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Over the course of the past year, there were indications that the restructuring could be more extensive than originally planned. In August 2024, SAP spoke of 9,000 to 10,000 jobs that would be affected by the restructuring. Most of these would involve voluntary programs and internal retraining measures, it said. The program should therefore be completed in early 2025 and cost around three billion euros. In absolute terms, SAP reported a slight increase in personnel numbers for 2024. At the end of 2023, the company still employed a good 106,000 people worldwide, but by the end of 2024, this figure had risen to over 107,000. Interesting side note: While areas such as cloud and software, research and development, services, and others increased their workforce slightly, SAP — unlike Salesforce — cut back on personnel in sales and marketing. At the end of last year, this department employed around 750 fewer people than a year earlier. source

IT service and operations teams increasingly benefit from the enrichment of their work systems with modern technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) reduces toil, identifies important information, summarizes information, and makes recommendations, enabling IT organizations to focus their critical skills more effectively. However, the data collected during this work is frequently underutilized or overlooked once its immediate purpose is complete. Transactional data records used by IT management tools have two distinct phases of value. First, a data object is created to describe and categorize the scenario and to manage a resolution to completion. Some familiar examples of the “tickets” created in such scenarios are detected infrastructure events, incidents, and change requests. Once the work is completed, there is a second, extended value phase. The ticket data stored about the work becomes a small component of a large, aggregated set of information. Over weeks and months, organizations accumulate thousands or even millions of these transactional records. The result is a data set with vast potential to provide valuable information about the people, processes, and systems involved in day-to-day activities. Collectively, this information is a rich resource for organizational improvement, enabling intelligent decisions, informed strategies, and accurate answers to inquiries. The data analysis bottleneck Unlocking the value within this data has long been a specialist skill, requiring dedicated reporting tools and a knowledge of complicated database structures. This challenge creates a bottleneck in many organizations, with the demand for fast information often exceeding the capacity of reporting teams to provide it. Simply increasing the number of people dedicated to data analysis does not usually solve the problem. Many organizations have experienced an induced demand effect, with the visible benefits of effective data analytics leading more people to want to consume those analytical services. The more successful reporting teams are in delivering valuable insights, the more the demand increases on the time and skills of reporting teams! Unlocking and extending the value in IT data However, just as AI has enabled optimization of the active phase of a data record’s life, the technology is now transforming this secondary phase. As one of the agentic AI assistants in the BMC Helix platform, BMC HelixGPT Insight Finder, enables any consumer of operational data to gain deep and broad insights from large datasets simply by conversing with the assistant. This practical use of generative AI enables employees to fulfill their own data needs, rather than joining the back of the work queue of a specialist data analysis team. BMC HelixGPT Insight Finder allows consumers simply to express the information they need in plain language. The fine-tuned agentic AI assistant translates requests into the data queries required to retrieve appropriate information, then presents the information to the user via visualizations. This AI assistant easily combines multiple data sources into structured insights, reducing the need for complex query building. The conversation can also continue beyond the first response. On receipt of the initial presentation of data, the user can ask for deeper analysis, clarifications, or secondary queries. These secondary insights are gained instantly without needing to join the back of the queue to access the reporting team once more. The transformative value of AI The skills of expert data analysis teams are too valuable to be used in repetitive reporting work. As enterprises and large organizations continue seeking ways to increase the value of their data through new technologies, generative AI is taking center stage. Providing enterprise teams with an AI-driven facility to fulfill most reporting needs liberates expert data analysts from routine request fulfillment. Solutions like the BMC HelixGPT Insight Finder make everyone in the enterprise a data expert and enable enterprises to deliver differentiating and transformational value from the vast storage of data collected daily. Visit here to discover how agentic AI can transform your enterprise data into a proactive force that improves business results in your organization or contact BMC. source

Overview Jan Olesen – Global Head of Digital Business Solutions at Indorama Ventures – shares how artificial intelligence (AI) is optimising their manufacturing business, his approach to selecting solutions and vendors that are the best fit for him, and more. Register Now source

