ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

DataOps.live Enables Data Engineering Acceleration

Posted by Matt Aslett on 26 November 2025

I have previously written about the critical importance of data management to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications and agentic AI. The importance of data management is nothing new, but automation of business processes and decision-making raises the stakes in terms of the expectations and the risks. The need for enterprises to have trust in their data governance and data... Read More

Topics: Governance, Operations, Data Platforms, Generative AI, AI & Technologies, AI and Machine Learning

Midsize Enterprises Need a Technology Update

Posted by Robert Kugel on 20 November 2025

The Chief Financial Officer of a midsize enterprise faces a different set of challenges than their counterparts in larger or smaller enterprises. Midsize enterprises have grown to the point of requiring capabilities similar to larger businesses but typically lack the staff or financial resources afforded to bigger ones. The past decade of IT innovation—especially the expansion of cloud... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning, Business, ERP and Continuous Accounting, digital finance, Consolidate and Close Management, Business & Technologies

Why Data Software Providers Are Embracing Model Context Protocol

Posted by Matt Aslett on 19 November 2025

I have written several times this year about Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its importance in enabling agentic artificial intelligence (AI) use cases. Numerous data platform, data management, data operations and real-time data software providers have added support for MCP to their products in recent months. MCP has become so ubiquitous, in fact, that it is easy to forget the protocol was only... Read More

Topics: Governance, Operations, Analytics, Data Platforms, Generative AI, Data Intelligence, AI & Technologies, AI and Machine Learning, Streaming & Events

Rethinking Fundamental Contact Center Software

Posted by Keith Dawson on 19 November 2025

There is a shift underway in how enterprises structure their software stacks in relation to contact centers. Multiple factors have coalesced to reduce the importance of the traditional call handling infrastructure (i.e., the ACD) as the foundational element of the tech stack. It no longer has to be the focus of buying or deployment decisions. It’s been superseded by a more extensible (but... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Contact Center, agent management, CCaaS, ACD, Generative AI, Customers and CX - Business & Technologies

Why We’re Afraid To Let Machines Sell: 5 Imperatives for Preparing for the Age of Autonomous Commerce

Posted by Barika Pace on 18 November 2025

Autonomous commerce is no longer a distant prospect; it is actively transforming procurement systems, digital marketplaces and B2B revenue platforms today. Intelligent systems can now interpret buying intent, evaluate margin risk and negotiate terms with increasing sophistication. Yet, according to ISG’s State of Agentic AI Market Report, only 25% of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions operate... Read More

Topics: Revenue Performance, Revenue Lifecycle Management, Office of Revenue - Business Technologies

The Importance of Data in HR Strategies

Posted by Matthew Brown on 18 November 2025

You can buy the flashiest software in the marketplace, win awards for digital transformation and run a picture-perfect implementation project. But if your data foundation is shaky, none of it will deliver. Organizations invest millions in tools only to stumble over incomplete, misaligned or fragmented data. The wall they hit afterward? It is built from poor decisions disguised as “glitches.”... Read More

Topics: Employee Engagement, Learning Management, Talent Management, Workforce Management, Total Compensation Management, Employees & HCM - Business & Technologies

Neo4j Expands Data Platform for Graph Intelligence

Posted by Matt Aslett on 13 November 2025

I previously wrote about the importance of knowledge graphs to data intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI). A knowledge graph can surface information about the relationships and dependencies between virtual and physical objects by providing a structured representation of data that identifies the connections between entities and attributes. This representation of enterprise knowledge can be... Read More

Topics: Data Intelligence, AI & Technologies

Tokenizing Working Capital to Improve Performance and Efficiency

Posted by Robert Kugel on 13 November 2025

Tokenization is an emerging topic for business software providers. Tokenization is the process of representing something valuable or complex with a simple computer-readable substitute to enhance security or improve the efficiency and usability of a system. Tokens are already widely used in commerce. It’s now common for sensitive data used in a transaction, such as a bank account number or credit... Read More

Topics: Governance, Office of Finance, Operations, Analytics, ERP and Continuous Accounting, digital finance, Procure-to-Pay, Generative AI, AI and Machine Learning, Order-to-Cash, Business & Technologies

NiCE Clarifies AI Strategy in Cognigy’s Wake

Posted by Keith Dawson on 12 November 2025

Analyst summits are not where software providers go to make news, it’s where they seek to clarify and validate what they’ve already done and lay out strategies for the future. October’s NiCE summit in Vienna was an opportunity to take stock of the enormous changes artificial intelligence (AI) has wrought in the service industry and put NiCE’s recent moves into context. It’s no exaggeration to say... Read More

