(US and Canada) Action1, a leading provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today announced the release of its annual report, Action1 2025 Survey Report: AI Impact on Sysadmins. This comprehensive study explores the evolving perceptions, concerns, and expectations of system administrators (sysadmins) regarding the integration of generative AI into their job functions.

Conducted for the third consecutive year and released in conjunction with System Administrator Appreciation Day 2025, the survey gathered insights from over 600 sysadmins worldwide. The findings reveal a growing interest in AI integration, accompanied by persistent skepticism, practical barriers, and a clear demand for structured training.

“Sysadmins are the unsung heroes of their organizations, ensuring every employee can get their work done,” said Mike Walters, President and Co-founder of Action1. “Our latest survey shows how they are embracing generative AI to automate their routine tasks and give them more time to elevate their value and impact. As much as operational use is expanding, it’s clear that limitations still exist, meaning that human oversight is still essential.”

The results of Action1’s latest survey of sysadmins highlight growing familiarity with generative AI tools, cautious organizational adoption, and ongoing concerns around trust and control. The key findings provide insights into current applications, limitations, and recommendations for effective AI integration in sysadmin workflows:

1. AI Readiness Is Rising – But Far From Universal: Sysadmins are becoming more familiar with AI, with 45% reporting they now understand how to integrate AI into their roles, up from 34% last year. However, a significant portion of the workforce still lacks clarity on how to use AI effectively.
2. Organizational Adoption Remains Cautious and Uneven: Despite growing familiarity, AI has not yet become standard practice. Only 22% of sysadmins say their organizations require AI use, up from 18% in 2024. The majority (73%) still report no such requirement.
3. Operational Use of AI Is Expanding in Select Areas: Current implementation trends show troubleshooting (41%) and log analysis (35%) leading the way, with notable growth from 2024. However, more sensitive functions, such as SSO/password management (2%) and file management (5%), remain largely untouched.
4. Training Demand Is Strong, but Concerns Persist: While 70% of sysadmins are actively seeking AI-related training, many still worry about falling behind more AI-savvy peers. Concerns about AI’s accuracy (79%), security risks (78%), and loss of control (60%) continue to slow adoption.
5. AI Limitations Are Becoming More Visible as Adoption Grows: As usage expands, so do reports of AI falling short – particularly in troubleshooting (30%), log analysis (12%), and support-related tasks. Some implementations have even caused operational disruptions (20%).

A Clear Strategy, Structure, and Support Are Key to Successful Adoption

To close the gap and realize the benefits of AI integration, Action1 recommends that organizations must approach adoption with a clear strategy, structure, and support. Key recommendations include:

• Investing in AI literacy and practical skills;
• Starting implementation in low-risk, high-volume workflows;
• Defining clear objectives;
• Involving sysadmins in design and testing;
• Balancing automation with human oversight; and
• Continuously monitoring AI performance.