Enterprises are accelerating investment in data management tools and platforms so they can confidently scale AI implementations, according to new research from global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group. The 2026 ISG Buyers Guides for Data Management and Operations indicate that organizations advancing AI from small-scale projects to full-scale deployments have recognized the urgent data requirements this move creates. At scale, AI demands higher data volume for model training, freshness for inference and quality for reliable outputs.
ISG research finds enterprises accelerating data management investment for AI scaling
Data usability considered a significant challenge for AI applications
68 software providers assessed across five Buyers Guides
Databricks top Overall Leader in three of five Buyers Guides
Acceldata top Overall Leader in Data Quality and Data Observability
Salesforce top Overall Leader in Data Integrity
"Data is foundational to AI, so effective data management underpins all enterprise AI ambitions," said Kathy Rudy, partner, ISG Data, Analytics and Technology Office. "Our research shows enterprises consider data usability a significant challenge for AI applications, and many find they need to strengthen their data capabilities before bringing AI to production."
Governance is an increasingly important function of data management software as enterprises accelerate analytics and agentic AI initiatives. Outdated, inaccurate or poorly organized information degrades the value of data-driven decision-making. By cataloging and protecting data and enhancing trust, in addition to supporting regulatory compliance, governance establishes guardrails that allow organizations to move quickly while reducing risk. Enterprises also need a single version of the truth that is visible and accessible across the organization. They are adopting master data management to maintain trusted reference data and data intelligence platforms to give administrators a comprehensive view of data production and consumption.
As enterprises modernize data management to meet requirements emerging from AI, regulation and other challenges, many are embracing DataOps, a set of tools and practices for continuously processing and delivering data in changing environments. Inspired by DevOps, DataOps enables more agile data management and increased automation. It provides a flexible environment for the development, testing, deployment and orchestration of data integration and processing pipelines.
"Data management is becoming more tightly integrated with changing IT infrastructures and operations," said Matt Aslett, director of research, analytics and data, ISG. "Through 2028, we expect two-thirds of enterprises to be using agile and collaborative practices for better responsiveness and faster AI adoption."
For the 2026 ISG Buyers Guides for Data Management and Operations, ISG produced five Buyers Guides: Data Management and Operations, Data Quality and Data Observability, Data Integrity, Data Intelligence and Data Products, and Data Engineering. A total of 68 providers were assessed.
Databricks was the top Overall Leader in three of the five Buyers Guides: Data Management and Operations, Data Intelligence and Data Products, and Data Engineering. Acceldata was the top Overall Leader in the Buyers Guide for Data Quality and Data Observability. Salesforce was the top Overall Leader in the Buyers Guide for Data Integrity.
Providers rated Exemplary or Innovative across the Buyers Guides include Acceldata, Actian, Alation, Alteryx, AWS, Boomi, Collibra, Databricks, DataOps.live, Google Cloud, IBM, Matillion, Microsoft, Pentaho, Precisely, Qlik, Salesforce, SAP and others.
About ISG
ISG is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data and research, in-depth knowledge and governance of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,500 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
