Research, Surveys & Forecasts


text reads State of Ransomware 2023 by Sophos and includes figures for recovery costs from the last three years

More IHEs Paid Ransoms in 2022, Even As Average Recovery Cost Fell, Sophos Research Finds

Nearly eight out of 10 higher ed organizations surveyed for Sophos’ 2023 State of Ransomware Report said they were hit by ransomware last year — a 23% increase from the previous year’s results — making education the most-attacked sector in 2022.

AR/VR Headset Market Continues to Decline as VR Sets Plummet

The first quarter of 2023 saw further declines in the AR/VR headset space, following a steep decline the previous year, according to market research firm IDC.

artificial intelligence

The Dark Side of ChatGPT: 6 Generative AI Risks to Watch

Gartner has identified six critical areas where the use of large language models such as ChatGPT can present legal or compliance risks that enterprise organizations must be aware of — or face potentially dire consequences. Organizations should consider what guardrails to put in place in order to ensure responsible use of these tools, the research firm advised.

artificial intelligence

Institutions Must Plan for AI to Go Mainstream, Says 2023 Educause Horizon Report

Higher education technology association Educause recently released the 2023 Teaching and Learning Edition of its annual Horizon Report, forecasting the trends, technologies, and practices that will shape the future of postsecondary education. AI is a significant theme throughout the report, both appearing in the top technological trends for 2023 as well as factoring into the key technologies and practices impacting colleges and universities going forward.

Smartphone Market Continues to Decline

According to a new forecast from market research firm IDC, the already sluggish forecast for smartphones looks to be headed toward a slightly steeper decline this year.

Turnitin logo with logo icons representing OpenAI and ChatGPT

Turnitin: Of 38M Submissions Since April 4, 3.5% Had At Least 80% AI-Written Text

In the first six weeks of educators using Turnitin’s new AI writing detection feature, the platform processed 38.5 million submissions, and the results — as well as plenty of feedback from educators and administrators — led Turnitin to tweak the detector and to further explain the meaning and accuracy rates of the detection scores.

graph shows survey responses from public sector ranking IT security threats

Survey: Foreign States Considered Bigger IT Security Threat Than Ever

A new survey of public sector IT professionals conducted in January by independent research firm Market Connections found that careless or untrained insiders remains the top-ranked threat to higher education institutions’ network security, while the threat of malicious attacks by foreign governments is considered a bigger threat than in years past, according to the survey results.

laptop with AI ban symbol on screen

More than Half of Students Will Use AI Writing Tools Even if Prohibited by Their Institution

In a recent survey by Tyton Partners, nearly one in three college students reported being a regular user of generative AI. And 51% of students said they will continue to use generative AI writing tools, even if prohibited by their instructor or institution.

OpenWiFi, Wi-Fi 7, 6 GHz, 5G Convergence to Drive Substantial Growth in Wireless Networking

Despite a number of challenges facing the technology sector in 2023, the next five years will see significant growth in the proliferation of new wireless networking technologies, both in the enterprise and among consumers.

graph showing growth

Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 5.5% in 2023 as Digital Transformation Continues

Worldwide IT spending is projected to increase 5.5% this year to a total of $4.6 trillion by the close of 2023, according to the latest forecast by market researchers at Gartner. And IDC analysts project significant growth in cloud infrastructure spending, tempered by a decline in spending on non-cloud infrastructure and devices.