Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, announced the findings of its seventh annual global Financial Services Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI) survey and research report, which measures enterprise progress with cloud adoption in the industry. The research showed that nearly all the financial services organisations surveyed are currently leveraging GenAI applications or workloads today, with a focus on real-life applications gravitating towards customer support and content development. 

Despite widespread GenAI adoption, financial services organisations are struggling to keep pace. Most cite a skills gap needed to manage GenAI with existing infrastructure. Moreover, 97% of respondents admit they could do more to secure their GenAI models and applications.  

“Financial services organisations are turning to containers and hybrid cloud not just as technology upgrades, but as strategic enablers of customer value,” said Lee Caswell, SVP of Product and Solutions Marketing at Nutanix. “This year’s ECI report highlights how these technologies are delivering measurable ROI by powering GenAI applications that enhance fraud detection, strengthen cybersecurity, and elevate customer engagement. For financial institutions, containers and hybrid cloud have become essential tools to drive innovation, agility, and trust in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

“But AI and how organisations want to use it is also changing very rapidly. While GenAI remains a part of their activities, beyond the findings in the report, our customers are telling us they have moved to adopt agentic AI and are looking to harness its potential across their organisations and in how they interact with their customers.”

The report surveyed financial services leaders on GenAI adoption, Kubernetes, and container use, and where they’re running mission-critical applications today—and where they plan to run them next. 

Key findings include:

• GenAI Adoption Is Widespread but Not Without Risk: Nearly all industry respondents report using some form of GenAI today, with current use cases focused on customer support, content generation, and automation. However, data privacy and security stand out as the top concerns, with 97% agreeing their organisations must do more to secure GenAI models and applications.
• Infrastructure Modernisation Is Needed for GenAI Success: 92% of respondents say their current infrastructure requires improvement to fully support cloud native applications and containers. Although containerisation and Kubernetes are already in use, particularly for GenAI workloads, application portability and data silos persist as major hurdles.
• IT Talent Shortage Could Slow Momentum: Nearly all respondents (98%) face challenges scaling GenAI from development to production, citing lack of skilled personnel and integration issues. While 62% of respondents are actively hiring for GenAI expertise, training and upskilling remain critical priorities.
• Return on Investment (ROI) is a Priority but It’s a Long Game: 39% of respondents anticipate potential GenAI-related losses in the next 12 months, while 58% expect gains within one to three years. This suggests that financial services leaders are embracing a longer-term view of GenAI success but also underscores the need for better tools to measure GenAI ROI.
• Security and Compliance Will Continue to be Important: The majority (96%) of respondents say GenAI is reshaping their data security and privacy priorities. Additionally, 90% express concern about data security in the broader IT vendor ecosystem, further highlighting the complexity of securing AI deployments.

For the seventh consecutive year, Nutanix commissioned a global research study to learn about the state of global enterprise cloud deployments, application containerisation trends, and GenAI application adoption. In the Fall of 2024, U.K. researcher Vanson Bourne surveyed 1,500 IT and DevOps/Platform Engineering decision-makers around the world. The respondent base spanned multiple industries, business sizes, and geographies, including North and South America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia-Pacific-Japan (APJ) region.

To learn more about the report and findings, please download the full Financial Services Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index, here and read the blog here.