Latest news with #IToperations
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barclays Raises ServiceNow (NOW) Price Target, Maintains Overweight
ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) is one of the best SaaS stocks to buy according to analysts. Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow has lifted the firm's price target on ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) to $1,200 from $1,085, maintaining an Overweight rating ahead of the company's upcoming second-quarter results. The revised target reflects improving sentiment around enterprise software demand and growing optimism tied to recent field checks. In a note to clients, Lenschow noted that while April began on a cautious note, the tone improved notably in May and June, particularly for firms with fiscal calendars aligned to the typical reporting cycle. ServiceNow, with its broad footprint across IT operations and digital workflows, is seen as well-positioned to benefit from this recovery in demand as Q2 earnings near. The company has consistently executed on product expansion, particularly in AI-driven automation and workflow orchestration, which continues to attract interest from large enterprise clients. That momentum could support not just a solid quarterly report but also the potential for management to revise guidance upward, according to Barclays. Shares of ServiceNow have outperformed many software peers in 2024, helped by consistent results and a clear roadmap tied to enterprise digitization. The price target hike suggests Barclays sees further room to run, especially if macro conditions remain stable and enterprise IT budgets continue trending upward in the second half of the year. While we acknowledge the potential of NOW as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Top 10 Healthcare AI Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds and 10 Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy for the Next Decade Disclosure: None. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Forbes
21-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Breaking Barriers In IT Operations: How To Adopt AI Change Management
Vice President—technology and innovation at SLK software, an automation company with three decades of experience in IT transformation. As stated in my previous article in this series, the integration of AI-driven intelligent automation into IT operations is revolutionizing the way organizations address inefficiencies tied to outdated systems and processes. In my article, I highlighted how this transition, much like the evolution seen in consumer-facing sectors such as banking and e-commerce, replaces traditional reactive support methods—like phone and email channels—with proactive, intuitive self-help platforms. Moreover, the adoption of AI-powered change management not only phases out legacy support structures, but it also empowers users while refocusing IT teams on high-value tasks. This shift can lead to streamlined operational costs and enhanced business outcomes, paving the way for a future where IT operations are defined by user empowerment and operational efficiency. In this article, the second part in my series on breaking barriers in IT operations, I want to focus on a specific example of how historical intelligence can help define transformation programs for change management. The Problem Of Password Reset Requests One of the most pressing examples I've seen of IT inefficiency lies in the domain of end-user access management. Despite advancements in self-service technology, this area continues to be a significant pain point for enterprises. Access management, particularly password resets, remains a highly reactive support service that burdens IT teams and frustrates users. Addressing this challenge requires examining not only your technological infrastructure but also the behavioral patterns and skill gaps of your user base. Before examining the intelligence aspect, let's consider common end-user requests for this support service—chief among them is a password reset. Most organizations now automate password resets and have established processes for routine changes, often using self-service systems. Despite educational initiatives aimed at teaching users how to complete this process on their end, users frequently prefer to call for help with resetting passwords. Consequently, enterprises must maintain phone support, often breaching SLAs on handling times and first call resolution. To understand why users are calling service desk agents rather than using self-service portals, we need to examine historical intelligence data. When looking at this data at my own company, it appears that a significant factor at play here is the users' lack of familiarity with the necessary technology. This issue becomes more complex if organizations have implemented multifactor authentication (MFA), which requires users to register their personal email addresses and mobile phone numbers and then install an app on their smartphones. Business users in sectors such as manufacturing, retail, healthcare, pharma and education seem to face challenges in utilizing these self-service channels. Consequently, both enterprises and service providers find it difficult to eliminate these channels and the associated ticketing that comes with them. Educating And Empowering Users From what I've seen in the industry, technology-driven transformation programs are overlooking this lack of skills among business users. But how can we address this lack of knowledge? One approach is to build out custom self-service portals to assist with the password reset process, including multifactor authentication aspects. This contrasts with the current method of redirecting users to generic self-service password reset portals. If you look at data from your tickets and transcripts from voice response systems, you can gather ongoing feedback on your processes, increasing your effectiveness down the line and targeting customer pain points in your custom solution. This could potentially lead to the elimination of some support channels, because users will be more empowered and productive. Another approach I've embraced is rethinking passwords entirely. Instead, you can implement password-less methods like QR codes and passkeys, which many consumer portals are now using. This approach starts with eliminating IVR (interactive voice response) and other channels first. Then, as these password-less approaches are implemented, users will be able to use self-help tools and download apps on their smartphones without the need for support. Overcoming Poor User Adoption Technology-driven transformation programs often fail due to poor user adoption. By analyzing intelligence and behavior patterns, these programs can be redesigned to achieve better results. This approach can help you overcome the barriers to intelligent automation that you face and eliminate outdated processes, leading to more efficient IT operations. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Globe and Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
IBM Concert Gains Traction: Can This AI-Driven Solution Aid the Stock?
