ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

As I noted in the 2024 Buyers Guide for Operational Data Platforms, intelligent applications powered by artificial intelligence have impacted the requirements for operational data platforms. These applications, infused with contextually relevant recommendations, predictions and forecasting, are driven by machine learning and generative AI.

Artificial intelligence-enabled business applications have advanced considerably over the past year as software providers have added a steady stream of capabilities. This includes customer facing, financial, supply chain and workforce software. ISG Research asserts that by 2027, almost all providers of business applications will use some form of generative AI to enhance capabilities and functionality to remain competitive.

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) governance has emerged as a critical ingredient for successful AI deployments. It helps build trust in the results of AI models, it helps ensure compliance with regulations and it is necessary to meet internal governance requirements. Effective AI governance must encompass various dimensions, including data privacy, model drift, hallucinations, toxicity and perhaps most importantly, bias. Unfortunately, we expect...

As I recently noted, the term “data intelligence” has been used by multiple providers across analytics and data for several years and is becoming more widespread as software providers respond to the need to provide enterprises with a holistic view of data production and consumption. I assert that through 2027, three-quarters of enterprises will be engaged in data intelligence initiatives to increase trust in their data by leveraging metadata to understand how, when and where data is used in...

I previously wrote about data mesh as a cultural and organizational approach to distributed data processing. Data mesh has four key principles—domain-oriented ownership, data as a product, self-serve data infrastructure and federated governance—each of which is being widely adopted. I assert that by 2027, more than 6 in 10 enterprises will adopt technologies to facilitate the delivery of data as a product as they adapt their cultural and organizational approaches to data ownership in the...

As I’ve written recently, artificial intelligence governance is a concern for many enterprises. In our recent ISG Market Lens study on generative AI, 39% of participants cited data privacy and security among the biggest inhibitors to adopting AI. Nearly a third (32%) identified performance and quality (e.g., erroneous results), and an equal amount (32%) mentioned legal risk.

As I explained in our recent Buyers Guide for Data Platforms, the popularization of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has had a significant impact on the requirements for data platforms in the last 18 months. While there is an ongoing need for data platforms to support data warehousing workloads involving analytic reports and dashboards, there is increasing demand for analytic data platform providers to add dedicated functionality for data engineering, including the development,...

The topic of skills is not new to the world of talent management or development, making many appearances in the talent conversation over the years. Recently, it has been a permanent fixture in the discussion, focusing on the total integration of skills across all aspects of the employee experience. The term “skills economy” describes the evolution of how value is assigned in the workplace and employment, emphasizing the importance of individual skills over traditional job credentials.

It is unfortunate that business-focused digital communications are sold under three different headings: Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS), Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS). (And that just counts the cloud options—let us acknowledge the huge, continuing, installed base on premises.) These are terrible ways to describe complex, varied and overlapping offerings. What distinguishes them are:

The final of the men’s 100 meters at the Paris Olympics this summer was a reminder that being successful requires not just being fast but performing at the right time. Being fast is obviously a prerequisite for participating in an Olympic 100-meter final, and all the competitors finished the race in under 10 seconds, with just 0.12 seconds separating the first man from the last. While all the athletes were fast, what separated the winner of the gold medal—USA’s Noah Lyles—was execution. He was ...