Geopolitical volatility is reshaping global markets, AI is rewriting the rules of business, and boards are demanding measurable business impact from every technology investment. Technology leaders must do more than execute five-year plans that deliver incremental improvements and barely pay the interest on tech debt. They need to get comfortable navigating relentless technology disruption, making bold decisions in the face of uncertainty, and building organizations that are not just resilient but ready to thrive, no matter what comes at them.
Forrester’s Technology & Innovation Summit North America is designed to take you where you need to go. Visionary keynotes provide inspiration and lay out the future of tech, while various breakout sessions, workshops, and special programs deliver the practical strategies, roadmaps, case studies, and tools that will help you apply what you learn faster. So how do tech leaders transition from a reactive to a proactive posture in the face of relentless mayhem? Here are some of the topics we’ll cover at the Summit in our keynote presentations.
Take Agentic AI From Hype To High Performance
The only force rivaling the chaos of geopolitical tensions and trade wars is the whirlwind pace of AI innovation. From the sudden rise of generative AI to the rapid emergence of agentic systems, tech leaders are navigating a wave of disruption unlike any before. As excitement around agentic AI intensifies, so do concerns about artificial general intelligence (AGI); its potential for misuse; the ethical challenges it raises; and, as with every major AI leap, the fear of being left behind. In a keynote entitled “Agentic To AGI: It’s The Journey, Not The Destination,” Brian Hopkins, Forrester VP of emerging technology and principal analyst, will explain the importance of taking practical steps today while preparing for tomorrow’s AGI inflection points. To excel with AI, leaders must align initiatives with business goals, focus on foundational priorities, and build trust through strong data foundations. Resist the temptation to chase every possible use case; instead, operationalize AI with pragmatism and collaboration. Don’t fixate on AGI but rather leverage agentic systems that are already reshaping business and IT.
Use AI To Transform Your Own IT Operating Model
I started off my career in tech as a consultant on enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations and then as a presales technical architect for one of the largest infrastructure vendors in IT. We’re still struggling with some of the same issues, such as end-to-end visibility, tech stack optimization, technology lifecycle management, asset management, and incident management. AI might be the missing ingredient to solve some of these most basic and intractable challenges. In his keynote “AI Inside: The Rise Of The Intelligent IT Operating Model,” Charles Betz, VP and principal analyst, will examine how intelligent agents are becoming active participants in IT operations. This is bigger than just AIOps; it’s the transformation of the IT operating model, its governance, its architecture, and the systems we use for IT management itself.
Scale Your Ambitions Without Breaking The Bank
I’m sure many tech leaders reading about the power of agentic AI are thinking, “Wow, that’s great, but who is going to pay for the significant IT modernization needed for AI success?” With innovation accelerating — while budgets are tightening due to economic uncertainty — financial stewardship is fast becoming a core leadership skill. In her keynote “FinOps And Beyond: Scaling Tech For The Future Without Breaking The Bank,” Tracy Woo, principal analyst, will describe the secret to managing spiraling cloud costs: for example, FinOps practices that emphasize cross-functional collaboration to handle the constantly fluctuating, usage-based pricing. But don’t give up on IT financial management (ITFM) just yet. Organizations such as Samsung are reimagining ITFM by using FinOps approaches, and Tracy will have a guest from Samsung with her at the keynote to explain how.
Address Your Data Readiness If You Want AI Success
Without clean, governed, and accessible data, AI initiatives stall. Data strategy can no longer be an afterthought — it must be embedded in every AI effort from the start. Right now, data-related challenges from Forrester clients run the gamut from the strategic (“How do we establish robust data governance processes?”) to the technical (“How do we build advanced architectures to improve data quality and insights?”). There are also questions about skills and culture, especially around fostering a culture of data literacy or identifying the essential steps in enabling better decision-making and unlocking the full potential of analytics. Why are tech, data, and AI leaders struggling so much? There are a few reasons: They’re under immediate pressure to deliver, so strategy often seems like a “nice-to-have” and not a must-have; data teams become “order takers” rather than strategic partners; and many leaders are too focused on the technology (data platforms) without considering the broader organizational and people-related challenges. Michele Goetz, VP and principal analyst, will address all of these issues in her keynote, “Data Readiness Is The Number One Factor For AI Results.” We’ll also show attendees how to overcome these challenges with real-world case studies from organizations that have done it, including an interview between Sharyn Leaver, Forrester’s chief research officer, and our inaugural winner of Forrester’s Data & AI Impact Award.
Reimagine Your Enterprise Applications As An Agentic Business Fabric
AI agents aren’t just enhancing business applications, such as ERP, CRM, SCM, and HCM; they’re dismantling and rebuilding them from the ground up into something completely unrecognizable. In the future, your agentic business fabric will offer experiences that adapt to the user and their context: It will erode application silos. AI agents will increase the strategic importance of structured processes by making enterprise data more complete and processes more accessible. I wouldn’t be surprised if the monolithic, siloed ERP systems I helped implement 25 years ago are still deployed, holding businesses back. In her keynote “The AI Agent Revolution Is Reshaping Business Applications Into An Intelligent Business Fabric,” Kate Leggett, VP and principal analyst, will discuss why tech leaders must rethink the value proposition of enterprise business apps and prepare for a future where intelligence is embedded in every interaction. This will mean making some critical architectural choices today, including shifting to the cloud and selecting the underpinning technology platforms and data fabric (see, it’s about the data!) that will make this a reality.
Your Infrastructure Matters — Treat It As A Strategic Platform
Infrastructure is the unsung hero behind every successful business transformation (as a former architect in this arena, I’m biased, but it’s still true). And as AI and agentic technologies reshape IT operations, tech leaders can no longer treat infrastructure as a commodity or afterthought. Instead, it must become a strategic foundation — delivering agility, scalability, security, and speed to support innovation and business growth. The most forward-thinking companies are already embedding automation, analytics, and security directly into their infrastructure, ensuring seamless integration with next-generation business applications (see above). Brent Ellis, principal analyst, will address these trends in his keynote, “Build Infrastructure As Platforms To Master Growth, Agility, And Governance.” Today, investing in the right infrastructure platform isn’t just about keeping the lights on — it’s about future-proofing the business and unlocking new possibilities.
Lead Through Relentless Change
Tech leaders often treat change like a project, relying on spreadsheets and plans while overlooking the human side of transformation. True progress happens when leaders understand employee dissatisfaction, craft a compelling vision, and create credible first steps that outweigh resistance. In her keynote “Lead And Master Change,” Katy Tynan, VP and principal analyst, will discuss why embracing conflict, aligning motivations, and defining mutual success are essential for turning disruptive change into a shared victory. Perhaps more than any tech strategy, framework, architecture, platform, or tool, this understanding of how to lead and manage disruptive change during the AI era is going to be what sets successful organizations apart, because AI is one of seven tech waves of the last several decades, and it represents the largest and most business- and life-changing upheaval.
Join Us In Austin
The path forward is daunting, but you can navigate successfully with the right strategy, insights, and connections. Bring your team to Forrester’s Technology & Innovation Summit North America in Austin on November 2–5, 2025, to connect directly with Forrester’s top analysts and industry leaders, equip yourself with proven frameworks and peer-tested strategies designed for this new age of AI, participate in certifications and hands-on workshops, and network with your fellow technology leaders to forge a clear, confident path forward.
