IDC Directions 2026 On Demand
IDC Directions 2026 brought together 700+ technology and business leaders, 82 analysts, and 56 speakers across 29 sessions, all focused on turning AI ambition into enterprise results. Access presentations from IDC Directions 2026 below or check out the Executive Information Service in your myIDC account to add your favorites to your research dashboards and folders.
General Sessions
The AI Supercycle: Where the Next Trillion in Tech Value Will Be Created
The technology industry is entering one of its most significant expansion cycles in three decades—but the drivers of growth are fundamentally different. This keynote examines the two phases of the AI supercycle: the massive global infrastructure buildout underway today and the enterprise adoption wave that will follow. Meredith Whalen shared IDC’s latest forecasts on AI spending, the ripple effects across devices and software markets, and the shift toward agentic platforms and AI-driven services. As AI reshapes the technology ecosystem, value is moving to new layers of the stack, creating new winners and new risks for vendors. Gain a clear view of where value will accrue and how technology providers must position to capture it in the next phase of AI-driven growth.
Meredith Whalen, IDC Chief Product & Research Officer
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Preparing for the Agent Economy
By 2029, IDC forecasts enterprise will collectively be running more than one billion AI agents, in turn reshaping IT, operations, and customer engagement. In this session, Alessandro Perilli explores what it will take for organizations to move beyond siloed use cases toward cross-functional, multi-agent environments, and why the tech stack needs to be rebuilt for acceleration, orchestration, and resiliency. Drawing on IDC latest AI agent research, he outlines where spending is shifting, which industries are leading adoption, and how technology vendors must evolve to compete in the agent economy.
Alessandro Perilli, Vice President, Enterprise AI Strategies, IDC -
Power, Risk, and Responsibility in the AI Era
An extension of his research keynote, Alessandro Perilli is joined by AI industry experts to explore what it truly takes to build, deploy, and govern AI at scale. The conversation will examine how organizations are moving beyond siloed use cases toward orchestrated agentic environments—and what that shift means for security, infrastructure, and enterprise operations. Panelists will share candid perspectives on both the opportunities and risks of widespread AI adoption, and what it takes to operationalize AI responsibly while driving sustained business value.
Alessandro Perilli, Vice President, Enterprise AI Strategies, IDC 
Lt. General Michael Groen (Ret.), Former Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center
Keynote: Flying Blind in a 17 PB/s Data Storm
The volume and speed of information is accelerating like never before and macroeconomic pressures only add to the complexity and uncertainty. As enterprise AI enters a new phase of acceleration, the need for clarity has never been greater. IDC CEO Lorenzo outlines a bold vision for the technology intelligence layer of the AI economy — and how IDC is leading the way. A ‘must attend’ session for understanding what businesses will need to cut through the noise and stay competitive in the AI era.
Lorenzo Larini, CEO, IDC
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Panel: Inside the Trends Driving the AI Economy
As AI transforms industries, new markets—and new data—are emerging just as quickly. In this session, IDC analysts share key insights from the firm’s newest research covering AI infrastructure, robotics and physical AI, AI agents, and the rapidly evolving global AI landscape. Walk away with practical insights and data on the topics shaping today’s most important technology conversations.
Tom Meyer, Senior Group Vice President, GM, Services, Telecoms, Market&Business Intelligence, IDC 
Matt Eastwood, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Infrastructure, Cloud, Security, ITOps and Developers, IDC 
Sandra Ng, Senior Vice President, ICT Industry, IDC 
Bob Parker, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Applications, Data Intelligence, Services and Industry Research, IDC 
Kitty Fok, Managing Director, IDC China -
Lightning Round: What to Watch in Emerging Tech
What’s emerging at the edge today will define competitive advantage tomorrow. In this fast-paced lightning round, IDC analysts spotlight the technologies beginning to reshape markets and consumer behavior—from quantum to robotics and smart devices to how AI is changing consumer engagement. Expect sharp insights, bold predictions, and clear signals on what to watch next.
