Expect to use seven different providers for data management | Computer Weekly

"A survey from Wakefield Research for Informatica has found that organisations expect to partner with seven tech providers to support their data management priorities in 2026. Along with having to organise multiple data management providers, the poll of 600 data leaders reported that those companies that have adopted generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) say they expect they will be working with eight IT providers, while those deploying agentic AI anticipate they will need nine."

"The survey suggests that some organisations are opting for multiple partners for more practical reasons, such as perceived cost-effectiveness (41%) or to meet the specific requirements of their organisation (41%). Looking at regional difference, data leaders in the US say cost-effectiveness is more likely to be a reason for companies to use multiple IT providers (48%) compared with those located in the Asia-Pacific region (36%). The UK and European Union falls in the middle at 40%."

600 data leaders were polled. Organisations expect to partner with seven tech providers for data management in 2026. GenAI adopters expect eight providers; agentic AI adopters expect nine. Practical reasons for multiple partners include perceived cost-effectiveness (41%) and meeting specific organisational requirements (41%). Regional differences show US leaders cite cost-effectiveness at 48%, Asia-Pacific at 36%, and UK/EU at 40%. Informatica views multi-provider approaches as increasing risk and expects consolidation and growing internal AI skills to reduce reliance on multiple providers, improving total cost of ownership. In Europe, 85% plan to increase data management investments in 2026, with 23% expecting significant increases and 44% citing upskilling, privacy/security, and governance as top drivers; UK businesses show heightened appetite to improve data literacy (49%).

Read at ComputerWeekly.com