Business leaders around the world believe it is important to invest in IT and technology, and globally, 69% of business execs believe it is necessary for their organizations to increase investments in IT to maintain competitiveness.  But even there, Europe lags far behind the US. Less than two thirds (64%) of European business leaders, fewer than the global average, are concerned that their organization is investing too little. In the US, however, where there is a stronger willingness to invest in IT when compared globally, 84% percent of business leaders are concerned about their organization’s investment power.  Caroline Segerstéen Runervik, Nordic head at Capgemini, says in a comment that the lower investment rate and continued challenges with recruiting the right skills in IT and technology pose major challenges for European companies to maintain their competitiveness globally.  source

Centralized FinOps. In a centralized model, a single team or department is responsible for managing cloud costs across the entire organization. This approach provides consistency and centralized control, making it easier to enforce policies and standards. However, it may lack the flexibility to address the specific needs of individual business units.  Federated FinOps. A federated model, also known as autonomous FinOps, allows individual business units or departments to manage their own cloud costs. This approach provides greater agility and customization, enabling teams to develop cost optimization strategies tailored to their unique requirements. While federated FinOps offers flexibility, it requires strong governance to ensure alignment with overall organizational goals.   Transitioning to a federated FinOps model can offer significant benefits in terms of agility and customization, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Here are some of the key challenges organizations might face:  Governance and compliance. In a federated model, different business units or departments manage their own cloud costs. This decentralization can lead to inconsistencies in governance and compliance. Ensuring that all units adhere to organizational policies and regulatory requirements can be challenging.  Visibility and transparency. Achieving a unified view of cloud spending across the organization can be difficult in a federated model. Each unit may use different tools and processes for cost management, making it hard to consolidate data and gain comprehensive insights into overall cloud expenditures.  Resource allocation and optimization. Without centralized control, it can be challenging to ensure optimal resource allocation and cost optimization. Different units may have varying levels of expertise and may not always follow best practices for cost management, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs.  Collaboration and communication. Effective collaboration and communication between different units are crucial for the success of a federated FinOps model. However, silos can develop, and units may not share information or collaborate effectively, hindering the overall efficiency of the FinOps strategy.  Skill gaps and training. Ensuring that all units have the necessary skills and knowledge to manage their own cloud costs can be challenging. Continuous training and upskilling are required to keep pace with the evolving cloud landscape and FinOps best practices.  Tooling and integration. Different units may use different tools for cost management, leading to integration challenges. Ensuring that these tools work seamlessly together and provide accurate and consistent data can be a significant hurdle.   Addressing these challenges requires a well-defined strategy that includes strong governance frameworks, effective communication channels, continuous training programs and robust tooling and integration solutions. By tackling these challenges head-on, organizations can successfully transition to a federated FinOps model and reap its benefits.   3 popular cloud strategies: Cloud First, Cloud Smart and Cloud Power Play   Navigating the digital transformation journey can be complex, but understanding different cloud strategies can help organizations make informed decisions. Let’s dive into three popular strategies: Cloud First, Cloud Smart and Cloud Power Play, along with their pros, cons and real-world examples.   source

