ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

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

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

Becoming a Predictive Finance Department

Posted by Robert Kugel on 21 April 2026

By now it should be obvious that artificial Intelligence (AI) and agents in all of their forms are on the brink of changing how finance and accounting departments operate. The basic outlines are already in place, but it’s not clear how or how rapidly day-to-day operations will evolve, as well as (by definition) what surprises are in store. One of the most profound impacts of AI will be on the... Read More

Topics: Governance, Office of Finance, Analytics, Business Planning, digital finance, Generative AI, Data Intelligence, AI & Machine Learning

Agents and Process Intelligence Facilitate Digital Process Reengineering

Posted by Robert Kugel on 15 April 2026

If you’ve been around for more than a few years, watching some emerging trend in information technology can seem like coming full circle. Something new sounds a whole lot like something old. This may be true from one perspective, like looking down, but I’ve long thought that this progression is helical. That’s because, viewed sideways, we actually are at a higher level of capability, lower cost... Read More

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

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

The Growing Strategic Importance of Sales and Operations Planning

Posted by Robert Kugel on 26 March 2026

The growing strategic importance of sales and operations planning (S&OP) reflects the confluence of two major trends evolving outside of enterprise operations. One is the ongoing disintegration of the post-World War 2 liberal trade environment that began in the early 2010s and has accelerated since. The second is the increasing sophistication and approachability of S&OP software. These... Read More

Topics: Supply Chain Planning, Analytics, Business Planning, Operations & Supply Chain, Enterprise Resource Planning, supply chain management, Generative AI, AI and Machine Learning

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

Semantic Layers Provide Business Context for BI and AI Agents

Posted by Matt Aslett on 17 March 2026

As I previously described, context is everything for generative (GenAI) and agentic AI. Enterprises moved in large numbers to adopt foundational GenAI since its emergence into mainstream consciousness during 2023. As they did so, it quickly became clear that establishing trust in GenAI output would require enterprises to augment the realistic content generated by foundation models with real-world... Read More

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

Alation Provides AI Agents With Governed Knowledge

Posted by Matt Aslett on 06 March 2026

I have previously described the critical importance of context for enterprise adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and agentic AI. Establishing trust in the content generated by GenAI is facilitated by grounding the models with real-world context from enterprise content and data, while AI agents designed to make context-aware decisions and take automated actions based on... Read More

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

Alteryx Has a Unified Approach to Analytics and Data

Posted by Matt Aslett on 03 March 2026

Since Alteryx was acquired by Clearlake Capital and Insight Partners in March 2024, the company has taken the opportunity to revamp its product portfolio and refresh its executive team. Alteryx has always offered a combination of functionality that spans the data and analytics lifecycle, including data integration, data preparation and data quality, as well as the development of analytics... Read More

Topics: Operations, Analytics, Generative AI, AI & Technologies, AI & Machine Learning

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

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

Prophix Offers Large Enterprise Capabilities to Midsize Enterprises

Posted by Robert Kugel on 21 January 2026

Prophix One is a finance and accounting platform that provides enterprises a single point of entry and common authentication for financial applications. It uses in-memory cube technology to enable enterprises to handle complex planning tasks built on very large datasets to eliminate barriers to integrated business planning. The platform and its dedicated data store support the use of artificial... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Analytics, Business Planning, digital finance, Generative AI, Consolidate and Close Management, Business & Technologies, AI & Machine Learning

Challenges for CX Leadership Ahead

Posted by Keith Dawson on 11 December 2025

It’s clear that the contact center industry is experiencing a generational technological transformation. The effects of artificial intelligence (AI) and the automation it delivers have been extraordinary. But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. People with long memories can recall the disruptive effects of CTI, for example, which enabled screen pops and integration of... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Contact Center, Customer Experience Management, Generative AI, Customers and CX - Business & Technologies

SAP Business Data Cloud Addresses Intelligent Data Products

Posted by Matt Aslett on 11 December 2025

A little over two years ago, I observed that the pendulum of fashion in the data management sector was swinging away from multiple best-of-breed tools and toward consolidated platforms. Enterprise software portfolios take time to evolve, but the trend toward consolidation has clearly been evident in the product strategies of large data management providers since then. Many providers have combined... Read More

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

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