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2026 Software Engineering Challenges: AI and the Escalating Complexity of Cloud‑Native Software Delivery

George Mironescu — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation examines the key engineering challenges facing software delivery teams in 2026, drawing insights from over 1,000 decision-makers surveyed between November 2025 and January 2026 under IDC's AI and Cloud-Native Software Delivery Survey.

The presentation provides insights into the most pressing areas affecting the software engineering organization and exposes the attitudes of various roles involved in shipping software, including application development, solution architecture, infrastructure and platform engineering, security, and IT leadership.

The presentation informs senior IT leaders about the most important tactical and strategic considerations in relation to these challenges and the trends shaping the agenda in 2026 and beyond.

Tech Buyer Survey Spotlight: How Are Manufacturers Allocating Their IT Budgets?

Gunjan Bassi — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This Tech Buyer Survey Spotlight explores IT spending budgets among manufacturers and identifies the areas where they expect the most significant increases in 2026. The data presented is from IDC's Future Enterprise Resiliency & Spending (FERS) Survey, Wave 10, January 2026.

From Top Down to Network Based: The Changing Structure of Information Sharing in the Shop Floor

Lorenzo Veronesi — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective shares an overview of modern manufacturers that are moving beyond rigid ISA-95 hierarchies toward flexible multidimensional data fabrics. While traditional models provide stability, they often suffer from "architectural drag" that slows decision-making and limits innovation. By dissolving data silos, organizations can leverage AI, cloud analytics, and real-time visibility to drive strategic factory modernization and handle complex production demands.

"Transitioning from rigid, hierarchical ISA-95 structures to flexible, multidimensional data fabrics is essential for modern manufacturers seeking to avoid "architectural drag." By dissolving traditional silos, organizations can achieve real-time visibility and foster innovation," said Lorenzo Veronesi, associate research director, IDC Manufacturing Insights.

How Kore.ai Is building the Next Generation of AI Agents in Partnership with Amazon Web Services?

Mikhail Jaura, Dr. William Lee — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective explores how Kore.ai has transformed from a conversational AI provider into a comprehensive full-stack AI agent platform. The analysis details how Kore.ai now delivers scalable, secure, and flexible solutions that automate work, service, and process domains for enterprises worldwide. By leveraging deep technical integrations, strategic partnerships, and an enterprise-grade agent marketplace, Kore.ai empowers organizations to accelerate AI adoption, strengthen governance, and achieve operational efficiency. The document highlights how Kore.ai addresses critical challenges in scalability, compliance, and deployment across diverse IT environments, positioning itself as a strategic enabler for enterprise digital transformation.

"In the race to operationalize AI at scale, the true differentiator is not just technology, it is the ability to orchestrate secure, modular, and cloud-agnostic AI agents that transcend vendor lock-in and regulatory hurdles. Kore.ai's evolution with AWS signals a future in which enterprises can deploy intelligent automation anywhere, without compromise," says Mikhail Jaura, senior research analyst, IDC.

Key Software Delivery Challenges and Pain Points in 2026: AI Further Snarls Existing Complexity of Cloud-Native Landscape

George Mironescu — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective looks into the challenges and pain points in 2026 for software delivery, which faces escalating complexity as AI integration compounds existing cloud-native and security challenges. Organizations must navigate technical debt, legacy systems, skills gaps, and regulatory demands while rapidly productizing AI under intense leadership pressure.

"Success hinges on pragmatic modernization of data and application infrastructure, embedding security throughout the life cycle, and clear-eyed vendor engagement," said George Mironescu, associate research director, Software Development, Software Delivery, Software Engineering at IDC.

Liability Dwells in Your Payer Architecture; A Deep Dive on "Consent-to-Share-Data"

Jeff Rivkin — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective shares an outlook on the evolving consent landscape, the architectural and operational challenges payers face, and recommendations for technology buyers and partners.

Consent-to-share is foundational to a data sharing strategy within the healthcare interoperability ecosystem.

The trajectory from meaningful use to modern interoperability mandates reveals a recurring pattern: rapid enablement of data exchange followed by delayed industry standardization of controls.

For payers, the absence of foundational consent standards shifts complexity downstream to them, requiring customized governance overlays, manual audits, and vendor-specific controls. The healthcare system has "opened the barn door" with large-scale data exchange but failed to implement commensurate control structures. Time is running out: foundational controls cannot be retrofitted once data is already flowing at scale.