International Business Machines Corporation IBM recently announced that Deutsche Telekom AG DTEGY will deploy the IBM Concert solution to improve overall efficiency. This AI-powered automation solution will provide Deutsche Telekom with intelligent resilience for complex IT operations such as patch management and the orchestration of security-related activities. This, in turn, will help Deutsche Telekom to better address the complexity of critical vulnerabilities across its hybrid cloud platform and respond faster to potential threats. IBM Concert brings together all relevant data and specializations for AI-driven recommendations and workflows. It helps reduce operational costs for patching vulnerabilities through fast response times and higher efficiency for securing all systems, freeing up IT resources and manpower, which then can be used for other productive purposes. Using the IBM Watsonx platform, the fully automated patching process for operating systems has been designed to reduce patching time from 90 minutes to a maximum of 20 minutes. Leveraging Generative AI, IBM Concert develops an optimized and prioritized patching plan by creating contextual information about system topology and business requirements that enables end-to-end AI-powered automation. Watsonx Platform: The Pillar of IBM Concert IBM's Watsonx platform is likely to be the core technology platform for IBM's AI capabilities. Watsonx delivers the value of foundational models to the enterprise, enabling them to be more productive. This enterprise-ready AI and data platform comprises three products to help organizations accelerate and scale AI — the studio for new foundation models, generative AI and machine learning, the fit-for-purpose data store built on an open lake house architecture and the toolkit to help enable AI workflows to be built with responsibility and transparency. IBM Rides on Hybrid Cloud, AI Focus With a surge in traditional cloud-native workloads and associated applications, along with a rise in generative AI deployment, there is a radical expansion in the number of cloud workloads that enterprises are currently managing. This has resulted in heterogeneous, dynamic and complex infrastructure strategies, which, in turn, have led firms to undertake a cloud-agnostic and interoperable approach to highly secure multi-cloud management. IBM is poised to benefit from healthy demand trends for hybrid cloud and AI, which drive the Software and Consulting segments. The company's growth is expected to be aided by analytics, cloud computing and security in the long term. A combination of a better business mix, improving operating leverage through productivity gains and increased investment in growth opportunities will likely boost profitability. Price Performance Buoyed by strong demand for hybrid cloud and AI, IBM has surged 63.7% over the past year compared with the industry 's growth of 9.4%, outperforming peers like Microsoft Corporation MSFT and Inc. AMZN. While Microsoft has gained 6.6%, Amazon jumped 11.3% over this period. One-Year IBM Stock Price Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Estimate Revision Trend of IBM IBM is currently witnessing an uptrend in estimate revisions. Earnings estimates for 2025 have moved up 4.6% to $10.95 over the past year, while the same for 2026 has increased 4.5% to $11.66. The positive estimate revision portrays bullish sentiments about the stock's growth potential. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research IBM Growth Prospects Marred by Margin Woes Despite solid hybrid cloud and AI traction, IBM is facing stiff competition from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Increasing pricing pressure is eroding margins, and profitability has trended down over the years, barring occasional spikes. The company's ongoing, heavily time-consuming business model transition to the cloud is challenging. Weakness in its traditional business and foreign exchange volatility remain significant concerns. Key Valuation Metric From a valuation standpoint, IBM appears to be trading at a premium relative to the industry and is trading well above its mean. Going by the price/book ratio, the company shares currently trade at 9.92, higher than 3.95 for the industry and the stock's mean of 6.01. End Note IBM hybrid cloud blends public cloud, private cloud and on-premises infrastructure to develop a single, flexible, cost-optimal IT infrastructure. With the buyout of HashiCorp, the company has created a comprehensive end-to-end hybrid cloud platform built for AI-driven complexity, delivering clients extensive application, infrastructure and security lifecycle management capabilities. The IBM Concert solution is increasingly gaining wider adoption by incorporating modern AI and automation technologies for a future-proof, scalable and highly secure IT operating model. However, with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), IBM appears to be treading in the middle of the road, and new investors could be better off if they trade with caution. It is also trading at premium valuation metrics and investors could wait for a better entry point to cash in on its long-term fundamentals. Consequently, it might not be prudent to bet on the stock at the moment. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report International Business Machines Corporation (IBM): Free Stock Analysis Report Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGY): Free Stock Analysis Report
Globe and Mail
27-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Can Falcon for IT Help CrowdStrike Expand Beyond Cybersecurity?
