A new survey from virtualization and end-user computing (EUC) solutions company Parallels finds 94 percent of organizations are concerned about vendor lock-in, up from last year’s already elevated anxiety around long-term viability and support.
Nearly half of respondents say they are very concerned, with uncertain product road maps (46 percent) and fears over future support (57 percent) now playing a larger role in platform decisions than in 2025.
“Last year, organizations were focused on escaping rising costs,” says Prashant Ketkar, chief technology and product officer at Parallels. “This year, they are focused on avoiding regret. IT leaders want automation that reduces workload, architectures that support hybrid reality, and the freedom to change course as needs evolve.”
The study shows a shift in attitudes to AI too, in 2025 AI was widely viewed as a differentiator but in 2026, buyers are more selective. The survey shows organizations want AI to reduce operational burden, not add complexity. 47 percent prioritize AI for issue detection, 41 percent want automated application patching and 39 percent are seeking reduced administrative overhead,
Only 29 percent of respondents say they’re willing to pay more for AI features, signaling a move away from experimental investment toward outcome-driven automation.
The operational cost of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) has also become more visible. 85 percent of organizations say they spend one to ten hours per week managing VDI. 68 percent say IT staff time is now the single biggest hidden cost, an increase in urgency from last year’s findings, while nearly 30 percent cite training and onboarding as a major challenge, reinforcing workforce strain.
In 2025, many organizations were still pursuing cloud-first strategies while managing cost and complexity. The 2026 data shows that 49 percent now operate multi-cloud environments, up from last year, 33 percent run hybrid deployments and 49 percent are actively considering or planning a move back to on-premises or hybrid models.
The full report is available from the Parallels site.
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