00:00 Hi everyone, and thanks for joining us for the 2025 State of the CIO survey results. It’s actually the 24th year that we’ve done the state of the CIO survey, and it’s wonderful to have this opportunity for this exclusive discussion, which is presented by CIO.com and the IDC CIO Executive Council. I’m really happy today to be joined by my colleague, Zach Miller, who is executive director of the IDC CIO Executive Council, as well as two CEC member panelists, Devon Valencia, who’s CIO at CareSource and Satya Jayadev, who’s VP and CIO at Skyworks Solutions. So I want to hear a little bit from each of them to tell us a little bit about what they do and their background. So why don’t we start with you? Zach,Thank you, John. Pleasure to be here today. As John mentioned, I work with the CIO Executive Council, have the opportunity to work with folks like Devon and Satya and CIOs from across the United States and Canada and bring them together to be able to share best practices with one another, as well as work closely with our IDC analystsHere in the US, and really enjoy the opportunity I have to hear about all the innovation that’s occurring across the companies that we work with. Yeah, it’s a great position, enviable position, Satya, tell us about yourself. This is the Jeopardy part. We say, tell us about yourself.Nice to meet you all. I’m, you know, Satya Jayadev, I’m the CIO for Skyworks solutions. Skyworks is a high performance analog semiconductor organization.Whenever you hear about wireless connectivity or 5g we probably have a product in there.So we operate in many different industries. Our products are powering the wireless revolution, as we call it. It is, it is in the aerospacein in the cancer industry, in the infrastructure, all the way to the wearables market, wherever you see 5g or wireless connectivity. We have a product in there. Very good. Thanks, Satya and Devon. First. Congratulations, Devon, in Dayton, Ohio, Ohio State University national champions in the buckeyes in the first 12 game playoffs. That’s quite, quite a thing. So Devon, tell us about your role. Thanks, Chris, and thanks for having me. Similar to Satya, I’m the Chief Information Officer at care source. So care source is a $13 billion managed care organization. So what does that mean? That means we do health insurance,and we are located in Dayton, Ohio. We are fast growing. I joined care source about five years ago, going on six. We were in four states when I joined. We’re now in 14, and so fast growing and we serve predominantly government, business, meaning healthcare coverage that comes from state agencies and CMS so Medicaid, Medicare,marketplace plans and then veterans, families and such. So excited to be here and appreciate the CEC and all the research you all do to help us do our jobs. Great. Thanks. Thank you, Devon. So before we go into the questions for the panelists, I’m gonna be walking you through a few slides from the survey. Really, this is just to get you acquainted with it. If you’ve not had any experience with the state of the CIO survey. It’s a big survey. It’s over 1000 respondents. Heads of it, most of them have the CIO title, but there are a variety of other titles in there as well. The whole goal behind this research is to focus on how the role is changing. What are the priorities for CIOs today? What are some of the challenges they’re facing, and some of the technology projects and initiatives that are underway, and we’ll be talking about those things as we go throughout our presentation today. One of the nice things is we’re always asking in our surveys at Foundry [email protected] budgets, so over the next 12 months, what’s your expectation? And the good news in this research, as well as most of the research that we’re seeing recently, is budgets are going to be going up in the next 12 months, so that we can see that almost two thirds of the respondents said they expect their IT budget to increase in the next 12 months. And we asked folks Why, what’s driving those budget increases? And I won’t go through all that. I know that CEC members will be getting the full research results, but what I wanted to point out here is the number one answer is additional investments in AI and machine learning and other AI enriched products and services. So both internal AI initiatives as well as technology that’s being acquired that’s AI enriched. So that really is the first area where I wanted to spend a little bit.The time focusing on with the three of you I’d love to hear and Devon, let’s start with you on this. What is your current approach to AI, I mean, we’re hearing so much about it. Your organization has had a fair amount of experience with it, I know. But what’s the current approach? What are you hoping to achieve, and what kind of lessons have you learned along the way?Yeah, thanks for asking. So AI is obviously top of mind for everybody, for everyone’s C suite, for every organization, certainly our board of directors, I think for for us in technology, AI has been around for a very long time. We’ve been I mean, my organization, lots of organizations, been working with some version of AI, whether it’s bots or modeling or all sorts of things, for years and years, I think what we’re seeing is two things. One, it’s consumer oriented now, so that that average person can touch AI with generative AI and ChatGPT as an example, and so you’re seeing it more in the news. But I actually think we’re at a pivot point here, and we’re having a lot of conversations with our board of directors and our C suite that we’re kind of

But Ezell also expects CIOs to now wade into the political arena. Political issues facing CIOs include cybersecurity, AI, cloud computing, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), he says. The Trump administration has moved to end DEI programs in the federal government. “The role of agency CIOs has changed dramatically in recent years,” the Ezell memo says. “No longer the station of impartial and apolitical technocrats, the modern agency CIO role demands policy-making and policy-determining capabilities across a range of controversial political topics.” Open to unqualified candidates One longtime government IT expert called the reclassification a terrible idea. Allowing CIOs to be political appointees opens the job to people who don’t understand US laws governing federal IT systems and to those who don’t have IT backgrounds, says John Weiler, CEO and CIO of the IT Acquisition Advisory Council, an organization created by Congress in 2007 to advise the US government on IT spending. source