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. CRWD is already a leader in cybersecurity, but its latest push into IT operations through Falcon for IT could take the company further. Falcon for IT is a unified security and IT operations platform designed to streamline endpoint management, automate tasks, and enhance security posture. The module, which is within the broader CrowdStrike Falcon platform, leverages AI and real-time insights to help organizations achieve better visibility, control, and faster response times across their IT environments. With more than 20 pre-built response actions, Falcon for IT's use cases extend beyond security investigations to include endpoint reporting, incident response, baseline enforcement and automated remediation. The platform is already showing early signs of growing adoption. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, management noted that Falcon for IT replaced a legacy endpoint management tool as part of a nine-figure Falcon Flex expansion with a Fortune 100 technology firm. This deal also included Falcon Identity Protection and Next-Gen Security Information and Event Management. The Falcon platform currently has more than 30 modules, and the inclusion of Falcon for IT in a large Flex deal suggests that CrowdStrike's platform is extending its utility beyond core cybersecurity. By offering tools that handle security and IT operations on one platform, CrowdStrike simplifies the platform's usefulness, which helps it in grabbing new customers and retaining the existing ones. It also helps customers cut costs by reducing the number of separate tools they need to buy. This highlights how CrowdStrike continues to strengthen its platform and reflects the company's growing role in adjacent IT domains and not just cybersecurity. Falcon for IT may pave the way for CrowdStrike to expand into IT environments, which were traditionally outside the reach of pure-play cybersecurity vendors. How Competitors Fare Against CRWD Zscaler ZS and Palo Alto Networks PANW are also evolving their platforms to meet enterprise security demands. Zscaler continues to expand its Zero Trust Exchange platform. In the third quarter of fiscal 2025, Zscaler reported ARR of $2.9 billion, up 23% year over year. Zscaler's Zero Trust Everywhere, Data Security Everywhere, and Agentic Operations are becoming its main growth engine. Together, these innovative categories are approaching $1 billion in ARR and are growing faster than Zscaler's total ARR growth. Palo Alto Networks is doubling down on its platformization strategy. In the third quarter of fiscal 2025, PANW closed more than 90 net new platform deals. Moreover, the number of customers platformized on Cortex was up nearly three times, reflecting strong momentum with Palo Alto Networks' Extended Security Intelligence and Automation Management or XSIAM security operation platform. CRWD's Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates Shares of CrowdStrike have gained 47.9% year to date compared with the Security industry's growth of 23.8%. CRWD YTD Price Return Performance From a valuation standpoint, CrowdStrike trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 23.73X, slightly higher than the industry's average of 14.91X. CRWD Forward 12-Month P/S Ratio The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRWD's fiscal 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 10.94%, while for fiscal 2027 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 34.68%. The estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 have been revised upward in the past 30 days. CrowdStrike currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks' Research Chief Picks Stock Most Likely to "At Least Double" Our experts have revealed their Top 5 recommendations with money-doubling potential – and Director of Research Sheraz Mian believes one is superior to the others. Of course, all our picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier recommendations like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%. See Our Top Stock to Double (Plus 4 Runners Up) >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW): Free Stock Analysis Report Zscaler, Inc. (ZS): Free Stock Analysis Report CrowdStrike (CRWD): Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (
Associated Press
16-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Braden Business Systems Honored with 2025 MSP Today Product of the Year Award
