggle with fragmented systems that slow teams down. A new report from Lenovo sheds light on how widespread the problem has become and what organizations can do to reduce workplace friction.
Complexity is holding digital workplaces back
Hybrid work pushed companies to adopt new tools, devices and management platforms at speed. According to the research, enterprises now manage an average of 897 applications, but only 28 percent are integrated. The report notes that this patchwork environment strains both workers and support teams, since employees must move across several systems before they can resolve problems or complete simple tasks.
The survey, which gathered responses from 600 IT leaders worldwide, shows that productivity goals are often at odds with current digital conditions. Forty nine percent say improving the employee experience is their top objective. Only 36 percent believe their workplace supports engagement effectively. Lenovo’s Rakshit Ghura summed it up in the report: “The digital workplace has become totally fragmented. Hybrid work has led to inconsistent employee experiences, giving rise to a lot of new tools and technologies, reducing IT visibility.”
Support operations are under pressure
Support workflows are a major pain point. Employees may switch between email, phone, chat tools and service applications when reporting an issue. This creates slow resolution times and pulls people away from their work. Three in four IT leaders say manual processes in support environments hinder productivity.
Despite these challenges, most respondents agree that improving IT support is central to improving the workplace. Seventy nine percent say employee experience cannot advance without transforming support operations. That sentiment sets the stage for the report’s core concept: invisible IT.
What invisible IT looks like in practice
Lenovo defines invisible IT as support that runs in the background and prevents problems before employees notice them. The report highlights two areas that bring this approach to life.
The first is predictive and proactive support. Eighty three percent of leaders say this approach is essential, but only 21 percent have achieved it. With AI tools that monitor telemetry data across devices, support teams can detect early signs of failure and trigger automated fixes. If a fix requires human involvement, the repair can happen before the user experiences downtime. This reduces disruptions and shifts support teams away from repetitive tasks that slow down operations.
The second area is hyper personalization. Many organizations personalize support by role or seniority, but the study argues this does not reflect how people work. AI systems can now create personas based on individual usage patterns. This lets support teams tailor responses and rollouts to real conditions rather than assumptions. The report cites internal testing results that included 40 percent of issues resolved before tickets were created and a 30 percent improvement in the employee experience.
Support teams will not shrink, but their work will change
The research indicates that predictive and personalized support will not lead to large reductions in IT staff. Only 12 percent of leaders expect to reduce headcount. Most respondents expect these tools to help staff focus on higher value work. Twenty one percent say support roles will shift toward improving productivity and workplace quality. Thirty nine percent say staff will spend more time on strategic tasks. This suggests that invisible IT is about changing how IT contributes to the business.
Organizations are still far from this model
Although interest in invisible IT is high, most companies are still using manual processes. Sixty five percent detect issues only when users contact support. Fifty five percent resolve them through manual interventions. Hyper personalization is also limited, with 51 percent of organizations offering standard support for all employees.
Barriers are widespread. Fifty one percent cite fragmented systems as their top challenge. Another 47 percent point to cost concerns or uncertain return on investment. Limited AI capabilities and skills gaps also slow progress, along with slow upgrade cycles and a lack of time for planning.
How leaders can begin moving toward invisible IT
The report outlines several steps for organizations that want to build toward predictive and personalized support. Leaders are encouraged to unify data sources so that AI tools can learn from workplace activity. Support teams need training so they can apply new insights and respond to higher complexity issues. The report also calls out the value of external partners who can help close skills gaps and accelerate deployment.
A long runway ahead
Invisible IT remains an early ambition for most enterprises, but the findings suggest that interest is growing as organizations see the link between fewer disruptions and stronger business performance. For CISOs and CIOs searching for new ways to strengthen the digital workplace, the study shows that reducing friction may be as important as any new platform or tool.