From Cost to Competitive Edge: Making AI & IT Investments Work For You
As business environments become variable and more unpredictable, it reinforces a crucial lesson for business leaders: the urgent need for smart, data-driven decision-making. While Indonesian companies are pouring significant resources into AI and data analytics—31.44% of them expect to increase their tech investments by more than 20% over the next few years—almost half of these enterprises are still unsure about the ROI and overall value of their IT and AI investments. The idea of “following the money” only works when you understand where it’s going. If companies can’t track what they’re investing in, how can they be sure it’s delivering results?
AIBP, supported by Apptio, engaged with Indonesian enterprise leaders to explore tools and strategies that help organisations align tech spending with business goals, addressing these challenges at the forefront.
Bridging the IT-Finance Gap: Turning ‘Nos’ into ‘Yeses’
For many companies, the problem isn't just managing complex IT investments; it's the dark-alley levels of visibility into them. With spending spread across projects and departments, tracking expenses becomes difficult, and when IT and finance operate in silos, priorities fall out of sync.
But when both teams speak the same language—especially when it comes to measuring ROI and evaluating IT investments—organisations can make fuller, informed decisions.
Industry leaders agree: bridging this gap is critical as AI and data analytics become core business drivers. IT teams need financial fluency to make smarter spending decisions, just as finance teams need to understand tech investments. Take a leading national airline—their IT and finance teams hold bi-weekly sprints to align priorities, share insights, and adjust strategies in real time.
A recurring theme is the persistent disconnect between business and IT. Too often, IT is seen as a cost center, with investments only valued when problems arise—like insurance. But forward-thinking leaders recognise IT as a profit driver, leveraging proactive investments for long-term competitive advantage.
Making Every Rupiah Count: Aligning IT Spend with Business Goals
Innovation is always a dollar-for-dollar investment, and without clear visibility, IT spending can quickly become inefficient or misaligned with business goals. Data-driven insights that track AI and tech investments, ensuring they deliver measurable returns within a reasonable timeframe.
A strategic approach to IT cost optimisation means shifting the focus from short-term expenses to long-term business outcomes. Roundtable participants emphasise the importance of a structured framework that aligns IT spending with business goals—moving away from manual excel spreadsheets toward more transparent and dynamic financial tracking.
Without a single source of truth, IT costs become a black box—hard to track, harder to justify. That’s where the Technology Business Management (TBM) framework acts as a voice board connecting as a means to bridge the gap between IT, finance, and business units, ensuring every dollar spent ties back to real business impact.
Beyond financial governance, this seamless integration flow between systems shifts the conversation from cost to value. It transforms spending into strategy, breaking down silos so teams work from the same data, make sharper decisions, and maximise resources with full transparency.
Finding the Sweet Spot: AI, Cost, and the Customer Experience
The past few years have sparked a data revolution, with enterprises generating massive volumes of structured and unstructured data from AI platforms, online channels, and automated systems. But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach—each system comes with unique challenges, requiring a strategic balance between flexibility, cost, and business impact.
AI is now at the core of customer experience strategies. In Indonesia, enterprises are leveraging AI to deliver hyper-personalised engagement across the entire customer journey. Banks are deploying AI-driven fraud detection to proactively protect users, while businesses are evolving chatbots from simple rule-based tools to LLM-powered virtual assistants. According to our annual AIBP ASEAN Enterprise Innovation Survey, 61.9% of enterprises prioritise AI for customer service automation, highlighting its role as a top use case. Meanwhile, machine learning is driving deeper personalisation, helping businesses anticipate customer needs and tailor experiences more effectively.
AI isn’t cheap. Business leaders must ensure investments yield measurable returns within two to five years, requiring strategic planning and deep analytics.
That’s where deployment flexibility comes in. A hybrid AI approach—running models both on-premises and across cloud platforms—helps businesses manage costs while staying agile. For customer-facing applications like chatbots, this means scaling AI-driven interactions seamlessly, delivering smarter, more personalised experiences without spending beyond your means.
The Way Forward: Unlock Strategic Value
Aligning IT investments with business goals goes beyond cost control—it unlocks strategic value. Organisations that break down silos between IT, finance, and business units can transform tech spending from a reactive expense into a proactive growth driver. Those who master this approach won’t only justify their investments but also gain a competitive edge.
The conversation doesn’t stop here. We’re diving deeper into these challenges and solutions at our next workshop in Thailand on March 10. Join us as we explore strategies to maximise the value of your IT and AI investments.
⇢ Register here to be part of the discussion!
If you are interested to be involved or participate in our upcoming activities, do drop us a note at aibp@industry-platform.com