Laurie Buczek, Group Vice President, Executive Insights, IDC 
Heather West, Research Manager, Quantum and Analog Computing, IDC 
Bryan Ma, Vice President, Data & Analytics, IDC 
Greg Ireland, Senior Director, Consumer Markets and GenAI for Content Creators and Consumers, IDC -
Beyond the Model: How AI Ecosystems are Redefining Tech Intelligence
The most powerful AI systems aren’t just smarter models but smarter ecosystems. In this session, IDC’s SVP Product & Strategy Eduardo Tobias sits down with Anthropic Principal Architect Alex Koren to explore how trusted data, human expertise, and AI platforms are converging to reshape the way enterprises make decisions.
Eduardo Tobias, SVP, Product & Strategy, IDC 
Alex Koren, Principal Architect, Anthropic
Special Lunch Sessions
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When Consumers Lead: AI, Autonomous Discovery, and the Rewiring of the Digital Economy
AI is no longer just an application layer—it’s embedded in the devices, assistants, and invisible systems shaping what consumers see, trust, and buy. As AI disrupts the discovery-to-commerce journey through answer engines, curated recommendations, and conversational interfaces, consumers—not enterprises—are driving the shift. IDC’s Greg Ireland, Tom Mainelli, and Sandra Ng dynamic discussion on how the AI-powered consumer is rewriting the rules for B2C brands and platforms.
Sandra Ng, Senior Vice President, ICT Industry, IDC 
Tom Mainelli, Group Vice President, Device & Consumer Research, IDC Greg Ireland, Senior Director, Consumer Markets and GenAI for Content Creators and Consumers, IDC -
Engage Buyers and Drive Outcomes with IDC Events
Reach the right buyers, align with trusted IDC analysts, and activate through premium event formats designed for impact. This special lunch session will show how research-led agendas and meaningful market conversations help tech providers elevate brand presence, build thought leadership, and drive measurable outcomes.
Jyoti Lalchandani, Group Vice President & Regional Managing Director (META), IDC 
Etienne Katz, VP, Global Event Partnerships, IDC 
Allice Shandler, VP, Global Event Partnerships, IDC
Track 1: Marketing & Business Growth Strategies
Discover how AI is transforming marketing from prospect discovery and brand relevance to strategic go-to-market programs, plus what leaders must do to stay relevant and win in the year ahead.
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How AI is Shifting Marketing’s Paradigm
AI is transforming marketing from a campaign‑driven function into a continuously intelligent, outcomes‑focused discipline. Laurie Buczek, IDC Research GVP, expert view on what it means for marketing priorities, operating models, and the path to real business impact.
Laurie Buczek, Group Vice President, Executive Insights, IDC -
AI’s Impact on Discovery, Advertising & Brand Marketing
How your brand is discovered, evaluated, and remembered has been turned upside down by AI. In this session, we’ll challenge long-standing assumptions about SEO/AEO, media, and brand building with the latest research and outline practical actions marketers can take to stay competitive in an AI-first market.
Roger Beharry Lall, Research Director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications, IDC -
Market Impact of AI-Fueled Business Transformation and Implications for the C-Suite
IDC experts in a thought-provoking discussion where they unveil insights into AI’s impact on enterprise strategy, inspect where companies are on their journey, and share what this means for how marketers can deliver value to the C-suite.
Andrea Siviero, Senior Research Director, MacroTech, Digital Business, and Future of Work, IDC 
Tony Olvet, Group Vice President, Worldwide C-Suite and Digital Business Research, IDC -
The Age of AI Content Marketing & Human Creativity
AI is transforming the buyer journey and how content is created, distributed, and consumed. This session shows how marketing leaders can harness AI for speed and scale while keeping human insight and brand authenticity at the center – and what marketers need to do now to take action.
Jordan Jewell, Sr. Research Director, Persuasive Content and Digital Experience, IDC -
Executive Panel: AI’s Impact on Marketing Strategy and Execution
Marketing leaders are no longer debating if AI will transform marketing—they are navigating the realities of deploying it at scale, under real-world constraints. In this panel discussion, senior marketing executives share candid insights from the front lines, revealing what has worked, what hasn’t, and where expectations have diverged from reality.