Topics: automation, Contact Center, agent management, Customer Experience Management, CCaaS, Intelligent Self-Service, Customers and CX - Business & Technologies, Conversational Intelligence, NiCE, Cognigy

Oracle AI World 2025: Cloud, Software and Sovereignty

Posted by Jeff Orr on 12 November 2025

Enterprise CIOs are under pressure to operationalize artificial intelligence (AI) while preserving governance, cost control and regulatory compliance. Oracle’s latest Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) software announcements from Oracle AI World 2025 focus on unifying data and AI pipelines, simplifying multicloud consumption and strengthening software‑defined networking to deliver predictable... Read More

Topics: Oracle, IT & Technologies, AI and Machine Learning, Cloud Infrastructure, Compute, Edge, Network & IOT, OCI, AI World

Market Research Insights on Software Industry for Enterprises

Posted by Mark Smith on 11 November 2025

Over the past two years, I’ve led and operated as a practitioner in a sustained, feels-like-a-seven-day cadence to build what I believe is the most comprehensive enterprise software research foundation in the industry. Joining ISG after two decades of being a CEO and Chief Research Officer running a specialized research and advisory firm—Ventana Research—the new mandate was clear: expand software... Read More

Topics: Technology Industry Intelligence

HR Tech Buyer Fatigue Is Real, and Happening Now

Posted by Matthew Brown on 11 November 2025

There is a different kind of friction emerging in the HR technology market today. It is harder to quantify but easier to feel if you are inside the decision-making process. It is not a lack of interest or even budget. It is fatigue. HR buyers are worn down. There is always another demo, another promise of transformation, another set of features that look compelling until you dig into what it... Read More

Topics: Employee Engagement, Learning Management, Talent Management, Payroll Management, Total Compensation Management, Employees & HCM - Business & Technologies

InterSystems Addresses AI and Data Silos With Data Studio

Posted by Matt Aslett on 06 November 2025

As I recently explained, treating data as a business discipline—rather than a technical one—is a critical component of delivering competitive advantage through investment in data processing, analytics and artificial intelligence. As enterprises embrace data as a business discipline, it is increasingly important that the products used for data processing and management enable collaboration between... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data Platforms, Data Intelligence, AI & Technologies

Why the ‘Messy Middle’ for Office of Revenue Needs AI and Salesforce

Posted by Barika Pace on 06 November 2025

I attended Salesforce’s Dreamforce event in San Francisco to learn more about the company’s expanding vision for artificial intelligence (AI) and its newest capability, Agentforce Revenue Management. Salesforce has steadily evolved from being a CRM leader to positioning itself as an AI-first business platform. The introduction of Agentforce marks the company’s most ambitious step yet in... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management, Revenue Lifecycle Management, Office of Revenue - Business Technologies

The Financial Health of the Software Economy: Q3 and 2025

Posted by Mark Smith on 05 November 2025

As an authoritative and trusted source for 92 consecutive quarters, the ISG Index has delivered independent, fact-based insight to Wall Street, service and software providers, and enterprises tracking fundamentals and the quarterly and yearly shifts across technology services and software. As Chief Software Analyst, my view of third quarter is that the software economy (XaaS) remains the center... Read More

Topics: Technology Industry Intelligence

Oracle Shows Off AI Agents for Performance and Productivity

Posted by Robert Kugel on 05 November 2025

The recent Oracle AI World event did not unveil much that was stunning “new” news for its business applications, because much of what has been evolving was presented already and has been in front of analysts for some months. What was on display, though, was steady progress to its advancing capabilities coming out every quarter. The company has focused on the development of agents and an agentic... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, digital finance, Generative AI, Consolidate and Close Management, AI and Machine Learning

AI in HR Software: Where the Hype Ends and Practicality Begins

Posted by Matthew Brown on 04 November 2025

You can’t examine an HR software roadmap today without encountering AI—ubiquitously. Natural language search, skills inference, personalized learning, intelligent automation, adaptive planning, worker twins, conversational agents... These aren’t just new features; they represent a new organizing principle. A new architecture for how platforms structure work and how individuals engage with... Read More

Topics: Employee Engagement, Learning Management, Talent Management, Workforce Management, Payroll Management, Total Compensation Management, Employees & HCM - Business & Technologies

Why I Joined ISG and the Software Research Office of Revenue Practice

Posted by Barika Pace on 04 November 2025

I am excited to announce that I have joined ISG as Research Director for the Office of Revenue practice, where I will lead coverage across a spectrum of revenue, sales and product technologies that shape how organizations operate and engage customers, align go-to-market functions and operationalize growth. This includes CRM, Commerce, Partner Relationship Management (PRM), Product Experiences,... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management, Revenue Lifecycle Management, Office of Revenue - Business Technologies