IT Supplier News, Insight, and Market Intelligence.
In this issue:
2026 IT Budget Surge: Ensuring ROI Over Vendor Windfalls
Microsoft's 'Retail for All' Pricing Reset
SAP Finance Cloud: Breaking Free of Legacy Chains
By: Austin Zolman
The consensus with most analyst firms, is that worldwide IT spending is projected to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10%+ year over year, driven by an 80.8% surge in AI-related spending, a 31.7% jump in data center systems, and acceleration in software spend - projected to grow by over 14%... driven by data analytics, cybersecurity, and integration of AI platforms into core business functions.
At the enterprise level, 75% of CFOs and CIOs expect tech budgets to rise, and 48% are planning increases of 10% or more. The largest allocations are going to IT, AI, and revenue-generating functions.
At the same time, expected headcount growth is dropping from 6% in 2025 to just 2% in 2026. Boards are sending a clear signal:
What CFOs, CIOs, and Microsoft Estate Planners need to understand now...
Microsoft has quietly but materially changed the commercial conversation.
According to Microsoft’s public positioning, commercial customers transacting directly under Enterprise Agreements, Enterprise Agreement Subscriptions, and legacy SCE structures are now quoted at “retail” pricing. Historic A, B, C, D price levels are gone.
On paper, that suggests a simplified, standardized approach.
In practice, it means something very different for CFOs and CIOs.
Let’s be blunt: the financial services sector’s relationship with SAP has become…complicated. For decades, it’s been the default, the assumed, the “we’ve always done it this way” solution. But clinging to legacy SAP systems isn’t a strategy; it’s a slow bleed of resources and agility.
Enter SAP Finance Cloud (SFC). It should be the obvious next step, but a surprising number of firms are dragging their feet. Let’s cut through the marketing fluff and get real about what SFC offers, why the hesitation is justified, and (crucially) what alternatives exist when you realize SAP isn’t your only path forward.
