ISG Software Lens™

Payroll is one of the most universal touchpoints within any organization, impacting every employee on a regular basis. It’s the one thing every employee notices if it does not work perfectly. Yet, despite its far-reaching presence, payroll often operates quietly in the background, treated as an administrative function focused solely on ensuring people are paid accurately and on time. This perception, while understandable, drastically undervalues what payroll can offer.

Based on the number of invitations I have received to speak on the topic, usage pricing (also referred to as consumption pricing) is hot. But as I have remarked elsewhere, it is not new. I recall a conversation with a customer over 30 years ago when I was involved with analytic software who asked, “Why can’t we just pay for the software we use?” And this of course makes sense: only pay for what you use. In fact, I assert that by 2027, over one-half of all enterprises will deploy a mixed revenue model that includes subscriptions and usage pricing in addition to one-time sales as enterprises make adjustments to remain competitive.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are comprehensive software platforms designed to integrate and manage all the core processes of an enterprise while recording transactions and their financial consequences to support the accounting and finance functions. ISG Software Research recently completed our Buyers Guide™ for ERP systems, designed to help enterprises that are replacing their existing ERP software to make the best choice, both in terms of the product’s performance as well as the customer experience. ERP systems are central to the operations of an enterprise, streamlining cross-functional operations using workflows and consolidating data created by departments such as finance, human resources, supply chain and customer relationship management into a unified database. This integration facilitates the accessibility of real-time data, enhancing situational awareness for executives and managers while boosting overall efficiency and productivity.

As quantum computing advances at an unprecedented pace, the concept of Q-Day—a day when quantum computers can fundamentally undermine our current encryption methods—has entered discussions among cybersecurity professionals and business leaders alike. While there is no definitive date set for Q-Day, we are approaching a critical juncture where traditional cryptographic techniques may no longer suffice to protect sensitive data, digital communications and transactions. This impending shift not only poses significant risks for individuals but also presents a high-stakes event that every enterprise must anticipate and prepare for; inadequate preparation could lead to substantial data breaches, compromised systems and irrevocable damage to customer trust and organizational reputation.

The degree to which data platforms are critical to efficient business operations cannot be overstated. Without data platforms, enterprises would be reliant on a combination of paper records, time-consuming manual processes and huge libraries of physical files to record, process and store business information. The extent to which that is unthinkable highlights the level at which today’s enterprises and society as a whole rely on data platforms. The core persistence, management, processing and query requirements of data platforms have been well established since the emergence of the database market in the early 1970s. The data platforms market continues to evolve to keep pace with emerging capabilities and requirements. Two of the most significant trends driving the data platforms sector in recent years are cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

The breadth of customer experience (CX) solutions created by software providers in recent years has expanded into new areas, usually related or adjacent to existing, more traditional toolkits. Most providers in the space began as more-or-less pure play contact center software providers, so the CX toolset starts with that set of technologies. Products are grounded in core functions for service delivery, like interaction handling, labor management and customer tracking. Some software providers have come into the CX space from other starting points, notably customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing technologies, so they start with a different core toolset, often expanding to add contact center functions.