Payers must proactively invest in agile, defensible consent infrastructure to preserve trust, ensure compliance, and prevent erosion of legitimate access to clinical data by investing in robust architecture, operational processes, and governance, aiming to meet regulatory requirements, building member trust, and enabling secure, efficient data exchange.

"Regulators and courts no longer care what you intended. They care what your systems allow…. Liability lives in architecture," says Jeff Rivkin, research director of Payer IT Strategies, IDC.

2026 Worldwide Manufacturing IT Outlook: Spending Priorities, AI, and Infrastructure Modernization

Sarah Lee — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Tech Buyer Presentation is based upon results from IDC's Future Enterprise Resiliency and Spending (FERS) Survey, Wave 8, which surveyed over 95 organizations worldwide across discrete and process manufacturing industries with 500+ employees.

This presentation offers a comprehensive understanding of current trends, challenges, and opportunities facing manufacturing organizations globally. The research dives into IT spending plans for 2026, AI and agent adoption, infrastructure, including cloud marketplaces, and the implications of AI for business intelligence and analysis.

The data collected through this survey can be used by manufacturing leaders, technology vendors, consultants, and policymakers to benchmark organizational performance and strategic priorities against industry peers; inform investment decisions in digital transformation, automation, AI, and infrastructure modernization; identify emerging risks and opportunities; and guide the development of new products, services, and business models through technology.

AT&T, AWS, and Amazon Leo Deepen Strategic Collaboration Across Cloud, Fiber, and Satellite Domains

Peter Chahal, Ahmad Latif Ali, Simon Baker — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

AT&T's expanded collaboration with AWS and Amazon Leo marks an important milestone in the telecommunications industry's shift toward hybrid, cloud‑centric operational models. The scale of AT&T's planned migration, moving broad IT estates onto AWS Regions and Outposts, signals growing confidence in cloud‑managed infrastructure for mission‑critical telco workloads and reflects an AI‑driven approach to migration. By combining its high‑capacity fiber with AWS cloud and AI capabilities and integrating Amazon Leo satellite connectivity, AT&T is building a more adaptable and resilient network architecture that can serve a wider geographic footprint. IDC views this partnership not only as a validation of AWS' hybrid cloud strategy but also as a reference model for telecom operators modernizing legacy systems while maintaining necessary on‑premises control.

IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Manufacturing AI-Enabled Asset-Intensive Enterprise Asset Management Applications 2026 Vendor Assessment

Sarah Lee, Gunjan Bassi, Brian O'Rourke — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC study assesses primary vendors of AI-enabled enterprise asset management (EAM) applications for manufacturing, highlighting the shift toward cloud-based, intelligent platforms that integrate predictive, generative, and agentic AI. The document evaluates vendors on their innovation, industry relevance, and ability to address operational, compliance, and sustainability challenges, providing guidance for manufacturers seeking strategic, future-ready EAM solutions that optimize asset performance, reliability, and business outcomes in increasingly complex environments.

"AI is reshaping enterprise asset management from a maintenance-focused system into a strategic capability, raising important questions about how effectively manufacturers can convert asset data into resilience, sustainability, and competitive advantage," says Sarah Lee, research director, IDC Manufacturing Insights.

"Manufacturers that integrate AI-driven insights into asset planning, supply continuity, and workforce productivity will accelerate their journey toward digital industrial maturity. As AI reshapes EAM, the focus is shifting from system efficiency to intelligent coordination, where assets, data, and decisions align to fuel the next wave of industrial innovation," says Gunjan Bassi, research manager, IDC Manufacturing Insights.

IDC MaturityScape: Higher Education Smart Campus 2.0

Matthew Leger, Ruthbea Yesner, Ravikant Sharma — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC MaturityScape provides an update to IDC MaturityScape: Smart Campus 1.0 (IDC #CEMA42468517, April 2017), detailing its stages, dimensions, and sub-dimensions.

"IDC's Smart Campus Maturity Model has remained relevant since its creation in 2017, but shifting market realities and the development of emerging technologies have redefined what a smart campus is," states Matthew Leger, senior research manager, Worldwide Education and EdTech Digital Strategies at IDC. "This update provides a renewed framework of steps and actions for colleges and universities to consider as they build their smart campus programs."