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IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Data Modernization Services Providers for Retail and Restaurants 2026 Vendor Assessment

Margot Juros, Dorothy Creamer — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC study examines the key strategies and capabilities of global services providers that have a significant focus on the specific needs of retailers and restaurants for data modernization. This assessment evaluates services providers' strengths, including breadth of data modernization offerings and depth of industry-specific frameworks and accelerators, understanding of and demonstrated expertise in solving the specific challenges inherent in running retail and restaurant operations and, ultimately, enabling providers to meet the fast-evolving business needs of this segment. In addition, this study evaluates services providers' strategic partner ecosystem, commitment to and demonstrated excellence in innovation and AI, and the level of customer support, employee training, and retention strategies.

"Retail and restaurant operations are facing a perfect storm of challenges in today's landscape from current macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties to shifting customer demands, supply chain volatility, and the increasing competitive pressure to apply AI and automation across the enterprise to drive efficiency, revenues, and next-level customer experiences," according to Margot Juros, research director, and Dorothy Creamer, senior research manager, IDC Retail Insights. "Data modernization, enabling clean, accessible, and real-time, AI-ready data is the key to successfully overcome these challenges and compete effectively in a swiftly evolving environment."

IDC PlanScape: Cybersecurity Preparations to Brace for Q-Day

Christopher Tozzi — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

"It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that post-quantum security requires fundamentally new cybersecurity teams and processes," says Christopher Tozzi, adjunct research advisor with IDC's IT Executive Programs (IEP). "But it's a gross understatement to assume that nothing needs to change. To prepare for Q-Day, enterprises need to rethink core elements of cybersecurity team structure and operations."

IDC ProductScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Service Parts Management, 2026

Aly Pinder — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The IDC ProductScape offers a comprehensive guide on the key functionalities of service parts management, featuring products from Baxter Planning, IBM, IFS, KloudGin, Oracle, PTC, Syncron, and Tavant. The status of each functionality is categorized as fully supported, partially supported, partner provided, road map, or not supported, aiding technology purchasers in quickly identifying which vendors align with their changing requirements.

IDC Survey Spotlight: What's the Difference in Agentic AI Maturity Between Native AI and Embedded AI Providers?

Frank Della Rosa — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey Spotlight presents results from IDC's January 2026 SaaS Provider Pulse Survey. It reveals that agentic AI adoption has entered a decisive phase. While most providers have moved beyond exploration, true differentiation emerges at the operationalization stage — where native AI strategies begin to outpace embedded approaches. The data signals a structural shift: agentic AI is no longer an enhancement layer but a core architectural decision shaping platform strategy, ecosystem positioning, and long-term competitive advantage. Providers that treat agentic AI as foundational infrastructure, not incremental functionality, will define the next generation of SaaS platforms.

Applying the Agentic Mesh for CX to Advertising: Orchestrating Branding and Performance Across the Entire Customer Experience in an AI Age

Roger Beharry Lall — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective explores the transformative role of agentic AI and agentic mesh architectures in customer experience (CX) and advertising. By enabling autonomous, interoperable agents to orchestrate complex workflows across departments, organizations can deliver seamless, personalized, and compliant customer journeys at scale. The document outlines key infrastructure requirements, adoption strategies, and maturity models, emphasizing the need for unified data, robust governance, and cross-functional collaboration to realize the full potential of agentic automation in modern adtech and CX operations.

Agentic AI is transforming customer experience and advertising by enabling interconnected, semiautonomous/autonomous agents to orchestrate complex, cross-functional workflows with minimal human intervention. Unlike traditional AI, agentic systems proactively resolve problems, unify data, and adapt in real time, supporting seamless campaign management, privacy compliance, and personalized engagement. Leading platforms are already embedding agentic mesh principles, driving the need for robust standards, governance, and infrastructure. As agent adoption accelerates, organizations must prepare for rapid proliferation, ensuring interoperability, risk management, and supervisory oversight. The agentic CX maturity model provides a road map from siloed operations to an autonomous, unified CX ecosystem. Success hinges on a strong data foundation, real-time integration, and clear protocols, enabling agents to deliver consistent, brand-aligned experiences across every customer touch point. Investing in agentic infrastructure and upskilling teams will be critical for brands seeking to leverage AI-driven advertising and CX at scale.

"Agentic AI is transforming advertising from siloed automation into a coordinated digital workforce. Competitive advantage will hinge on a brand's ability to unify infrastructure, data, and teams to deliver autonomous customer experiences at scale. In this reality, IDC's agentic mesh for CX framework is foundational for helping advertisers lead in the agentic era." — Roger Beharry Lall, research director, Advertising Technology and Agents, IDC

IDC PlanScape: AI-Powered Digital Operational Resilience and Cybersecurity for the Financial Services Industry

Maria Adele Di Comite — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This report explores how AI-powered solutions are transforming digital operational resilience and cybersecurity in banking in response to the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). It highlights the integration of AI across risk management, third-party oversight, resilience testing, incident reporting, and intelligence sharing, emphasizing AI’s role in proactive risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. The analysis underscores the strategic importance of AI adoption for banks to move beyond compliance and achieve robust, future-ready resilience frameworks.

