ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

Autonomy Is Key for Effective Sovereign AI and Data Strategies

Posted by Matt Aslett on 26 February 2026

The term “sovereign AI and data” became increasingly prevalent in recent years, initially driven by cloud infrastructure providers responding to the need to support regional regulations with sovereign cloud offerings. However, the use of sovereign cloud infrastructure is not required to deliver compliance with data sovereignty regulations. In fact, our research indicates that having the autonomy... Read More

Topics: Governance, Operations, Analytics, Data Platforms, Generative AI, IT & Technologies, AI & Technologies, Cloud Infrastructure, Platforms, AI & Machine Learning

The Agentic AI Economy: Beyond Integration

Posted by Alex Bakker on 25 February 2026

The concept of software components orchestrating across boundaries is not new—it has appeared in mainframe program libraries, Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) and Enterprise Service Buses (ESBs). APIs became the next wave of this idea, powering cloud, mobile and software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecosystems. But the next generation is arriving: agentic AI. Where APIs exposed capabilities in rigid... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data Platforms, Intelligent Automation, AI & Technologies, Buyer Behavior

How Genesys Navigates a Post-CCaaS Era

Posted by Keith Dawson on 25 February 2026

It’s increasingly clear that, for software providers, focusing exclusively on contact center operations is a pathway to oblivion. Voice is no longer the organizing principle around which businesses structure their customer support—instead, we are fully in a world where automated self-service is the default and digital interactions are the norm. Enterprise buyers looking to modernize their contact... Read More

Topics: Contact Center, agent management, Intelligent Self-Service, Customers and CX - Business & Technologies

Why Software Risk Is Now Decided Before Code Is Written

Posted by Jeff Orr on 24 February 2026

Threat modeling software has emerged as a distinct security category focused on identifying and mitigating design-level risks early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Unlike vulnerability scanners or runtime security controls that surface issues after deployment, threat modeling tools operate upstream, enabling organizations to analyze system architectures before code is written or... Read More

Topics: Cybersecurity, DevSecOps, CI/CD, IT & Technologies, Threat Modeling, SDLC, Proactive, Vulnerability

Talent Marketplaces: When the Label Doesn’t Fit

Posted by Matthew Brown on 24 February 2026

Picture a world where a role opens and your first instinct is to look inward with confidence. You open your talent marketplace and see people who are ready now, plus people who could be ready soon with targeted support and development. Instead of defaulting to external recruiting, you redeploy talent faster and keep high potential employees from quietly disengaging. That is the promise behind... Read More

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

Building a Revenue Strategy That Scales

Posted by Barika Pace on 19 February 2026

Chief revenue officers are being asked to scale growth at a time when revenue systems are under more strain than at any point in the past decade. Buyer journeys are longer and less linear, sellers are operating across an expanding set of digital and partner channels and revenue technology stacks have grown faster than the operating models meant to govern them. In this environment, revenue... Read More

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

The Financial Health of the Software Economy: Q4 and 2025

Posted by Mark Smith on 18 February 2026

As an authoritative and trusted source, the ISG Index has delivered independent, fact-based insights for 93 consecutive quarters. These insights support Wall Street, service and software providers, and enterprises tracking fundamental trends, and quarterly and annual shifts across the technology, services and software markets. As Chief AI and Software Analyst, my view of the fourth quarter and... Read More

Topics: Technology Industry Intelligence

When HR and Finance Can’t Agree on the Same Numbers

Posted by Matthew Brown on 17 February 2026

HR and Finance rarely agree on the same numbers, and the reasons run deeper than a simple spreadsheet mismatch. It’s a symptom of siloed business processes and disconnected data models that create misalignment at every turn. Underneath that are unclear data definitions, governance strategies without real accountability and cultural priorities that pull the two functions in different directions.... Read More

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

Trends in Field Service Management

Posted by Keith Dawson on 12 February 2026

Enterprise customer experience (CX) usually focuses on the moment of communication between a customer and a business, assessing the customer’s state of mind and the outcomes of specific, limited interactions. But there’s another important context that drives customer behavior, and that’s the on-site experience of technical support. Field service is often out of the line of sight of CX planners,... Read More

Topics: Internet of Things, IOT, Augmented Reality, AR, Customers and CX - Business & Technologies, Field Service Management, Technician

Payroll as the New Trust Platform

Posted by Matthew Brown on 11 February 2026

Payroll is no longer a back-office function. It has become a frontline trust engine that touches every worker, every pay cycle and the moments that matter most. When pay is right, confidence grows quietly and people focus on the work in front of them. When it is wrong, trust fractures instantly and the damage is disproportionate to the size of the mistake. Frontline employees feel this most... Read More

Topics: Payroll Management, Employees & HCM - Business & Technologies

From RevOps to RevEngine: Stop Optimizing the Wrong Things

Posted by Barika Pace on 10 February 2026

Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) are under growing pressure to deliver predictable, scalable growth. They are surrounded by expanding go-to-market (GTM) teams, a sprawling sales technology stack and boardroom expectations that demand more than last quarter’s growth playbook. Sales leaders have never had more access to data, automation and point solutions, and yet the path to actual revenue... Read More

Topics: sales engagement, Revenue Performance Management, Office of Revenue, Business & Technologies, Revenue Lifecycle Management

The Saas-Pocalypse That Isn’t Happening Soon

Posted by Robert Kugel on 09 February 2026

The term SaaS-pocalypse has been popularized lately to summarize the idea that the traditional business software providers’ business model is about to undergo a tectonic structural shift because artificial intelligence will change how work is performed, rendering applications and their subscription pricing models obsolete. In this telling, AI assistants or agents can reduce the need for humans to... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Operations & Supply Chain, Office of Revenue, AI & Technologies, Business & Technologies

You Bought the Software. Now What? Lessons on Post-Go-Live Success

Posted by Matthew Brown on 05 February 2026

Buying HR technology is a significant decision. It requires months of software provider reviews, internal alignment, business case development and implementation planning. When the contract is signed and the system goes live, it often feels like the hard part is over. In reality, the work that determines actual success is just beginning. Many organizations hold the misconception that... Read More

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

What’s In, What’s Out: 2026 Mindshifts for Forward-Thinking CROs

Posted by Barika Pace on 04 February 2026

Revenue leadership is under pressure. Pipeline predictability is eroding, seller productivity is stalling and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated noise is clouding decision-making. While boards demand consistent growth, the operational scaffolding beneath most revenue engines remains outdated, over-reliant on siloed KPIs, fragmented tech stacks and an overpromised customer relationship... Read More

Topics: sales engagement, Revenue Performance Management, Office of Revenue, Business & Technologies, Revenue Lifecycle Management

A Data Pantry is the Foundation of AI-Enabled Business Software

Posted by Robert Kugel on 04 February 2026

I have been using the term “data pantry” (somewhat tongue in cheek) to describe a curated, governed and readily accessible collection of enterprise data that business users can draw on to support the use of core business software. This includes ERP, CRM and supply chain management software, as well as essential business processes such as analytics, forecasting and planning. This form of data... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Analytics, Digital Business, digital finance, Generative AI, Customers and CX - Business & Technologies, Employees & HCM - Business & Technologies, Office of Revenue - Business Technologies, Supply Chain and Operations, AI & Machine Learning

Assessing Organizational Approaches to Data and Analytics

Posted by Matt Aslett on 03 February 2026

I previously stated that too many enterprises allow the IT department to be wholly responsible for data and analytics, with the risk that strategies become divorced from business objectives and KPIs. I also stated that a pragmatic approach to organizing and operating data, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives is essential to treating data as a business discipline. There are... Read More

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