Katie Kregel, SVP Corporate Marketing, IDC 
Lauryn Warnick, Founder & CEO, Villain Branding 
Tyler Haney, Head of Global Growth Marketing, Island 
Mike Esser, Global VP and Executive Creative Director, Brand + Experience Design, Red Hat
Track 2: Putting Data to Work
Learn how to strengthen data foundations with trusted platforms, security, and application integration to unlock AI value and reduce risk. Intro slides
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Fireside Chat: Data’s role in Finance Transformation
Stewart Bond and a special CIO guest for real-world lessons from a large-scale transformation project that’s success came from combining strong data foundations with application modernization. Designed for technology vendors, product marketers, and AR leaders, the session provides clear signals into how enterprise buyers evaluate data management capabilities and where true differentiation exists.
Stewart Bond, Vice President, Data Intelligence and Integration Software, IDC 
Brian Donnelly, Transformation Director, INVISTA -
Trust Before Autonomy: Data Control in the Age of AI Agents
As AI agents become central to enterprise software strategies, buyer expectations are shifting from isolated features to end-to-end trust in how data is discovered, interpreted, and governed. This session examines how autonomous agents expose the strengths and gaps of current data, security, and governance capabilities, and why traditional guardrails are no longer sufficient. Leave with a clearer framework for positioning agentic capabilities around trust, control, and enterprise readiness.
Jennifer Glenn, Research Director, Information and Data Security, IDC Stewart Bond, Vice President, Data Intelligence and Integration Software, IDC -
Enabling Agentic AI with Data Platforms: From Databases to Data Products
Hear from IDC analysts on what it takes for data architectures to enable agentic AI in practice, regardless of operational maturity. The session will cover converged workloads, event-driven data, and data products as agent-consumable interfaces, plus the latest research on how organizations are balancing AI for data and data for AI.
Marlanna Harrington, Research Analyst, Data, Analytics, AI, and Automation, IDC 
Devin Pratt, Research Director, Data Management, IDC -
Data in Action: Agentic Application Success
Juxtaposing insights from data foundations and business strategy, this session will explore the transition from SaaS applications to autonomous intelligence. We’ll explore why data quality is a primary barrier to scaling AI agents and a practical look at actions users – and vendors – must take to ensure agentic success.
Lynne Schneider, Research Director, Data Collaboration & Monetization, and Location & Geospatial Intelligence, IDC Roger Beharry Lall, Research Director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications, IDC -
Panel: Ask Me Anything About Future Data Directions
Ask the analysts anything about the future of data in this engaging, interactive panel session. Come with your questions – and all are welcome even if you did not attend prior track sessions!
Jennifer Hamel, Senior Research Director, Enterprise Intelligence Services, IDC Marlanna Harrington, Research Analyst, Data, Analytics, AI, and Automation, IDC Devin Pratt, Research Director, Data Management, IDC Jennifer Glenn, Research Director, Information and Data Security, IDC Lynne Schneider, Research Director, Data Collaboration & Monetization, and Location & Geospatial Intelligence, IDC Roger Beharry Lall Research Director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications, IDC
Track 3: Emerging Tech
Explore how agentic AI and emerging technologies like quantum, advanced connectivity, robotics and more are reshaping business models, industries, and competitive advantage. Intro slides
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Agents at the Edge: The Role of Devices in an Agentic Future
Join IDC analysts Tom Mainelli and Bryan Ma for a conversation on why AI agents and edge-based inferencing could finally unlock the promise of on-device AI—and what that means for the next era of PCs, smartphones, wearables, and emerging form factors.
Tom Mainelli, Group Vice President, Device & Consumer Research, IDC Bryan Ma, Vice President, Data & Analytics, IDC -
Going Mainstream: Enterprise Pathways to Quantum Adoption
Quantum computing is no longer a futuristic concept for enterprises. Heather West, PhD, and special guests will highlight real-world adoption strategies, operational use cases, and the technologies enabling measurable business value today and into the future.
Heather West, Research Manager, Quantum and Analog Computing, IDC 
Lucus Haugen, Director Data Science, ATT 
Marna Kagele, Technical Fellow, Boeing -
Agentic AI Platforms: Lynchpin for Deployment and New Competitive Battleground
Enterprises want to evolve from one-off, pre-built agents into sophisticated agentic solutions that drive business transformation. Neil Ward-Dutton and Mickey North Rizza will explore the fast-moving agentic AI platform market, including the enterprise demand, competitive battlegrounds, and the tensions/opportunities for entrenched enterprise app providers.