Physical AI Infiltrates the Shop Floor: The Rise of Intelligent Manufacturing

Sarah Lee — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective explores how Physical AI is revolutionizing manufacturing by embedding intelligence directly into machines, robotics, and production processes. Drawing on insights from CES 2026 and IDC research, it highlights the shift toward edge-based, autonomous operations, emphasizing intelligent robotics, data infrastructure, and closed-loop optimization. The analysis offers strategic guidance for manufacturers to achieve measurable productivity, resilience, and efficiency gains through Physical AI on the shop floor.

"When intelligence moves from dashboards to machines, factories become self-correcting, adaptive, and autonomous. Is your shop floor ready for the era of Physical AI?" — Sarah Lee, research director, Manufacturing, AI Platforms and Technology, IDC.

To Be or Not to Be … Controlled: Architecture Design for Enterprises of the Agentic Era

Heather Hershey, Mickey North Rizza — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective explores why alignment, governance design, and architectural openness determine whether agentic AI becomes a durable enterprise capability or a constrained feature inside existing platforms. It invites leaders to step back from the surface-level discussion about tools and instead examine the design commitments that will shape long-term control, cost discipline, and market adaptability.

At its core, deployment of agentic AI is a structural choice about how your entire enterprise is designed (systems, process flows, people, etc.) and ultimate control over decision logic. Early data shows that many initiatives stall because organizations focus on model capability or cloud spend while overlooking the deeper architectural question. When intelligence is layered onto tightly coupled systems that were not built for coordinated orchestration, expectations outrun outcomes. The real debate is less about which model to deploy and more about how enterprise applications are structured to support portable authority, measurable value, and accountable execution.

"Agentic AI is an architectural commitment before it is a technology upgrade," says Heather Hershey, research director, AI-Enabled Digital Commerce at IDC. "When leaders treat agentic AI as a structural choice about the level of control orchestration required across the enterprise relative to the costs, they unlock the true transformational potential of the current zeitgeist. When the C-suite treats this as just another feature roll out, the ceiling on value is set long before the model is ever deployed."

"Agentic AI brings a new consideration to create and harvest more value for the enterprise, but the architecture is a consideration overall," says Mickey North Rizza, group vice president, Enterprise Software. "Taking the time to set the right strategy, select the technology partners, and committing to a technology-driven road map filled with value achieved throughout the journey will bring more for the enterprise as it walks through an AI digital transformation."

Cybersecurity: Time to Rethink Your Zero Trust Strategy?

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective discusses how zero trust cybersecurity has earned its place as an effective and widespread practice. Rather than allow unfettered access to data and applications once access is granted, zero trust demands that organizations never relax cybersecurity controls placed on persons and entities that access corporate resources.

Instead, identities are to be verified and reverified in real time, resources are only to be accessed on an as-needed basis, and traffic is to be monitored in real time for suspicious behavior patterns. In short, zero trust comprises measures that taken together are highly effective in protecting data and applications.

Cyberinsurance providers look favorably on organizations that have implemented zero trust strategies and tactics. To determine the level of implementation, assessments are required, whether performed by a third party or by the organization itself.

While some zero trust measures can be implemented at little cost, others carry a higher price tag. They must be carried out by skilled cybersecurity staff and might include sophisticated tools for identity and access management (IAM), as well as for AI-enabled microsegmentation. Zero trust should not be implemented with a "set it and forget it" mindset. Rather, many organizations can benefit from reassessing and rethinking their zero trust implementations, weighing their implementation across multiple vectors: digital transformation, cost, agility, compliance, and efficiency.

Doing so ensures that an organization gets the biggest bang for its cybersecurity buck, while maximizing protection within the limits of its business strategy and financial resources.

"Zero trust principles are widely implemented, but levels of implementation vary widely. No cybersecurity strategy can be completely effective while still permitting business operations to function at a cost that is not prohibitive. Savvy cybersecurity leaders will apply knowledge of which zero trust measures are most effective — which can be tightened and which need to be optimized — to improve both cybersecurity and cost-effectiveness," says Stanley B. Gibson, adjunct research advisor for IDC's Executive Programs (IEP).

IDC ProductScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Field Service Management Applications, 2026

Aly Pinder — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The IDC ProductScape offers a comprehensive guide on the key functionalities of field service management, featuring products from Atheer, IBM, IFS, KloudGin, Microsoft, Nomadia, Oracle, OverIT, Praxedo, PTC, Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow, ServicePower, Solvares Group, Syncron, Tavant, Zinier, and Zuper. The status of each functionality is categorized as fully supported, partially supported, partner provided, road map, or not supported, aiding technology purchasers in quickly identifying which vendors align with their changing requirements.