TechTarget

In this week's TechTarget Bulletin, we highlight six stories across our network that provide an AI reality check for business technology buyers. These articles explore the enterprise dangers of AI slop, the various challenges of using AI for procurement and striking a balance between human and AI collaboration. Check out these stories and let us know what you think about AI hype vs. reality. #AIhype #AIstrategy #AIRealityCheck #AIslop #AIleadership

I think we can all agree on IT's main character in 2026: Data. We've put together this collection of articles highlighting everything you can expect to see on the data technologies horizon for the coming year. #datatechnologies #databackup TechTarget https://lnkd.in/g9GDDRwj

As AI investments continue to rise, which ones offer the best ROI? 💰 These use cases are a good place to start: ✔️ Customer service automation. ✔️ CX personalization. ✔️ Predictive maintenance. ✔️ Inventory management. ✍️ Kathleen Richards lays out the top 10 use cases where AI is yielding ROI in her latest article. #AI #AIstrategy #AIinvestments #Automation #AutomationStrategy #WorkforceAutomation #ITops #IToperations

From 191 in 2023, to 700 in 2024. 📈 The growth in AI-related legislation is evidence of the need and desire to regulate this technology, says AI & emerging tech editor Everett Bishop. It's just one stat, but a snapshot of a bigger trend. See what he's talking about and more AI trends at the link below ⬇️ #IToutlook2026 #AIlegislation #AItrends #AIstrategy #GenerativeAI #AIregulations

Who better to learn how to improve CX from than customer themselves? 🤝 Whether contact center reps hear from customers over phone, text, email, chat or any other channel, this first-hand data is essential. Once the data is gathered, this is where conversation analytics come into play. These customer interaction analytics use AI to turn conversations into practical business insights for improved CX, sales and efficiency. This means more measurable insights and qualitative metrics that can transform CX. ✍️ In her latest, Beth Schultz explains how to get started with customer interaction analytics. #CustomerInteraction #CustomerAnalytics #CustomerExperience #SalesEfficiency #ConversationAnalytics #ContactCenter

GenAI: As revolutionary as electricity? 💡⚡ This year, CIOs need to stop putting a value on AI, according to IT strategy editor Timothy Murphy, because it's the new standard we'll all be working with. 👇 Catch the full conversation with Tim and Informa TechTarget's Sabrina Polin, plus more IT strategy outlooks for 2026, at the link below. #IToutlook2026 #ITstrategy #ITtrends #AIstrategy #AItrends #CIO #CIOstrategy #GenerativeAI

I sat down with Sabrina Polin to share some key IT strategy trends for 2026: Moving beyond AI pilots, retaining scarce talent and making a business case for sustainability. Check it out! #ITStrategy #CIO #TechTrends TechTarget https://lnkd.in/gBEHYeYm

🔃 We've all heard how automating tasks can increase employee efficiency and save time for more important tasks. But there are a lot of menial tasks out there. So, where do you start? ✔️ Some tasks with high ROI: Password resets, software updates and automated server cleanup. ✔️ Some tasks with medium ROI: Permissions updates, compliance checks and on-call notification routing. ✔️ Some tasks with lower ROI: Service validation, capacity monitoring and inventory management updates. ✍️ In this guide, Damon Garn explores which IT ops tasks deliver the biggest automation payoff, ranked as high-, medium- and low-ROI automations across security, ops and support. #ITops #IToperations #AutomationStrategy #TaskAutomation #ProductivityStrategy #ITstrategy

I asked a community college CIO about his role. Pro tip from him: CIOs should remove all their personal admin access from workplace tech. Otherwise, there's no time for strategy -- just fixing people's computers. In this interview, Luke VanWingerden, CIO of Tri-County Technical College, described his daily activities and shared the following tips for CIOs: - Eliminate personal admin access to stay focused on IT strategy. - Prioritize relationship-building by being visible. - Address core system weaknesses before chasing new tools. - Be pragmatic about AI adoption. - Push current vendors to release effective AI features. - Model healthy work-life boundaries. Check out the full story below: https://lnkd.in/eqNq2yGF #ITStrategy #CIO #EdTech TechTarget

Tape backup isn't going anywhere, so stop asking... please. 📼 It's not the most glamorous or exciting backup method, but it's reliable, cost-effective, offline and timeless, says Erin Sullivan, data technologies editor, in a conversation with Informa TechTarget's Sabrina Polin. Catch everything Erin has to say about the state of data backup in 2026, including, of course, AI's impact, at the link below. 👇 #IToutlook2026 #DataBackup #TapeBackup #DataManagement #ITtrends #DataTrends