ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

The End of Passive IT Service Management

Posted by Jeff Orr on 26 May 2026

IT service management (ITSM) is at an inflection point. For two decades, ITSM platforms have operated as structured systems of record and workflow orchestration layers, capturing tickets, routing tasks and enforcing process consistency. That model assumed humans were the primary actors and automation was deterministic, limited and rule-based. That assumption no longer holds. Artificial... Read More

Topics: ITSM, Observability, AIOps, IT & Technologies, AI & Technologies, AI and Machine Learning, IT Management & Operations, Autonomous IT, AI-Driven Workflow

Teradata Advances Autonomous Knowledge Platform for Agentic AI

Posted by Mukesh Ranjan on 21 May 2026

A core challenge faced by enterprises due to the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and agentic AI is how to operationalize AI systems that rely on vast volumes of unstructured and multimodal data without compromising governance, scalability or performance. While early retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) experiments fuelled interest in vector databases, many organizations... Read More

Topics: Data Platforms, Generative AI, AI & Technologies, AI & Machine Learning

Buyer Beware: Choosing a PostgreSQL Database Provider

Posted by Matt Aslett on 20 May 2026

Most technological innovations associated with the 1980s are now more likely to be found in a museum than a home or data center. Video cassette recorders, portable cassette players, compact discs, camcorders and fax machines have mostly been relegated to the trash heap. Mainframes and personal computers remain in use today but are largely unrecognizable from their 1980s counterparts in terms of... Read More

Topics: Data Platforms, AI & Technologies

Oracle Addresses Combined AI and Data Platform Requirements

Posted by Matt Aslett on 13 May 2026

To mitigate cost and complexity, artificial intelligence (AI) and data initiatives must be aligned. Enterprises cannot afford fragmented approaches that duplicate effort or slow deployment, particularly as competitive pressure increases. Many providers have offered both AI platform and data platform capabilities for some time, but they have often addressed requirements with dedicated products... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data Platforms, AI & Technologies, AI & Machine Learning

Salesforce Tackles the Entire Agent Development Lifecycle

Posted by David Menninger on 05 May 2026

Agentic AI is rapidly emerging as the next phase of enterprise automation, moving beyond static workflows and copilots toward systems capable of autonomous reasoning, decision-making and action. Enterprises are increasingly experimenting with AI agents to augment customer service, IT operations and business processes, yet many struggle to operationalize these systems at scale. The challenge is no... Read More

Topics: Governance, Generative AI, AI & Technologies, AI & Machine Learning

The Benefits and Risks of OLTP-On-Lakehouse Data Platforms

Posted by Matt Aslett on 05 May 2026

The emergence of cloud computing has had an enormous impact on all segments of the IT industry, including data platforms. All providers of data platform products have enabled their products to be deployed in the cloud and/or consumed as cloud-hosted managed services. To date, the cloud has arguably had the largest impact on analytic data platforms, where cloud infrastructure led to the emergence... Read More

Topics: Data Platforms, Data Lakehouse, AI & Technologies

The AI Software Blueprint for the Autonomous Enterprise

Posted by Mark Smith on 29 April 2026

To achieve an autonomous enterprise, a strategy alone is not sufficient. Organizations need software architectures that can support artificial intelligence (AI) at full scale within defined governance and security boundaries. This must be foundational, not an afterthought. The architecture must be interconnected, orchestrated and policy-driven, operating across the entire enterprise. AI cannot... Read More

Topics: AI & Technologies

Domo Adds Context to Platform for Analytics and AI

Posted by Matt Aslett on 29 April 2026

I have recently written about the importance of context in relation to agentic artificial intelligence, including the growing use of Model Context Protocol to enable LLMs, agents and applications to communicate with data platforms, file systems and development and productivity tools, and the importance of semantic data modeling to provide agreed definitions that reflect the meaning of entities,... Read More

Topics: Operations, Analytics, Data Platforms, Generative AI, AI & Technologies

Microsoft Stretches Fabric to Operational Databases

Posted by Matt Aslett on 23 April 2026

I recently explained how providers addressing the full combination of artificial intelligence and data requirements through integrated AI and data platforms are increasingly attractive as enterprises look to accelerate initiatives and reduce costs and complexity. One example of a software provider that has combined AI and data capabilities is Microsoft with its Fabric data platform. First... Read More

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

Pricing AI and Software Value for Enterprises

Posted by Mark Smith on 20 April 2026

The software industry has entered one of its most consequential pricing and value inflection points since the shift to cloud computing. AI is not an incremental capability layered onto existing software; it is fundamentally redefining how software should create value and, in turn, how that value must be priced. The traditional model of seat-based subscription pricing was designed for systems that... Read More