Delivering efficient and intuitive service management is not just a convenience, it’s a necessity. IT executives are seeking solutions that improve how employees interact with IT and enterprise services. From productivity tools to self-service capabilities, new AI-powered solutions promise to deliver better user experiences, boost productivity, and improve overall business outcomes. The evolution of service management Service management has come a long way from its roots in basic ticketing systems and manual processes. Employees often faced slow resolution times and limited access to information, which hindered productivity. Over time, advancements like knowledge bases, workflow automation, and primitive chatbots improved service delivery but fell short of meeting the demands of a modern, digital workforce. Generative AI changes everything. This technology enables conversational interfaces that provide employees with immediate access to information, recommended actions, and insights, without the need for tedious searches or long waits. Employees are now able to engage with IT systems naturally and efficiently, making service interactions faster and more productive. The future holds even greater potential. AI-powered solutions are evolving to anticipate employee needs, perform tasks autonomously, and deliver more personalized, human-like interactions. These advancements are reshaping the way organizations approach service management, setting a new standard for efficiency and satisfaction. Empowering employees with conversational AI One such solution, BMC HelixGPT Employee Navigator, uses agentic AI to transform how employees interact with IT and enterprise services. HelixGPT Employee Navigator combines cutting-edge technology with user-centric design to improve employee self-service experiences, increase agent productivity, and deliver better outcomes. Using natural language processing (NLP) and a conversational user interface (UI), BMC HelixGPT Employee Navigator enables employees to interact with enterprise service tools as easily as speaking with a colleague. The technology delivers: Enterprise-wide knowledge access: BMC HelixGPT consolidates information from diverse sources, including knowledge bases, internal platforms, and third-party tools. Whether an employee needs a concise summary of an HR policy in SharePoint or a VPN troubleshooting guide from the service desk, HelixGPT delivers accurate and actionable insights in seconds. Timely resolutions: The platform’s ability to interpret intent and provide precise answers speeds up request fulfillment, so employees can focus on high-value tasks rather than navigating support systems. Automated escalations: For unresolved queries, BMC HelixGPT facilitates targeted escalations with tickets automatically routed to appropriate teams, ensuring prompt and effective support. This transformative approach enhances productivity and fosters more self-service, reducing dependency and workload on IT and service desk teams. Revolutionizing agent productivity BMC HelixGPT also equips agents to resolve issues faster and more accurately with AI-driven tools such as: Comprehensive visibility: Through a shared ticket console, agents access a unified view of similar incidents, outage records, and relevant knowledge articles. This holistic perspective enables informed decision-making and efficient problem resolution. Agent assist functionality: HelixGPT summarizes conversations and compiles historical data, giving agents instant context for ongoing issues. This eliminates redundant data gathering and accelerates resolution times. Advanced root cause analysis: AI-powered tools analyze service models and incident patterns, offering suggestions for root causes and preventive measures. After incident resolution, HelixGPT generates relevant summaries and knowledge articles, further enhancing organizational learning. With these capabilities, agents spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time delivering exceptional support and working on more strategic initiatives. Driving organizational efficiency and satisfaction The benefits of BMC HelixGPT extend beyond individual interactions. By streamlining service management, enterprise support teams achieve operational efficiency while enhancing employee satisfaction, along with: Faster turnaround times: Self-service options and automated workflows reduce the time taken to resolve issues. Employees get the help they need when they need it, eliminating unnecessary delays. Cost savings: By minimizing the reliance on IT support and automating routine tasks, organizations can allocate resources more effectively. Improved employee experiences: A user-friendly interface and intuitive interactions create a positive impression, fostering trust and engagement among employees. Scalability across departments: BMC HelixGPT’s wide range of services caters to IT, human resources, finance, and beyond, ensuring all departments benefit from its transformative capabilities. The future of service management: Agentic AI multiplies human productivity The next phase in service management involves agentic AI agents that mimic human interactions. These agents will analyze user intent, draft solutions in real-time, and execute complex workflows autonomously. BMC envisions a future where these agents act as digital counterparts, offering the same expertise and reliability as a seasoned professional. Redefining enterprise IT possibilities BMC HelixGPT represents a shift in service management, combining conversational AI with powerful automation. By empowering employees and enhancing agent efficiency, it drives productivity and satisfaction across the enterprise. For IT executives seeking to future-proof their organizations, BMC HelixGPT offers a glimpse into the potential of agentic AI. The question is no longer whether enterprises should adopt AI-driven service management, but how quickly they can embrace this transformative technology. To see how BMC Helix can help you transform enterprise IT work with agentic AI, visit here for more information or contact BMC. source