Enterprise Connect 2026 wraps up today, and we’ll have a more complete rundown and takeaways in next week’s newsletter, but for now, here are a few interesting points that came out of the conference:
AI challenges are about people and processes more than technology: We saw multiple examples of this dynamic, which Mila D’Antonio, principal analyst at Omdia, quantified in her presentation during the Tuesday Summit on CX. Omdia asked enterprises, “What challenges prevent your organization from realizing significant value from AI-powered technologies?” and got the following responses:
- Insufficient AI budget: 44%
- Limited employee training or adoption: 38%
- No clear strategy aligning AI with business goals: 38%
- Lack of skilled AI experts: 37%
- Lack of leadership support: 36%
- AI tools not integrated with business systems: 36%
- Poor data management or governance: 23%
It’s remarkable that, almost four years into the AI boom, enterprises are still struggling with the basics: Users who want to know why they should use AI and for what; alignment and clear direction from the business; and skills mismatches within IT.
It’s time to worry even more about security: In his session on “Securing Collaboration in the Age of AI Impersonation,” security expert Scott Murphy of Data Perceptions consultancy framed the new reality this way: “Collaboration is now an identity system,” adding, “AI impersonation has turned UC platforms into high‑risk attack surfaces.” His alarming statistic: 85% of IT/security professionals reported facing at least 1 deepfake incident in the 12 months ending in September 2025.
For the members of our enterprise security keynote panel, the response needs to be more coordinated between collaboration/CX pros and their counterparts in the CISO organization. They also noted the perennial truth that collaboration security in the age of AI relies on heightened awareness among end users. For the world of communications and collaborative remote meetings, this means treating such interactions with the same skepticism your users should already have internalized about email: If something seems off – say if someone purporting to be the CEO seems to want to engage directly with you for the first time ever, via a collaboration tool, or someone unexpected joins a meeting – see it as a red flag and act accordingly.
Hybrid is a purposeful strategy, not a stopgap: In her session on hybrid cloud/premises architectures, consultant Melissa Swartz of Swartz Communications drew a distinction between the myth – “Hybrid is just a ‘messy middle’ phase”-- and the reality: “It is a sophisticated orchestration of resources.” Melissa gave five main reasons for building a hybrid strategy: Risk reduction; regulatory and compliance mandates; infrastructure resilience and survivability; dealing with operational complexity; and managing to your enterprise’s vision of financial stewardship, especially in capex vs. opex decisions.
Of course there was a lot more to digest, and that’s what I plan to be doing over the next weeks and months. Enterprise Connect is the year’s best snapshot of where the industry is and where it’s going, and this year was no exception. We at Enterprise Connect are grateful to everyone who joined us, and are already looking forward to EC2027, right back in Las Vegas.
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