Topics: Governance, ROI, AI & Technologies, Cost

Agentic Commerce: Engagement to AI Buyers

Posted by Mark Smith on 17 April 2026

Agentic commerce represents the next phase of digital commerce evolution, where AI agents powered by large language models (LLMs) mediate, decide and execute transactions on behalf of consumers and enterprises. The rapid adoption of generative AI platforms now reaching hundreds of millions to billions of monthly users has accelerated a fundamental shift from search-driven engagement to... Read More

Topics: AI & Technologies, AI Agents, Agent Commerce

The Value of Combined AI and Data Platforms

Posted by Matt Aslett on 15 April 2026

I have previously explained the critical importance of data to successful artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, including generative and agentic AI. While enterprises have demonstrated the value of AI through small-scale initiatives, scaling these efforts has highlighted the need to coordinate AI and data programs more effectively. Providers that can address the full combination of AI and... Read More

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

Energy Software Investments for AI Era

Posted by Mark Smith on 13 April 2026

This shift in operating model directly reshapes how energy enterprises prioritize software investments and platform architectures. This transformation is now visible in how energy enterprises invest in software. Fixation on prioritizing the modernization of ERP investments or rationalizing collaboration software is insufficient to gain the outcomes and efficiency required for the journey to the... Read More

Topics: Energy, AI & Technologies

The Autonomous Energy Enterprise

Posted by Mark Smith on 10 April 2026

The world’s population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, driving increased energy demand while accelerating the shift toward a more digital, diversified and technologically advanced energy system. Electrification is expanding, renewables are scaling and geopolitical pressures are reshaping supply chains. Oil and gas operators and power and utilities providers must simultaneously... Read More

Topics: Energy, AI & Technologies

SQL AI Functions Combine Old and New Approaches to Data Processing

Posted by Matt Aslett on 09 April 2026

I have previously written about the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) and agentic AI are having on the requirements for data platforms. AI and data platforms are intrinsically linked, with the latter providing the underlying data persistence and data processing capabilities that support model development and training, as well as the inferencing capabilities of intelligent operational... Read More

Topics: Data Platforms, Generative AI, AI & Technologies

Healthcare CRM Software Innovation with AI

Posted by Mark Smith on 30 March 2026

Healthcare organizations are increasingly investing in customer relationship management (CRM) technologies to support patient engagement, service operations and care coordination across complex healthcare ecosystems. As care delivery expands across hospitals, outpatient services, digital health platforms and virtual care channels, organizations must manage interactions across scheduling systems,... Read More

Topics: Healthcare, AI & Technologies

Healthcare CRM Software Transformation with AI

Posted by Mark Smith on 27 March 2026

The healthcare industry is increasingly modernizing its customer relationship management (CRM) platforms and software investments to support patient engagement, care coordination and service operations. As care delivery expands across hospitals, outpatient services, digital health and payer-provider ecosystems, managing patient relationships across fragmented systems has become more complex.... Read More

Topics: Healthcare, AI & Technologies

The Potential Benefits and Challenges of Vibe Analytics

Posted by Matt Aslett on 25 March 2026

I previously wrote about the potential for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to change the face of analytics and facilitate data literacy and data democratization by enabling business users without specialist analytic skills to discover and analyze data. At the time of writing, GenAI-based interfaces were already being adopted by business intelligence (BI) software providers to... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data Platforms, Generative AI, AI & Technologies, AI & Machine Learning

Agentic Orchestration: A Governance-First Reference Enterprise Architecture

Posted by Mark Smith on 23 March 2026

As established in my foundational perspective on AI Orchestration, the defining enterprise challenge is no longer model performance but the design of a control plane that governs multi-agent systems, tool access, policy enforcement, and cross-platform interoperability. The realization of Agentic AI depends on the emergence of AI agents as interoperable components that combine deterministic logic... Read More

Topics: AI & Technologies, AgenticAI, Agent Orchestration

AI Orchestration: Agentic Complexity for Enterprises

Posted by Mark Smith on 20 March 2026

The software economy has reached its greatest inflection point since the dawn of the Internet. Enterprise software now operates across dynamic cloud environments, with release cycles accelerating to weekly or even daily in a continuous delivery model. Software providers have evolved into platform ecosystems, seamlessly integrating applications and data while unlocking new opportunities through... Read More

Topics: Orchestration, AI & Technologies