SmartOps Recognized for Exceptional Innovation and Real-World Impact Through the Channel Fishers, Indiana, United States, June 16, 2025 -- Braden Business Systems proudly announces that its proprietary IT operations platform, SmartOps, has been named a 2025 MSP Today Product of the Year Award winner by TMC. This prestigious award recognizes cutting-edge managed service solutions that empower organizations to enhance IT productivity, boost operational efficiency, and adapt to evolving technology demands. The MSP Today Product of the Year Award celebrates transformative products reshaping the managed services landscape. SmartOps earned this distinction for its innovative self-service capabilities, intelligent automation, and its ability to streamline day-to-day IT operations across diverse environments. SmartOps is Braden's AI-powered, web-based IT operations platform designed to empower users and IT teams alike. With SmartOps, businesses can perform tasks such as password resets, printer troubleshooting, application installations, and calendar permission changes through an intuitive self-service interface, eliminating the need to wait in helpdesk queues. It also provides on-demand access to Braden's expert IT professionals for troubleshooting, project planning, and technology procurement. Clients utilizing SmartOps have reported a productivity increase of over 50%. 'SmartOps is a testament to our belief that IT should be seamless, scalable, and empowering,' said Erik Braden, Managing Partner of Braden Business Systems. 'By reducing friction in everyday IT interactions and giving users the autonomy to resolve issues, SmartOps is redefining how businesses engage with their technology. We're honored that TMC recognizes the tangible value SmartOps brings to our clients and partners.' 'It gives me great pleasure to recognize Braden Business Systems as a 2025 recipient of TMC's MSP Today Product of the Year Award for their innovative solution, SmartOps,' said Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC. 'Our judges were thoroughly impressed not only by the strength and features of the product, but by Braden's commitment to the Channel—empowering partners to deliver exceptional service and drive meaningful results for their clients.' Winners of the 2025 MSP Today Product of the Year Award will be featured on MSP Today, the definitive resource for managed service providers, as well as across TMCnet's media platforms. For more information about Braden Business Systems and SmartOps, visit About Braden Business Systems Braden Business Systems is a leader of business technology solutions, specializing in managed IT services, office equipment, cyber security and document management. Braden is ranked as the #1 MSP in Indiana and #172 nationally on the Channel Futures MSP 501 list; has been honored with placement on the Indiana Chamber's Top Ten Business list; and has won the Business Intelligence Group's Fortress Cybersecurity award for Leadership. For more information about Braden Business Systems, visit About MSP Today MSP Today is the premier online destination for MSPs (Managed Service Providers) and IT service providers worldwide. As the industry's leading web portal, we are committed to delivering timely and relevant news, cutting-edge product information, and invaluable insights to empower MSPs and IT professionals to thrive in today's rapidly evolving technology landscape. ABOUT TMC For more than 20 years, TMC has been honoring technology companies with awards in various categories. These awards are regarded as some of the most prestigious and respected awards in the communications and technology sector worldwide. Winners represent prominent players in the market who consistently demonstrate technological advancements. Each recipient is a verifiable leader in the marketplace. TMC Contact: Stephanie Thompson Manager, TMC Awards 203-852-6800 [email protected] About the company: Phone: +1 866-752-5961 Email: Contact Info: Name: Matthew Pitchford Email: Send Email Organization: Braden Business Systems Website: Release ID: 89162280 In the event of encountering any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies within the content shared in this press release, we kindly request that you immediately contact us at [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our dedicated team will be readily accessible to address your feedback within 8 hours and take appropriate measures to rectify any identified issues or facilitate press release takedowns. Ensuring accuracy and reliability are central to our commitment.
