Software Development Predictions 2021

Generative AI (genAI) and agentic workflows are roiling technology services markets, overturning the 15-year stability of the prevailing business model. The era defined by time-and-materials pricing, agnostic technology positions, and people-driven business growth is no longer viable. Since the peak growth seen in 2021, the sector has become entirely different.Starting in 2022, four powerful forces began converging to disrupt the services status quo, forcing providers toward radically different choices and reshaping the sector to deliver what enterprises need now.Key takeaways: Learn how four forces shape technology service business models.Find out what separates winners from losers.Explore how, as a buyer of services, you can thrive in a reconstructed services economy.Target audience level: intermediate

Ted Schadler

 

CRM is a critical piece of technology infrastructure that underpins a firm’s ability to deliver next-generation financial services. It connects organizational silos to drive customer and business value. CRMs are integrating AI and adding intelligent agents to boost productivity and deliver personalized customer experiences at scale. This makes CRM an indispensable tool for financial services firms aiming to enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, and drive growth.Despite the benefits, we often hear that financial services firms struggle to justify the investment in CRM modernization, and firms that have done so say that they’re struggling to extract value. This makes it more important than ever to choose the right vendor. But the financial services CRM market is bifurcating, making vendor choice even harder.Key takeaways: Understand the financial services CRM market, key vendors, and common financial services use cases.Learn how AI (predictive, generative, and agentic) is transforming CRM and what it means for financial services firms.Uncover the mistakes that are leading to the underutilization of CRM by financial services firms.Identify the key considerations that should inform financial services firms’ CRM purchasing decision.Target audience level: intermediate and advanced

Alyson Clarke

 

The results from our 2025 global survey into the state of customer feedback management and customer experience (CX) measurement programs are in! Join us for this webinar to discuss the results.Key takeaways: How CX leaders around the world manage customer feedback and measure CX.The key listening posts and metrics CX leaders and their organizations rely on.How CX leaders embed metrics and insights into their organizations.The technology CX leaders are using and how they’re leveraging generative AI.Target audience level: all levels

Colleen Fazio

, 

Maxie Schmidt

 

Shell Fleet Solutions successfully implemented buying groups to better serve the needs of its customers with cutting-edge marketing programs and enhance support for its internal teams. Join this client webinar with Angela Scaueru and Paul Bloemheuvel from Shell and Vicki Brown from Forrester to discuss best practices for harnessing a data-driven approach to effectively integrate account, contact, and buying group behavioral data.Key takeaways: Hear about Shell Fleet Solutions’ innovative strategies for buying groups.Learn how Shell leveraged account, contact, and buying group behavioral data.See how Shell gained a deeper understanding of customer behavior, improved sales and marketing coordination, and ultimately increased customer value.Target audience level: intermediate

Vicki Brown

 

The CISO is the arbiter of confidence and protection for the business in a world of geopolitical strife and shifting allegiances; regulatory hurdles and changes to AI and tech; quickly emerging and changing technologies in generative AI (genAI); and constantly evolving cybercriminal activity, including deepfakes. In 2025, five threats will affect security teams more than any other: global regulatory disruptions, high-quality deepfakes, tech exuberance over genAI, job loss radicalization, and genAI-driven extortion. Security pros need to prepare in advance.Key takeaways: Global regulatory disruptions: Data-related policies, regulations, and standards are becoming less aligned between domains and across countries.High-quality deepfakes: Attackers are increasingly using deepfakes because of their ability to cast doubt on security, trust in the media, and brand reputation. Deepfakes impact verification and authentication for almost every user group, including customers, business partners, and workforce members.Tech exuberance over genAI: Enterprise adoption of genAI continues to accelerate as models proliferate, training costs come down, and deployment options increase. But tech and security leaders are learning hard lessons about how different models behave — and the work required to make them secure — as new models emerge.Job loss radicalization: A new economic reality has emerged in 2025 with a flurry of activity that saw job cuts to 4% of the US federal government workforce, massive tech layoffs, and job cuts in Europe. Employees who remain after layoffs are not happy.GenAI-driven extortion: Between continued law enforcement disruption of ransomware gangs and enterprises’ greater focus on business resilience and data backups, ransomware became less lucrative for cybercriminals in 2024. Before genAI, stealing data was only so useful — reviewing millions of emails takes far too much time. Now, with genAI, attackers can perform a quick sentiment analysis on troves of stolen data for extortion schemes.Target audience level: intermediate

+4

Allie Mellen

, 

Jitin Shabadu

, 

Enza Iannopollo

, 

Andras Cser

, 

Cody Scott

, 

Jess Burn

, 

Jeff Pollard

, 

Joseph Blankenship

 

Accelerate innovation with deeper insights about why edge intelligence is important, when it will likely pay off, and how others are using it; we feature the latest expert insights, practical tips, and key steps you and your team can take with this rapidly evolving technology. Edge intelligence can potentially optimize data processing, reduce latency, and enhance real-time decision-making over a short- to mid-term horizon. Join this session to learn more about how this technology will mature and steps you can take to maximize your investment in it.Key takeaways: Learn how edge intelligence enhances data processing capabilities.Understand its role in reducing latency and improving real-time analytics.Explore industry applications.Target audience level: all levels

Brian Hopkins

, 

Michele Goetz