Enterprise Software Budgets Suffer 28% Loss to Unwanted Upgrades, Survey Reveals

A new report, “The Software Tax,” shows that enterprises with at least $1 billion in revenue spend roughly 28 percent of their software budgets on upgrades, migrations, and licensing changes that most IT leaders deem harmful. The survey, conducted by Censuswide for Origina, gathered responses from 2,018 chief information officers and senior IT decision‑makers at companies with 10,000 or more employees—half from the United States and the rest from the United Kingdom. All respondents operate in firms that meet the $1 billion revenue threshold. IT heads across the board cited the frequent, costly changes as a major pain point. In light of these findings, the report recommends independent software maintenance as a strategy for IT leaders to regain budgetary control, a suggestion that aligns with Origina’s own maintenance services.