Neil Ward-Dutton, VP AI, Automation, Data & Analytics Europe, IDC 
Mickey North-Rizza, Group Vice President, Enterprise Software, IDC -
AI Unleashed: Powering the Next Wave of Innovation with 5G, Satellites, and Intelligent Networks
IDC analysts Jitesh Bhayani and Ahmad Latif Ali explore the convergence of next-gen connectivity solutions built on 5G/6G, LEO satellite networks, and AI-driven network automation – and how they’re helping enterprises unlock new business models for leadership in the digital era.
Jitesh Bhayani, Research Vice President, Communications Services, IDC 
Ahmad Latif Ali, Associate Vice President, Communications Service Providers, IDC -
Panel: When Agents Get Physical
Wrap up the day with an exciting panel debate on how emerging on-device AI, agent platforms, connectivity, and services will establish the pillars for making physical AI a reality.
Rick Villars, Group Vice President, Worldwide Research, IDC 
Sarah Lee, Research Director, Manufacturing IT Strategies, IDC Tom Mainelli, Group Vice President, Device & Consumer Research, IDC 
Mukesh Dialani, Research Vice President, Digital Engineering and Operational Technology Services, IDC
Track 4: AI-Ready Infrastructure
Learn how market leaders are modernizing infrastructure, cloud platforms, and data center strategies to support agentic workloads, optimize investments, and deliver resilience at scale. Intro slides
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AI Factories: Scaling AI-Ready Infrastructure
IDC analysts debate, compare and contrast how to maximize ROI when deploying AI-ready infrastructure. We’ll discuss how to scale, cloud vs on-premises vs hybrid approaches, and when each model wins.
Dave Pearson, Research Vice President, Compute, Storage, Converged and Hyperconverged Infrastructure, Infrastructure Software, Workloads, Performance Intensive Computing, IDC 
Dave McCarthy, Research Vice President, Cloud & Infrastructure Services, IDC -
Panel: The Role of Silicon, Enabling Technologies and Networking in AI-ready Infrastructure
Sit down with IDC experts as they examine the role of silicon and network infrastructure in AI-ready environments. Moderated by Ashish Nadkarni, IDC’s global lead for enterprise infrastructure, this panel will discuss implications and opportunities for vendors plus how IT leaders should approach their buying strategies.
Ashish Nadkarni, Group Vice President/GM, Worldwide Infrastructure Research, IDC 
Chris Barnard, Vice President, European Telecoms and Infrastructure, IDC 
Jeff Janukowicz, Research Vice President, Semiconductors and Enabling Technologies, IDC -
AI-Ready Data Storage Infrastructure, Data Logistics, and Protection
Uncover what it means to implement an AI-ready data storage infrastructure. IDC experts will unpack the field of data logistics, protection, cyber recovery and data security, including how it differs from storage infrastructure and what vendors need to know now.
Phil Goodwin, Research Vice President, Infrastructure Software Platforms, Worldwide Infrastructure Research, IDC Jennifer Glenn, Research Director, Information and Data Security, IDC -
Panel: Security, Observability and Cloud Ops in AI-Ready Infrastructure
Frank Dickson, IDC’s global lead for security and trust, will moderate a panel of IDC experts examining the implications and opportunities of operations, observability, agentic AI and security in AI-ready infrastructure.
Mark Leary, Research Director, Network Observability, Automation and AI, IDC 
Stephen Elliot, Group Vice President, Application Development and IT Operations, IDC 
Michelle Abraham, Senior Research Director, Security and Trust, IDC 
Frank Dickson, Group Vice President, Security & Trust, IDC -
Tying it together: Considerations for AI-Ready Datacenters
Bring all things infrastructure together with a discussion on what IT leaders need to know to navigate the infrastructure landscape in the AI era and what tech vendors should be doing to help clients succeed.
Andrew Buss, Senior Research Director, Digital and Datacenter Infrastructure Strategies, IDC 
Madhumitha Sathish, Research Manager, AI and High Performance Computing Infrastructure Stacks, IDC